Stone Medicine: A Chinese Medical Guide to Healing with Gems and Minerals

Nourishing/Ying Qi Stones

Many of the stones in this section form at the metamorphic level, created by the actions of the Earth’s mantle. The mantle interacts with the core and the crust of the planet, continually responding to eruptions of magma and the inexorable movements of the oceanic and continental crusts. Stones included in this section are appropriate for treatment when the intention is to help manage the requirement of interaction, to harmonize the external world with our core selves. How do we respond? Do we find ourselves resistant or brittle? Stones in this section can help us either adapt to change more easily or realize our true nature more deeply.

Ying Qi stones address conditions affecting the Blood and emotions. Ying Qi is Nourishing Qi. We receive nourishment through our ability to digest and transform not only food and drink but also the information and ideas to which we are exposed. When we are well nourished, we are more complete as individuals and better able to offer nourishment to others. In the big picture, Nourishing/Ying Qi benefits not just the self but others as well.

Blood and Fluids

The stones in this section have a strong relationship to Blood and Fluids. Chemical composition plays an important role in this regard. Iron and copper form the hemoglobin that carries oxygen to all our cells. Blood deficiency, or anemia, contributes to fatigue and poor memory, which in turn interferes with our ability to interact with other people or participate in meaningful activities.

Some of the most important minerals for managing the Fluids are potassium, magnesium, and sodium. These minerals play an important role in the electrically charged fluids called electrolytes, which manage critical bodily functions. The Fluids are less dense than Blood; they are capable of more movement than the Blood, accessing cells throughout the body. They are carriers that either nourish the tissues of our bodies or cleanse and flush out toxicity. (See “Chemical Composition” for more information.)

Therapeutic Qualities

Most of these stones are of moderate hardness, allowing for resiliency. Most are opaque, addressing physical conditions more than the transparent gemstones, which influence the Spirit. Many of them have relatively complex chemical compositions, which give a tangible and measurable effect to treat digestive, circulatory, endocrine, and other physical health disorders.

The Iron Stones

Iron supports the production of blood. In combination with copper, it forms hemoglobin, which transports oxygen throughout the body. Iron often imparts a reddish or yellowish color, and occasionally a turbid green. Some of the important iron-containing stones in this section include hematite, garnet, pyrite, and lapis lazuli.

The Copper Stones

An important group of stones in this section are, in fact, not metamorphic. These are the copper-containing stones formed at the sedimentary level. The copper stones are included in this section because they affect Blood formation and circulation. Copper supports the Liver’s ability to store and distribute Blood, influences the Sinews, and manages Wind. Copper is very conductive to energy. By moving energy, it also moves the Blood. An important treatment strategy for neurological conditions is to invigorate the Blood to expel Wind.

The copper-containing stones create the strong green and blue colors found in malachite, azurite, chrysocolla, and dioptase. They are excellent for people who have Blood or Heat stagnation.

Copper in high dosage is toxic. These stones are best applied topically, not used as an elixir.

Accessing the Ying Qi Level: The Primary and Luo Channels

The most important channels associated with Blood and Fluids are the Primary Channels and the Luo Channels.

The Primary Channels—The Priorities

The twelve Primary Channels circulate Blood and Qi through an energetic loop beginning at the center of the body, traveling outward toward the extremities (including the head), and then returning toward the center. This inward-outward cycle moves through all twelve of the channels, beginning with the Lung channel and ending with the Liver channel. Their trajectories bring Qi and Blood to the Internal Organs, as well as to the sensory organs and the brain. They are the most commonly known and utilized channels.

Theoretically, if life is unfolding according to plan, with no conflicts or obstacles, our Qi and Blood travel smoothly through the channels, moving continuously through the loop. If pathogenic factors enter this flow, the body takes action to protect the integrity of the Internal Organs by diverting the pathogenic factor to another, less vital area of the body.

A discussion of the Primary Channels offers us another opportunity to examine the evolutionary process described earlier in the three prerequisites for life: survival, interaction, and differentiation.

Survival—Lung/Large Intestine/Stomach/Spleen

At the first level of existence, there is the ability to ward off pathogenic factors, whether external or internal. The circuit begins with the Lung and Large Intestine channels, which represent the external domain. The circulation then moves into the Spleen and Stomach, where we begin to acknowledge and develop a sense of judgment about the choices we have in life, through the initial separation of the pure from the turbid.

Interaction—Heart/Small Intestine/Bladder/Kidney

At the second level, the Heart and Small Intestine bring more sophistication to the process of separating the pure from the turbid. We sort through what is available and make choices about what is right or wrong for us. If we are unable to sort through things properly, we become confused or possibly develop a manic approach to life.

When the circuit of energy reaches the Bladder and Kidney channels, we begin to visit the constitution, providing us an opportunity to examine our innate tendencies. The Essence/Jing allows for creativity and procreation but also contains the anxieties and fears that interfere with a productive, happy life.

