硫黄

English text reference: Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2020 Edition)

Overview

Sulfur is the natural element mineral sulfur of the sulfur family. It is obtained by mining, heating and melting, and removing impurities; or it is processed from sulfur-containing minerals.

Description

Sulfur is irregular in shape and is yellow or slightly greenish-yellow. The surface is uneven and has a greasy luster, often with many small holes. When held tightly in the hand and placed next to the ear, a slight cracking sound can be heard. It is light in weight, loose in texture, and fragile, and the fracture surface is often needle-shaped crystals. It has a distinctive odor and a mild taste.

Identification

When sulfur burns, it melts easily, the flame is blue, and there is a pungent odor of sulfur dioxide.

Assay

Weigh accurately about 0.2 g of the powder, place it in a conical flask, accurately add 50 ml of 0.5 mol/L ethanol potassium hydroxide titration solution, add 10 ml of water, heat in a water bath to dissolve, and evaporate the ethanol (until there are no bubbles and no alcoholic odor). Add 40 ml of water, insert a small funnel into the neck of the bottle, boil gently for 10 minutes, cool, carefully add 5 ml of hydrogen peroxide test solution , shake well, heat in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, cool to room temperature, rinse the funnel and the inner wall of the bottle with water, add 2 drops of methyl orange indicator solution, titrate with hydrochloric acid titration solution (0.5 mol/L), and correct the titration result with a blank test. Each 1 ml of ethanol potassium hydroxide titration solution (0.5 mol/L) is equivalent to 8.015 mg of sulfur (S).

The content of sulfur (S) in this product shall not be less than 98.5%.

Prepared slices

Sulfur

Processing

Eliminate foreign matter, break into small pieces.

Identification

Same as the crude drug.

Assay

Same as the crude drug.

Processed Sulfur

Processing

Take clean sulfur blocks, cook them with tofu, remove them when the tofu turns blackish-green, rinse them, and dry them in the shade.

For every 100 kg of sulfur, use 200 kg of tofu.

Property

Warm.

Toxicity

Toxic.

Flavor

Sour.

Meridian tropism

Kidney and large intestine meridians.

Actions

Used externally to detoxify, kill insects, and treat sores; taken internally to tonify fire, assist yang, and promote bowel movements.

Indications

Used externally for scabies, tinea capitis, malignant ulcers, and gangrenous ulcers; taken internally for impotence and coldness in the feet, deficiency cough and cold asthma, and deficiency-cold constipation.

Dosage

Appropriate amount for external use. Internal 1.5-3g.

Administration

Ground into a powder and applied to the affected area with oil. After concocting, it can be taken in pills and powder.

Precautions

Caution should be exercised in pregnant women. It should not be used with saltpeter and realgar.

Storage

Store in a dry place and keep away from fire.

硫黄

Text reference: Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2015 Edition)

Overview

Sulfur is the natural sulfur of natural elemental mineral group. The drug is collected and melted to remove foreign matter； or obtained by processing the minerals containing sulfur.

Description

In irregular masses, yellow or somewhat greenish yellow. Surface uneven, showing fatty lustre, often with numerous small holes. Slightly bursting sound being heard on holding the drug tightly near the car. Texture light and fragile, easily broken, fracture often showing noodle crystals. Odour, characteristically stinking taste, weak.

Identification

Melts easily on burning, with a blue flame and an irritant odour of sulfur dioxide.

Assay

To about 0.2 g of the fine powder, accurately weighed, in a conical flask, add 50 ml of ethanolic potassium hydroxide (0.5 mol/L) VS. accurately measured, and 10 ml of water, heat on a water hath to dissolve and evaporate the ethanol until no bubble and no odour of ethanol are produced in the solution. Add 40 ml of water, place a small funnel on the mouth of the flask, boil gently for 10 minutes, allow to cool, add dropwise carefully 5 ml of hydrogen peroxide TS, mix well, beat on a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, coal to room temperature, wash the funnel and the inner wall of the flask with water, add 2 drops of methyl orange IS, and titrate with hydrochloric acid (0.5 mol/L ) VS. Perform a blank determination and make a necessary correction. Each ml of ethanolic potassium hydroxide (0.5 mol/L) VS is equivalent 8.015 mg of sulfur (S).

Prepared slices

Sulfur

Processing

Eliminate foreign matter, and break to pieces.

Sulfur (processed)

Boil the clean sulfur with bean curd until the bean curd shows blackish-green, take out, wash clean, and dry in the shade.

Property

Warm.

Flavor

Sour.

Meridian tropism

Kidney and large intestine meridians.

Actions

Topical application: To remove toxin and kill worms to treat sore. Oral administration: tonify fire, assist yang and open the bowels.

Indications

Topical application: scabies and tinea, favus, yin flat-abscesses, and malignant sores; oral administration: Impotence, cold feet, dyspnea of deficiency type cold asthma, and deficiency cold constipation.

Dosage

Appropriate amount for topical application, ground into powder and mixed with oil for applyment. Oral administration: 1.5-3 g, used in pills or powder after processed.

Precautions and Warnings

Use cautiously in pregnant woman. Incompatible with Natrii Sulfas, Natrii Sulfas Exsiccatus.

Storage

Preserve in a dry place, and protect from fire.