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Fossil Spirifer

Dove Stone, Swallow Stone
Shi Yan  石燕 ('Swallow Stone', TCM)
Byi 'u mgo  བྱི་འུ་ མགོ་ ('Small Bird Head', Tibetan Medicine)
Fossilve Spirifer (Adam, Chengdu Medicine Market, 2016)

Zoological name:
Devonian fossil brachiopods including Spirifer disjunctus

Parts used:
Prepared Fossil

Temperature & Taste:
Cool, dry. Salty, slightly Sweet

Constituents:
Mainly calcium carbonate, silicon dioxide, small amount of phosphoric acid.

Uses:
1. Clears Damp-Heat:
-Diarrhea, including that with Blood and mucus; Blood in the Stool
-painful Urination, Strangury, Blood in the Urine
-Skin diseases with Heat and Damp
-Gastritis and Hyper-acidity
-Coughing and Vomiting of Milk in newborn

2. Clears Heat, Stops Leakage:
-chronic Diabetes with Thirst (Li Shi Zhen)
-Diarrhea due to disorder of the organs
-Chronic Leukorrhea
-Hemorrhoids, Anal Fistula (Li Shi Zhen)

3. Clears Wind-Damp, Benefits the Bones:
-Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis
-Weak Bones, Fractures (Tibetan Medicine)
-dries excess Lymph (Tibetan)

4. Externally:
-finely levigated powder is applied to Nebula and Opacity of the Eye
-in Tooth powders for Toothache and to stabilize the Teeth
-one held in each hand facilitates delivery (Tang Ben Cao)


Dose:
Fine Powder: 500mg–2 grams
According to Li Shi Zhen, the drug is ground in water and the water is taken. One piece is enough for 3 days. He also said half Qian (approx 1.5 grams) of the finely powdered stone can be taken as a dose with Rice water.
In Decoction: 3–9 grams, decocted before adding herbs.

Preparation:
1. Quenched Fossil Spirifer:
  It can be calcined until red hot and quenched for use. This facilitates pulverisation.
2. Vinegar-quenched Fossil Spirifer:
  It can be heated until red hot and vinegar-quenched. This facilitates pulverisation, and leads the medicine to the Liver.

Main Combinations:
1. Painful urination, Strangury:
i. Take the decoction of Fossil Spirifer (Tang Ben Cao)
ii. take the powder Fossil Spirifer with decoction of Spring Onion (Ben Cao Kang Mu)
iii. Strangury with Hematuria, Fossil Spirifer, Poke root (Shang Lu), Small Red Bean (Chi Xiao Dou), Safflower (Hong Hua), equal parts. Take 1 qian (3 grams) with decoction of Spring Onion. (Tai Ping Sheng Hui Fang)
2. Severe diarrhea, take the Powder of Fossil Spirifer with Rice porridge (Ben Cao Kang Mu)
3. Leukorrhea with reddish discharge, Grind one Fossil Spirifer in water and drink the water. 'It is immediately effective' (Xu Shi Jia Chuan Fang)
4. Coughing and Vomiting of Milk in newborn, mix a little Fossil Spirifer with honey and apply to the lips 3 to 5 times daily. (Wei Sheng Bao Jian)
5. Side effects of taking stone medicines, crush 7 Fossil Spirifer and decoct in water until one-third has wasted. Wash the patient with the decoction until they feel better. (Sheng Ji Zong Lu)
6. Toothache and to Stabilize the Teeth:
i. burn 5 pairs of Fossil Spirifer and quench in rice vinegar. Grind them with a little Rock Salt and Musk and rub the teeth with the powder, then rinse with warm wine.
ii. burn 3 pairs of Fossil Spirifer and quench in vinegar; repeat 7 times. Grind them with Rock Salt (1 oz.), Frankincense (1 oz.), Asarum Xi Xin (half oz.). Rub the teeth with the powder then rinse with decoction of Schizonepeta Jing Jie. (Ben Cao Gang Mu)

Major Formulas:

Cautions:
1. Not used in Pregnancy
2. Not used in Cold and Weak digestion.

Main Preparations used: