Properties: Sour, cold

Meridans Entered:
Primary: Lung, Spleen, Liver and Large Intestine

1. Neutralises Cold and Heat
   Diarrhoea, dysentery
   White genital discharge, genital erosion and sores
   Eye pain
2. Strengthens the bones and teeth
   Weakness and fragility of the bones and teeth
3. Aids fasting
   Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of minerals which can, after sublimation to become Bai Fan, make the body light, prevent senility and lengthen life. This may suggest it was part of supplementing the diet when engaging in an "avoiding grain" (Bigu 辟穀) fasting regime to cultivate life (Yangsheng 養生). However, it is not recommended for prolonged taking like most other superior minerals.

Suggested Daily Dosage: Most often used as an external wash but can also be taken internally in 0.6-1g doses as a powder or added to water to purify.

Cautions: Do not use in kidney disease where the ability to excrete may be impaired resulting in aluminium toxicity.Do not use in large doses, or in kidney disease where the ability to excrete may be impaired resulting in aluminium toxicity. Symptoms include bone pain, muscle weakness, cognitive impairment, seizures, anaemia, and in severe cases, dementia.

Notes:

Alum has been used since ancient times as a mordant to fix dye, purify water, as a fire retardant on fortress walls, paper making, ceramics, in medicine and in alchemy. It is first mentioned by Herodotus (5^th century B.C.), and then by Pliny the Elder (Drozdov, 2007) and Dioscorides (1^st century C.E.) in the first western Pharmacopoeia. It also appears in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing, the earliest Chinese pharmacopoeia (c. 1^st - 2^nd century C.E.). In more recent history it has been used as an adjuvant for vaccine delivery (De Gregorio, Tritto, & Rappuoli, 2008).