Yu Liang Shi (Limonite, Limonitum)

Chinese Herb Actions

Chinese Herb Dosage

• What is the typical dosage of Yu Liang Shi?

  Commonly 9–15 g in decoction (some materia medica give ranges up to ~20 g), or used in pills and powders. As a mineral, it is traditionally crushed and decocted first (先燭, xiān jiān) for 20–30 minutes before the other herbs are added. The calcined-and-vinegar-quenched form (燭祬余粤, duàn yú yú liáng) is the standard processed form used clinically, said to strengthen its astringent and hemostatic effect.

  Source: multiple online sources (Common Chinese Medicinals). Reference only — not a prescription.

Chinese Herb Contraindications & Cautions

• Are there cautions for Yu Liang Shi?

  Because it is strongly astringent and binding, Yu Liang Shi is contraindicated in diarrhea or dysentery of the excess type (e.g. acute damp-heat patterns) — using an astringent too early can trap the pathogenic factor inside. Sources also note it should be avoided in patterns of marrow deficiency with blood dryness, and that it should be used with caution during pregnancy.

  Source: multiple online sources (Common Chinese Medicinals); multiple online sources. Reference note, not a safety guarantee.

Chinese Herb Toxicity & Overdose

• No herb-specific modern toxicity or heavy-metal assay for Yu Liang Shi was found in the literature reviewed. As an unrefined mineral material (a limonite/hydrated-iron-oxide ore), it falls into the general category of mineral-origin TCM substances for which sourcing from tested, regulated suppliers matters, since mineral drugs as a class can carry trace heavy-metal content depending on the ore body. One secondary source notes the traditional vinegar-calcining process is understood to reduce trace arsenic content, though this has not been independently verified here.

  Source: multiple online sources (processing note); general mineral-TCM sourcing context. Reference note, not a safety guarantee — use under a qualified practitioner.

Western / Biomedical Research

Chinese Herb Clinical Studies & Research

Provided as research context — a summary of published biomedical study, not a therapeutic or medical claim.

• Is there modern research on Yu Liang Shi (Limonitum)?

  Very limited — Yu Liang Shi has been studied mainly as a mineralogical identification/authentication subject, not in clinical pharmacology. Chemically, Limonitum is a hydroxide-class mineral composed primarily of basic iron oxide (FeO(OH)), per an academic TCM materia medica database (Hong Kong Polytechnic University).

  • Mineral identification (peer-reviewed, Chinese-language) — a 1998 study compared two commercial varieties of Limonitum (a specialized “egg-shaped” ore versus a general ore form) and found that while their main chemical components and optical characters were similar, infrared spectrophotometry revealed meaningful differences in properties, elemental content, and IR spectra between the two — work aimed at authenticating genuine material rather than at therapeutic effect.

  No clinical trials on Yu Liang Shi itself were located; this absence is noted rather than filled with unrelated research.

  Sources: PMID 11601308 (Li F, Li X, Liu L. Identification of mineral drug limonitum. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 1998 May;23(5):261-2, 318); multiple online sources. Research context, not a therapeutic claim.

Chinese Herb Notes

• How is Yu Liang Shi different from Chi Shi Zhi, and what does it combine with?

  Yu Liang Shi and Chi Shi Zhi are both heavy mineral astringents for chronic, unremitting diarrhea, and are classically paired together — but Yu Liang Shi is regarded as the heavier, more settling of the two, while Chi Shi Zhi is warmer and has more affinity for the Blood level.

  • Chi Shi Zhi Yu Yu Liang Tang (赤石腔祈余粟烧, Shang Han Lun) — equal parts Chi Shi Zhi and Yu Liang Shi, for chronic diarrhea or dysentery that has become uncontrollable (“slippery desertion”), where stool passes repeatedly without the patient being able to hold it, and for chronic rectal prolapse from prolonged diarrhea.
  • Zhen Ling Dan (痛灵丹, Rouse the Spirit Special Pill) — a formula in this site’s own record combining Yu Liang Shi with Chi Shi Zhi, Zi Shi Ying (fluorite), and Dai Zhe Shi (hematite) to stabilize chronic, irregular uterine bleeding.

  Source: multiple online sources (Chi Shi Zhi Yu Yu Liang Tang, Zhen Ling Dan composition); this site’s own record (Zhen Ling Dan formula record). Traditional formula context, not treatment advice.