Ancient and Modern Literature Analysis and Key Information Research of Traditional Chinese Medicine Hongshengdan
10.13422/j.cnki.syfjx.20251166
- VernacularTitle:中药红升丹的古今文献分析与关键信息考证
- Author:
Jingjing YANG
1
;
Yu YANG
1
;
Qingxia GAN
1
;
Can LIU
1
;
Jin WANG
1
;
Qinwan HUANG
1
Author Information
1. School of Pharmacy，School of Ethnic Medicine，Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine，Chengdu 611137，China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Hongshengdan;
origin;
formula composition;
refining;
clinical application;
key information;
textual research
- From:
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae
2025;31(22):201-211
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
As a mercury-containing elixir， Hongshengdan has been known as a sacred medicine for surgery by ancient medical practitioners because of its precise curative effects. It originated from Yizong Shuoyue in the Qing dynasty， Qing dynasty and modern medical practitioners have adapted and modified its formula for clinical application. Employing bibliometric methods， the authors systematically organized relevant ancient literature of the Qing dynasty and modern literature， and analyzed the composition and dosage， preparation method， and clinical application. Among the 25 ancient books concerning Hongshengdan， a total of 12 medicinal formulas， 15 refining methods and 9 clinical applications were obtained. Research confirms that Hongshengdan consisted of mercury， saltpeter， alum， soap alum， cinnabar and realgar. Using measurement conversion standards of Qing dynasty， the modern single-batch formulation comprised 37.30 g of mercury， 149.20 g of saltpeter， 37.30 g of alum， 22.38 g of soap alum， 18.65 g of cinnabar， and 18.65 g of realgar. In modern refining of Hongshengdan， most medical practitioners take the core medicines， with dosages approximately 30 g of mercury， 30 g of saltpeter， and 30 g of alum. Refining method involves pretreatment stewing the materials during preparation， and alum， soap alum， and saltpeter are first ground together， then combined with mercury， cinnabar， and realgar for grinding until mercury and other drugs grind to the degree of no star points. The mixture is then placed in a pot or vessel by cold-forming method. After covering， the opening is sealed using either raw gypsum salt mud or honey-dipped cotton paper strips. Sand is packed around the vessel and then pressurized. During the calcination process， begin with a low flame（30 min）， then increase to a medium flame（30 min）， followed by a high flame（30 min）， after removing fire toxins， collect the final product. Hongshengdan has the efficacy of lifting the poison， removing the corrosion， producing muscle and dispersing， and is often used in the treatment of surgical sore and carbuncle type of diseases. Modern research indicates that Hongshengdan is commonly used to treat skin system diseases such as ulcers and herpes. The aforementioned findings provide a reference basis for the subsequent refining method and clinical application of Hongshengdan.
