About This Herb*
Traditional Chinese Medicine background and properties
Herb Description*
Magnetite is a mineral substance used in Chinese medicine to calm the mind, ease dizziness and ringing in the ears, and help with shortness of breath caused by weakness. It works by settling overactivity in the body and supporting the Kidneys, Liver, and Heart. It is especially helpful for people experiencing anxiety, poor sleep, tinnitus, blurry vision, or asthma related to underlying deficiency.
Herb Category*
Main Actions*
- Anchors and Calms the Spirit
- Calms the Liver and Subdues Yang
- Opens the Ear Orifices and Brightens the Eyes
- Aids the Kidneys in Grasping Qi
- Benefits the Kidneys
How These Actions Work*
'Anchors and calms the spirit' means Ci Shi uses its heavy, mineral weight to settle an agitated mind. Because it is physically dense and salty-cold in nature, it pulls overactive Qi downward, calming restlessness, palpitations, insomnia, and even convulsions or epilepsy. This is the principle of using heavy substances to overcome fright and anxiety (重可去怯). It is especially suited when the spirit is disturbed because Yin is deficient and Yang floats upward.
'Subdues Liver Yang' means Ci Shi pulls excessive upward-rising Yang back down. When the Liver and Kidney Yin are depleted, Yang rises unchecked, causing dizziness, headaches, irritability, and a sensation of pressure in the head. Ci Shi's cold, sinking nature and its affinity for the Liver and Kidney channels make it effective at anchoring this floating Yang.
'Improves hearing and brightens the eyes' reflects the classical understanding that the Kidneys open to the ears and the Liver opens to the eyes. When Kidney essence is insufficient, hearing declines, producing tinnitus or deafness. When Liver Blood is deficient, vision becomes blurry. By nourishing the Kidneys and calming the Liver, Ci Shi addresses both sensory impairments at their root.
'Aids the Kidneys in grasping Qi' refers to the Kidney's role in receiving Qi sent down from the Lungs. When the Kidneys are too weak to anchor this Qi, it rebels upward, causing shortness of breath and asthma that worsens with exertion. Ci Shi's heavy, descending nature helps draw Qi back down into the Kidneys, relieving this type of deficiency-based wheezing.
Patterns Addressed*
In TCM, symptoms cluster into recognizable patterns of disharmony that reveal what's out of balance in the body. Ci Shi 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 Ci Shi addresses this pattern
In Liver Yang Rising, Yin in the lower body is depleted while Yang flares upward unchecked, causing headaches, dizziness, irritability, and tinnitus. Ci Shi is cold, salty, and heavy. Its salty flavour enters the Kidneys to protect the root Yin, while its heavy mineral weight physically drags the floating Yang back down. Its cold nature also cools the excess heat that accompanies the rising Yang. It enters both the Liver and Kidney channels, directly addressing the axis where this pattern originates.
A practitioner would look for one or more of these signs
Dizziness and vertigo from Yang rising to the head
Headache, often at the vertex or temples
Ringing in the ears
Irritability and restlessness
Why Ci Shi addresses this pattern
When Yin deficiency allows Yang to ascend and disturb the Heart, the spirit (Shen) becomes unsettled, producing palpitations, insomnia, anxiety, and even convulsions. Ci Shi's heavy mineral nature 'weighs down' the spirit (重可去怯), calming fright and settling restlessness. Its cold nature clears the heat that agitates the Heart, while its Kidney-nourishing action helps rebuild the Yin foundation needed to anchor the spirit. It enters the Heart channel directly, making it well-suited for this pattern.
A practitioner would look for one or more of these signs
Difficulty falling or staying asleep
Heart palpitations and fright
Anxiety and restlessness
Convulsions or epilepsy in severe cases
Why Ci Shi addresses this pattern
When the Kidneys are too weak to 'grasp' the Qi that the Lungs send downward, breathing becomes shallow and laboured, with asthma worsening on exertion. Ci Shi's heavy, descending quality naturally draws Qi downward, while its salty flavour enters the Kidneys to strengthen their anchoring function. This makes it particularly useful for deficiency-type wheezing where the root problem lies in Kidney weakness rather than Lung obstruction.
A practitioner would look for one or more of these signs
Wheezing and shortness of breath worsened by exertion
Tinnitus or hearing loss from Kidney deficiency
Fatigue with weak low back and knees
Why Ci Shi addresses this pattern
When Liver Blood and Kidney Yin are both depleted, the eyes and ears lose their nourishment. The Kidneys open to the ears and store the Essence; when deficient, tinnitus and deafness result. The Liver opens to the eyes and stores Blood; when deficient, vision dims. Ci Shi enters both Liver and Kidney channels, nourishing the Kidneys and augmenting the Liver to restore sensory acuity. Its salty-cold nature also prevents any residual heat from worsening the deficiency picture.
A practitioner would look for one or more of these signs
Dim or blurry vision
Persistent ringing or buzzing in the ears
Gradual hearing decline
TCM Properties*
Cold
Acrid / Pungent (辛 xīn), Salty (咸 xián)
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.