About This Herb*
Traditional Chinese Medicine background and properties
Herb Description*
Shi Gao (gypsum) is a mineral-based substance and one of the most powerful cooling herbs in Chinese medicine. It is primarily used for high fevers, intense thirst, and inflammatory Heat conditions affecting the Lungs and Stomach. For centuries it has been a cornerstone ingredient in formulas for serious febrile illnesses, dental inflammation, and respiratory infections with Heat.
Herb Category*
Main Actions*
- Clears Heat and Drains Fire
- Eliminates Irritability and Relieves Thirst
- Clears Lung Heat
- Clears Stomach Heat
- Promotes Tissue Regeneration and Heals Sores
How These Actions Work*
'Clears Heat and drains Fire' is Shi Gao's primary action and the reason it has been called the most important herb for clearing internal Heat at the Qi level. When a high fever enters deep into the body (past the surface layer), the Lung and Stomach channels become filled with intense Heat. Shi Gao, being extremely cold in temperature and heavy in nature, powerfully descends and clears this Heat. This is the action showcased in the famous Bai Hu Tang (White Tiger Decoction), used for high fever, strong thirst, profuse sweating, and a forceful, flooding pulse. Unlike bitter-cold herbs that can dry out body fluids and damage the Stomach, Shi Gao's sweet taste helps protect fluids while clearing Heat.
'Eliminates irritability and relieves thirst' means Shi Gao addresses the restlessness, agitation, and intense thirst that accompany high fevers. When Heat blazes in the Qi level, it consumes fluids and disturbs the spirit, making a person extremely restless and desperate for cold drinks. The sweet and cold nature of Shi Gao quenches this internal 'fire' and helps restore fluids.
'Clears Lung Heat' refers to its ability to clear Heat that has lodged in the Lungs, causing cough, wheezing, rapid breathing, and thick yellow phlegm. By entering the Lung channel, Shi Gao can cool the Lungs and restore their normal descending function. This action is featured in the formula Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang, where it pairs with Ma Huang to treat Lung Heat cough and asthma.
'Clears blazing Stomach Fire' means Shi Gao can drain excessive Heat from the Stomach channel. Since the Stomach channel passes through the gums and teeth, Stomach Fire often manifests as severe toothache, swollen and bleeding gums, headache, and mouth sores. Shi Gao is the primary herb for these Stomach Fire symptoms.
'Generates flesh and heals sores' applies only to the calcined (roasted) form, Duan Shi Gao. After calcining, Shi Gao loses most of its cold nature and gains astringent properties. In this processed form it is ground into powder and applied externally to wounds, burns, eczema, and ulcers that will not heal, helping to dry dampness and promote tissue regeneration.
Patterns Addressed*
In TCM, symptoms cluster into recognizable patterns of disharmony that reveal what's out of balance in the body. Shi Gao is traditionally associated with these specific patterns.
The following describes this herb's classification within Traditional Chinese Medicine theory and is provided for educational purposes only.
Why Shi Gao addresses this pattern
Qi-level Heat (气分热盛) occurs when pathogenic Heat penetrates past the body's surface defence and blazes in the interior, particularly in the Lung and Stomach. This generates the classic 'four bigs': big fever, big thirst, big sweating, and a big (flooding) pulse. Shi Gao is the definitive herb for this pattern because its acrid-sweet and extremely cold nature directly targets the Lung and Stomach channels where Qi-level Heat resides. Its acrid taste helps vent Heat outward, its sweet taste protects fluids and the Stomach, and its extreme coldness powerfully quenches the blazing internal Heat. As a heavy mineral, it also has a descending quality that settles and calms the agitation caused by Heat disturbing the spirit.
A practitioner would look for one or more of these signs
High fever that does not respond to surface-releasing treatments
Intense thirst with desire for cold drinks
Profuse sweating that does not reduce the fever
Agitation and irritability from internal Heat
Why Shi Gao addresses this pattern
When pathogenic Heat lodges in the Lungs, it disrupts their normal descending and dispersing functions, leading to cough, wheezing, and difficulty breathing. Shi Gao enters the Lung channel and, with its powerful cold nature, directly clears Heat from the Lungs. By removing the Heat that is causing the Lung Qi to rebel upward, Shi Gao restores normal Lung function. Importantly, it clears Lung Heat without excessively drying the Lungs, since its sweet taste helps preserve fluids. This makes it ideal for conditions where Heat has both impaired Lung function and begun to damage fluids.
A practitioner would look for one or more of these signs
Cough with thick yellow sputum
Wheezing and rapid breathing from Lung Heat
Fever accompanying respiratory infection
Why Shi Gao addresses this pattern
Stomach Fire blazing (胃火亢盛) is a condition where excessive Heat accumulates in the Stomach and flares upward along the Stomach channel, which traverses the face, gums, and teeth. This causes intense toothache, swollen and painful gums, headache, mouth ulcers, and facial swelling. Shi Gao is the premier herb for clearing Stomach Fire because it enters the Stomach channel directly and its extreme coldness powerfully drains the accumulated Fire. Its acrid quality helps disperse the congested Heat, while its sweet quality prevents the cold from harming the Stomach's digestive function.
A practitioner would look for one or more of these signs
Severe toothache from Stomach Fire flaring upward
Red, swollen, and painful gums
Headache along the Stomach channel (forehead and face)
Mouth sores and oral ulceration
TCM Properties*
Cold
Acrid / Pungent (辛 xīn), Sweet (甘 gān)
Mineral (矿物 kuàng wù)
This is partial information on the herb's TCM properties. More detailed information is available on the herb's dedicated page
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.