Exsiccated Sodium Sulfate

Traditional Use

Primary Actions

• Purges heat and softens hardness - Xuan Ming Fen is used for severe heat-related constipation, dry stools, abdominal fullness, and focal hardness that need moistening and downward drainage.
• Clears swelling and toxicity - dissolved or externally applied preparations are used for sore throat, mouth ulcers, swollen painful sores, and other inflammatory heat lesions.
• Moistens dryness while draining - as a refined mirabilite-derived mineral, it helps draw water into the bowels and can be gentler in some preparations than crude saline purgation.

Secondary Actions

• Xuan Ming Fen is the refined or weathered sodium sulfate form related to Mang Xiao, and its clinical logic overlaps heavily with the mirabilite family of saline heat-purging medicinals.
• It is often dissolved separately or used externally, which reflects its mineral nature and the way its purgative action differs from ordinary plant laxatives.

Classic Formulas

• Tiao Wei Cheng Qi Tang - the classic bowel-heat formula whose mirabilite lineage best explains Xuan Ming Fen's purgative logic.
• Da Cheng Qi Tang - an important reference for heat accumulation with hardness, fullness, and constipation.
• Liang Ge San and related heat-clearing formulas reflect the mineral's traditional use for mouth, throat, and upper-burner heat with constipation.

Classical References

• IMPORT NOTE: Xuan Ming Fen is best understood within the Mang Xiao or mirabilite family rather than as a wholly separate therapeutic universe.
• Traditional sources describe it as pungent-salty-cold, entering the bowels to purge heat while also being useful externally for sores and swelling.
• Because it is a strong saline mineral, it is inappropriate in pregnancy or deficiency-cold conditions.