About This Herb*
Traditional Chinese Medicine background and properties
Herb Description*
Dài Zhě Shí (hematite) is a heavy, iron-rich mineral used in Chinese medicine to calm the Liver, settle dizziness and headaches, and powerfully redirect the body's Qi downward. It is best known for treating persistent hiccups, nausea, vomiting, and belching, as well as dizziness from high blood pressure. It also cools the Blood to help stop certain types of bleeding.
Herb Category*
Main Actions*
- Calms the Liver and Subdues Yang
- Heavily anchors and directs rebellious Qi downward
- Cools the Blood and Stops Bleeding
How These Actions Work*
'Calms the Liver and subdues Yang' means Dài Zhě Shí weighs down and suppresses excessively rising Liver Yang. When Liver Yang flares upward (often due to underlying Yin deficiency), it causes symptoms like dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, irritability, and a sensation of pressure in the head. As a heavy mineral with a cold nature, Dài Zhě Shí acts like an anchor that pulls this upward-surging force back down and clears Liver Fire. This is why it appears in formulas for high blood pressure and stroke prevention alongside other heavy-sinking substances like dragon bone and oyster shell.
'Heavily anchors and directs rebellious Qi downward' refers to its core strength: forcing Qi that is moving in the wrong direction (upward) back down to where it should go. The Stomach's Qi should naturally descend. When it rebels upward, there is belching, hiccups, nausea, or vomiting. When Lung Qi fails to descend, there is wheezing or coughing. Dài Zhě Shí is physically heavy and cold, giving it a powerful sinking and descending quality. It is one of the strongest substances in TCM for treating stubborn, upward-moving Qi, especially of the Stomach and Lungs. Zhang Xichun, a renowned physician, praised it for its ability to 'suppress rebellious Stomach and Chong vessel Qi, open the chest, sink phlegm, stop vomiting, and relieve constipation.'
'Cools the Blood and stops bleeding' applies when Heat in the Blood forces blood out of the vessels, causing nosebleeds, vomiting of blood, or heavy uterine bleeding. The cold, bitter nature of Dài Zhě Shí clears this Heat from the Blood level. For this purpose, the vinegar-calcined (醋煅) form is typically preferred, as the calcination process enhances its astringent, blood-stopping properties.
Patterns Addressed*
In TCM, symptoms cluster into recognizable patterns of disharmony that reveal what's out of balance in the body. Dai Zhe 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 Dai Zhe Shi addresses this pattern
Liver Yang Rising occurs when Liver Yin becomes insufficient to anchor Liver Yang, allowing it to flare upward and cause symptoms in the head. Dài Zhě Shí directly addresses this with its heavy, sinking, cold mineral nature. It enters the Liver channel and forcefully anchors the rising Yang back downward. Its bitter-cold quality also clears any Liver Fire that accompanies the Yang rising. This is why it is paired with Yin-nourishing and Yang-anchoring substances like dragon bone (Lóng Gǔ), oyster shell (Mǔ Lì), and tortoise plastron (Guī Bǎn) in the classical formula Zhèn Gān Xī Fēng Tāng.
A practitioner would look for one or more of these signs
Often severe, with a sensation of spinning or head pressure
Distending headache, especially at the top of the head
Short temper, easily angered
High blood pressure with flushed face
Why Dai Zhe Shi addresses this pattern
When Stomach Qi fails to descend properly (its natural direction), it rebels upward, producing belching, hiccups, nausea, and vomiting. This is often complicated by phlegm obstruction in the middle burner. Dài Zhě Shí is one of the heaviest descending substances in the materia medica. It powerfully forces the rebellious Stomach Qi back downward, functioning as a 'ballast' that restores the normal downward flow. Its bitter-cold nature also clears any Heat contributing to the upward rebellion. In the Shāng Hán Lùn formula Xuán Fù Dài Zhě Tāng, it serves precisely this role alongside Inula flower to redirect Qi and resolve phlegm.
A practitioner would look for one or more of these signs
Persistent or difficult to control
Stubborn hiccups that resist treatment
Frequent, relentless belching (噫气不除)
Why Dai Zhe Shi addresses this pattern
When Heat invades the Blood level, it can force blood out of the vessels, causing various types of bleeding. Dài Zhě Shí enters the Heart and Liver Blood level with its bitter-cold nature, cooling the Blood and constricting the vessels to stop bleeding. The vinegar-calcined form (醋赭石) is specifically preferred for this pattern, as processing enhances its astringent hemostatic effect. It is commonly paired with herbs like Bái Sháo (white peony) and Shēng Dì Huáng (raw Rehmannia) to address Heat-driven bleeding.
A practitioner would look for one or more of these signs
From Blood Heat forcing blood upward
Uterine bleeding (崩漏) from Blood Heat
TCM Properties*
Cold
Bitter (苦 kǔ)
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.