Borax in Chinese medicine

Apparently borax has been used in Chinese medicine for hundreds of years. Called "硼砂" in Chinese, it is used either alone or with other herbs to treat a variety of ailments, including cancer. The famous Chinese medical practitioner Li Shizhen recorded the characteristics and uses of borax in The Compendium of Materia Medica, a text written in the 16th century during the Ming Dynasty and was since translated into a number of languages.

Maybe understanding Chinese could prove difficult for some here, the following passage appeared in The Compendium:

“硼砂，气味甘，微咸，凉，暖，无毒。入肺、胃经。主治消痰止嗽，破瘕结喉痹。大明，上焦痰热，生津液，去口气，消障翳，除噎膈反胃，积块结瘀，阴疒贵骨哽，恶疮及口齿诸病。鼻血不止，硼砂50 g，水服立止。劳瘵有虫，硼砂、硇砂、兔屎等分为末，蜜丸梧子大，每服7丸，生甘草1份，新水1盅，揉汁送下”

As a partial translation, it claimed that borax could heal a number of ailments, including "reducing phelgm and stopping cough", "mouth and teeth diseases" and tumors. Interestingly, the dose it recommended for "nose bleeding" was 50g. Tweet