- Region
- Asia
- Origin
- Mineral; mined in China and elsewhere
Asia · Mineral · № 698
Mirabilitum (natriumsulfaat)
Mineral · Asia
Glauber's salt (mang xiao)
Mirabilitum (natriumsulfaat)
Traditionally attributed effects: softens the stool in constipation from heat and dryness.
Safety notes
Not during pregnancy, menstruation or after childbirth, not with spleen deficiency or in the elderly. Traditional use is no proof of effectiveness; if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or have a medical condition, consult a doctor or pharmacist.
Preparation
Crystals, dissolved. Usually as a decoction, together with other herbs.
Use in traditions
Described in the classical Chinese materia medica, in the group 'herbs that drain downwards'. Glauber's salt (mang xiao) is sodium sulphate, named after the 17th-century German chemist Johann Glauber, who worked in Amsterdam and sold it as a wonder salt. In Chinese medicine it softens hard stools and is part of Da Cheng Qi Tang (Japanese: Daijokito).
Applications
Use by tradition
How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.
Chinese materia medica
- Nature and taste
- bitter, pungent, salty, very cold
- Meridians
- stomach, large intestine
Attributed effects
Softens hard stools in constipation from heat and dryness and cools heat with swelling in red, swollen eyes, throat and mouth inflammation and lumps in the breast.
Preparation and amount
Traditional dosage: 3–12 g a day, dissolved in the strained tea. Works strongly downwards.
Combinations
- With rhubarb and bitter orange for constipation with heat
- Ways to prepare herbs
- Tea (infusion)Decoction