Differentiation—Pericardium/Triple Heater/Liver/Gall Bladder

At the third level, the Pericardium and Triple Heater function to maintain our sanity and homeostasis by putting our anxieties and fears into a state of latency. If someone is very resistant to these aspects of the self—as in the person whose attitude is “I’m always going to fight it”—this energetic stalemate can lead to autoimmune diseases.

Eventually, we must confront our anxieties and fears. We might not be successful during this lifetime, but there will be another opportunity. The residual energetic frequency of fear and regret from having lived an unsatisfactory life “sticks” to the heavy, dense energy of the deep Source level, resulting in reincarnation.

At this level, the Gall Bladder provides access to the Curious Organs, the Organs associated with survival and evolution. It also deposits unresolved pathology into the Belt Channel of the Eight Extraordinary Vessels. This trapped residual energy serves as the basis for the next life.

The Liver channel is the last in the cycle of the Primary Channels. The end of its external trajectory enters the chest just under the level of the breasts. This point is called “Completion Gate” or “Cyclic Gate.” With this completion of the energetic circuit of the Primary Channels, the energy cycling through the Liver channel meets internally with the Lung channel, for the cycle to begin anew. This is a metaphor for the process of reincarnation. The Liver houses the Hun, the soul that is responsible for doling out our lessons, in the order we need them. When the Hun combines with a new entity incarnating into this dimension, it brings with it the memory of the previously unsatisfactory life. Resolution occurs when, in this life, we become more authentic human beings, maintaining our integrity as we make the choices that support our priorities.

The Primary Channels are the only meridians that access all three levels of energetic terrain. This is why they are used so frequently for a variety of health conditions. Even well-trained acupuncturists are admonished that, without a clear diagnosis and treatment strategy, using the Primary Channels may push pathology more deeply into the energetic anatomy. This is one reason why knowledge of the other channel systems, which are more limited in their applications, is important.

Beginners are encouraged to consult the discussion of topical applications for each stone for other, less complicated approaches to affect the movement of energy in the body.

The Luo Channels—Distractions

Chapter 1 of the Su Wen says that the authentic human being, the Zhen Ren, is the person who is fundamentally interested only in authentic concerns. Authenticity is highly valued by these people; they are not interested in falsity or superficiality. From the Daoist point of view, when we engage with falsity we are only going through the motions of life; we are just getting by. When we go along with the crowd, living by others’ priorities and ignoring our own, we are living an insincere life. If we are trying to be a good person, it is an inauthentic way of living. The authentic human being takes responsibility by making conscious life choices and brings commitment and passion to the activities of life.

The Primary Channels carry the knowledge of the priorities of this life and give us the means to examine our process. The Luo (pronounced “low”) Channels represent our distractions and inconsistencies—that is, how we separate ourselves from our true priorities.

Ultimately, the Luo Channels are about taking responsibility. When the Primary Channels encounter an insurmountable emotional challenge, or when an illness enters the Blood level, these channels create a diversion from the main path. Luo vessels are created on an as-needed basis to help manage unresolved emotional conditions. Spider and varicose veins are examples.

Luo Channels are also associated with chronic pain. Physical pain can be indicative of an underlying emotional conflict. Stagnant Blood presents with localized, stabbing pain. The pain is not affected by climatic factors, does not improve with the application of heat, and does not respond to massage. It is always painful. While this quality of pain can be the result of an injury, it is often the result of long-term emotional repression. This psychosomatic pain might be temporarily alleviated by a Sinew meridian treatment, but the relief will only last for a short time, because the underlying emotional cause has not been addressed.

Blood contains the Spirit, but it also circulates our habitual thoughts and emotions, keeping them alive in our consciousness. These thoughts and emotions distract our attention from the vitality of Spirit.

Luo Channels present as spider veins or small lumps on or near one of the Primary Channels. Spider veins are indicative of a “full” Luo, a reservoir for holding unresolved issues. The small lumps are indicative of an “empty” Luo, one that has gotten too full and has emptied itself back into the Primary Channel. Classically, the method of treatment for these full Luos is to prick the spider vein and allow the blood to come to the exterior. The classical method to treat empty Luos is to bleed the small lump and follow with moxibustion to encourage the movement of energy out of the Primary Channel, back into the holding area.

Full Luo

When a Luo vessel is full, the unresolved emotional issue is held dormant, neatly put away so that it does not bother us. Maybe we are deficient in the resources necessary for the required effort to resolve our situations, or maybe we are simply not willing to do the work. The problem still exists, but it is sublimated.

