Qing Meng Shi
Quick Facts
- What it is: A fired mineral powder from chlorite-mica rock, used in Chinese formulas to break up thick phlegm.
- Main uses: Cough with thick, sticky phlegm, Wheezing and a full chest, Fits and severe agitation, in traditional use only
- Best for: Short-term use inside a Chinese formula for stubborn phlegm
- Active ingredients: Chlorite, Mica, Magnesium, iron and aluminium silicates, Trace calcium and potassium salts
- Forms: Fired (calcined) powder, Duan Meng Shi, Raw ground powder, Pills, such as Meng Shi Gun Tan Wan, Granules, Decoction, cooked in a cloth bag
- Time to effect: Days in traditional use; reassess after about a week.
- Side effects: Mostly mild gut upset; long use may leave you weak and off your food.
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What is Qing Meng Shi?
Qing Meng Shi is a mineral, not a plant. It is a grey-green rock rich in chlorite and mica. Chinese herbal medicine grinds and fires it, then uses the powder to break up thick phlegm.
It is best known inside formulas for a cough with thick, sticky mucus that will not clear. Old texts also use it for fits (seizures) and for severe agitation.
The honest verdict: human trial evidence is close to none. Its standing rests on long use in Chinese mineral medicine, and long use is not proof that a thing works.
How does Qing Meng Shi work?
No one has shown how Qing Meng Shi works in the body. What follows is traditional theory, not tested fact.
Chinese medicine calls it heavy and sinking. The idea is that its weight drags stubborn phlegm down and out of the body. It is also said to calm the liver and settle a restless mind.
A modern view is simpler. Ground rock is barely taken up into the blood, so any action is likely to happen in the gut. That idea has not been tested in people.
What forms does Qing Meng Shi come in?
You will almost always meet it as a fine grey powder inside a formula, not on its own.
Raw powder is simply the ground rock. Calcined (fired) powder, called Duan Meng Shi, is heated until it crumbles, and this is the usual form for use.
It also comes in pills and granules. The best known is Meng Shi Gun Tan Wan, a phlegm-clearing pill. In a decoction (a boiled herb tea) it is cooked in a cloth bag, since it is gritty rock.
Where it comes from:
Qing Meng Shi shows up in Chinese mineral medicine from about the 11th century. Song and Ming era texts list it for stubborn phlegm, fits and wild behaviour.
Its most famous home is Meng Shi Gun Tan Wan, a Ming dynasty pill that also holds rhubarb (Da Huang) and scutellaria (Huang Qin). That formula is still made today.
Who should avoid Qing Meng Shi?
- Do not use if you are pregnant or think you might be, since this mineral is treated as strong and downward-moving
- Do not use if you are breastfeeding, as there is no safety information for the baby
- Do not use if you have a weak stomach, a poor appetite, or long-term loose stools
- Do not use if you have a dry cough with little or no phlegm
- Do not use if you have kidney or liver disease, unless your doctor has said it is fine
- Do not use if you are frail or recovering from illness, unless a trained herbalist is guiding you
- Do not use if you are thinking of it as a swap for seizure medicine, asthma medicine or an inhaler
- Do not use if you are giving it to a child, unless a doctor or trained herbalist has prescribed it
- Do not use if you cannot confirm the product was tested for heavy metals such as lead and arsenic
- Do not use if you take a medicine by mouth and cannot leave a two-hour gap between them
When should you see a doctor?
See a doctor if a cough lasts more than three weeks, or if you cough up blood, run a fever, or lose weight without trying.
Get help straight away if you are short of breath, your lips or face turn blue, or your chest hurts.
Call for urgent help for a first-ever fit, a fit that lasts more than five minutes, or a sudden bad change in how someone thinks or acts.
Stop the herb and ring your doctor if you get lasting belly pain, keep vomiting, or pass black stools.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
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