Gypsum

Traditional Use

Primary Actions

• Clears Qi-level heat and drains fire - Shi Gao is the classic mineral for very high fever, profuse sweating, intense thirst, flushed face, and irritability when Yangming or bright excess heat is blazing.
• Clears Lung heat and relieves wheezing - it is used for cough, labored breathing, and thick hot sputum when the Lung is scorched by excess heat.
• Clears Stomach fire and relieves vexing heat - traditional use extends to toothache, gum swelling, oral ulceration, raging appetite with thirst, and headache from Stomach fire.

Secondary Actions

• Shi Gao is typically used in large crushed doses and decocted first because the mineral must be released properly to function in formulas.
• PREPARATION NOTE: raw Shi Gao and calcined Shi Gao are not interchangeable; the calcined form is already kept in a separate repo record because its external wound-healing role is fundamentally different.

Classic Formulas

• Bai Hu Tang - the archetypal Shi Gao formula for blazing Qi-level heat with fever, thirst, and agitation.
• Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang - uses Shi Gao to clear Lung heat while Ma Huang and Xing Ren ventilate and descend the chest.
• Zhu Ye Shi Gao Tang - pairs Shi Gao with fluid-restoring herbs to clear lingering post-febrile heat without ignoring depletion.

Classical References

• TCM Wiki and classic formula commentaries consistently describe Shi Gao as sweet, acrid, and very cold, entering the Lung and Stomach to clear intense excess heat.
• Formula traditions such as Bai Hu Tang and Yu Nu Jian show how the same mineral can target both overwhelming Qi-level fever and Stomach-fire dryness.
• Because the herb is a mineral rather than a plant, source quality, crushing, and preparation method matter more than they do for many ordinary decoction pieces.