Empty Luo

At a certain point, when the Blood is no longer strong enough to hold the emotion dormant, the pathology dumps into the Primary Channel. Signs and symptoms start to manifest in the Primary Channels, and in the Internal Organs themselves. When the stagnant, poorly oxygenated blood from the Luo channels empties into the Primary Channels, the affected channel might cause a chronic muscle cramp along its trajectory. Illnesses begin to develop that affect the Internal Organs directly, such as Crohn’s disease or heart disease.

With stone medicine, we can influence the blood held in the Luos using stones containing iron and/or copper. Strong massage, like gua sha, on the visible spider veins or lumps invigorates the stagnant blood or breaks up the nodule of accumulation on the empty Luo. Malachite and hematite are both good choices. Treatments of the Luo Channels release the buildup of pressure in the body, allowing us to live with less intense discomfort, but they do not release the pathology. When these conditions occur, the only way to resolve them fully is to face the unresolved emotional issues that are their underlying cause.

• Aventurine •
(See color insert plate 36)
		Taste	Spicy, bitter
		Nature	Neutral to cooling
		Affinities	LU/LR/HT/KI
		Hardness	6.5–7
		Crystal structure	Trigonal
		Stone group	Oxide
		Level of formation	Igneous/Yuan, metamorphic/Ying, sedimentary/Wei

Chinese Name

Lan shi, “olive stone”

Olives come in many colors, as does aventurine.

Color/Appearance/Light

Green, blue, red, brown, orange, or peach. The wide range of color depends on chemical composition. It often has sparkles of mica included, called aventurescence.

All colors break up the Six Accumulations—Blood, Phlegm, Food, Qi, Heat, and Water stagnation—but the various colors target their effects to different areas.

When we wear the stone, it can change its quality of color as it absorbs our energy. This exchange of energy helps us connect to our illness and find insight for healing.

Chemical Composition

Silicon dioxide (SiO₂)

During formation it binds to a number of minerals and metals, including aluminum, chromium (green color), and fluorine, which usually yields the blue color.

Key Characteristics

It breaks up the Six Accumulations. It is detoxifying and chelates heavy metals and medications from the body.

It regulates Qi, which gives it analgesic properties.

In general, aventurine is helpful for people who feel sluggish, with cold extremities.

Aventurine forms at all three levels of formation, giving it a broad range of therapeutic action. It is a good “beginner’s stone.”

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

It brings Kidney Yang to support Spleen Qi, a quality that makes it useful when we must make major changes, especially if facing serious physical illness.

It promotes the release of pathology from the interior to the exterior.

Functions and Uses

See specific colors.

Methods of Application

See specific colors.

Cautions and Contraindications

Aventurine is contraindicated with medications, drugs, or chemotherapy. It chelates the drugs from the body.

Use caution in cases of constipation, or anytime the person has difficulty eliminating, such as difficulty with sweating or expectoration.

Combinations

Aventurine is appropriate as a transforming stone in a combination. It is similar to jasper in its function of breaking up accumulations.

Aventurine combines well with jasper over the Mu points.

Aventurine and azurite work well together to regulate Liver Qi, especially to enhance nerve conductivity, where there is a lack of sensation, slow reflexes, or poor coordination.

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse once a month in running water for one hour. Recharge in water potentiated by quartz or on a bed of hematite. (Some say to recharge in the sun, but the color may fade in sunlight.)

Common Locations

China, India, Brazil, South Africa, Siberia, Italy, United States (Delaware)

BLUE AVENTURINE • • • • • • • • •
(See color insert plate 36)
		Taste	Spicy, bitter
		Nature	Cooling
		Affinities	LU/LR/KI
		Hardness	6.5–7
		Crystal structure	Trigonal
		Stone group	Oxide
		Level of formation	Igneous/Yuan, metamorphic/Ying, sedimentary/Wei

Color/Appearance/Light

Dark blue and opaque, possibly with tiny bits of mica. The blue color gives it a more cooling effect than the other colors.

Chemical Composition

Silica dioxide (SiO₂) + fluorine

The fluorine content promotes a Wei Qi response, in particular to help clear external electromagnetic radiation.

Key Characteristics

Blue aventurine has a major effect on Liver Wind.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

It promotes the release of pathology from the interior to the exterior.

Functions and Uses

Extinguishes Liver Wind to regulate Qi. Indicated for:

– headaches, migraines, insomnia, angry outbursts, hypertension, muscle spasms, premenstrual syndrome, mood swings

– Bell’s palsy, stroke, plum pit throat

– seizures, tremors, epilepsy

Tonifies Lung and Liver Qi to break up stagnation; improves motor activity. Indicated for:

– Phlegm stagnation

– numbness, loss of mobility, tightness, paralysis

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– career/knowledge and wisdom palaces

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Rub blue aventurine along the jaw for temporomandibular joint disorder.

Apply to the throat region three to five times a day, for ten to fifteen minutes each time, to manage excess Wood energy/Liver Wind rising and becoming trapped in the throat and neck region.

Internal Application

Drink as an elixir for:

· post-dental work or radiation.

· insomnia.

· other functions and uses.

Intentional Application

Place a specimen or sculpture in the north corner of the home to support the wisdom palace.

Cautions and Contraindications

Aventurine is contraindicated with medications, drugs, or chemotherapy. It chelates the drugs from the body.

Use caution in cases of constipation, or anytime the person has difficulty eliminating, such as with an inability to sweat or expectorate.

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse once a month in running water for one hour. Recharge in water potentiated by quartz or on a bed of hematite. (Some say to recharge in the sun, but the color fades in sunlight.)

BROWN AVENTURINE • • • • • • • • •
(See color insert plate 36)
		Taste	Spicy, bitter
		Nature	Neutral
		Affinities	KI/LU/LR
		Hardness	6.5–7
		Crystal structure	Trigonal
		Stone group	Oxide
		Level of formation	Igneous/Yuan, metamorphic/Ying, sedimentary/Wei

Color/Appearance/Light

Brown and opaque, possibly with tiny bits of mica

Chemical Composition

Silica dioxide (SiO₂) + hematite or goethite

Key Characteristics

Brown aventurine breaks up accumulations of Fluids and Blood in the lower region.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

The brown color affects the lower region.

Functions and Uses

Breaks up accumulations in the Lower Burner. Indicated for:

– genital and urinary issues, leukorrhea

– low back pain

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Massage, place, or tape:

· on the lower abdominal region for fibroids.

· on areas of pain in the low back.

Internal Application

Drink as an elixir to address functions and uses.

Cautions and Contraindications

Aventurine is contraindicated with medications, drugs, or chemotherapy. It chelates the drugs from the body.

Use caution in cases of constipation, or anytime the person has difficulty eliminating, such as with an inability to sweat or expectorate.

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse once a month in running water for one hour. Recharge in water potentiated by quartz or on a bed of hematite. (Some say to recharge in the sun, but the color fades in sunlight.)

GREEN AVENTURINE • • • • • • • • •
(See color insert plate 36)
		Taste	Spicy, bitter
		Nature	Neutral
		Affinities	LU/LR/HT/KI
		Hardness	6.5–7
		Crystal structure	Trigonal
		Stone group	Oxide
		Level of formation	Igneous/Yuan, metamorphic/Ying, sedimentary/Wei

Chinese Name

Qing ling shi, “green spirit stone”

Color/Appearance/Light

Varying shades of green. Opaque, usually with small, sparkling inclusions of mica. The green color is associated with regeneration, the renewal of the self. It is detoxifying; the darker the color, the stronger it is in this effect.

Chemical Composition

Silica dioxide (SiO₂) + inclusions of chromium-bearing muscovite mica

Key Characteristics

Of the aventurines, the green color is generally most appropriate for any kind of physical illness or pain.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

The green color targets the chest.

Functions and Uses

Regulates Qi. Indicated for:

– menstrual cramping, stress-related headaches

– diaphragmatic constriction, pain

Regulates Liver Blood. Indicated for:

– stagnant Liver Blood: dysmenorrhea, irregular periods

– blood pressure (high or low), high cholesterol, arteriosclerosis

Clears Heat in the Blood; calms the Shen. Indicated for:

– imbalanced emotions

– agitation, irritability, insomnia

Detoxifying. Indicated for:

– post-chemotherapy or post-drug therapy

– skin conditions: allergies, acne, psoriasis, eczema, suppurations

– Lin disorder: difficulty urinating, including symptoms described as cloudy, painful, stone, taxation, and blood; urinary tract infections

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– health palace—to connect with one’s illness.

– promoting joy and laughter

– opening the heart to appreciate the pleasures of the world

– relieving homesickness

Emotional use. Indicated for:

– calming the Shen, especially when faced with uncertainties

– releasing pent-up emotions

The Liver is our “time keeper”; it is responsible for governing the smooth flow of Qi. Green aventurine is a principal stone for people who feel they do not have enough time, and who feel frustrated and resentful that they cannot get things done.

It is especially for people who always feel drained, and who are so preoccupied with managing life that they do not give attention to their own health.

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Tape green aventurine on the chest for Phlegm accumulation.

Place on the midline of the abdomen, at the “V” where the ribs meet the base of the sternum/CV-15, the Source point of all Yin, to break up stagnation. It stimulates the immune system. It is also helpful when we feel our energy dissipated by excessive responsibility, or when we are exhausted by the neediness of those around us.

Massage, place, or tape on the center of the sternum, between the nipples/CV-17, to stimulate the thymus gland and boost the immune system.

Place in the depression at the inner corner of the eyebrow/UB-2 for headaches in the area of the temples. The trigonal crystal structure targets the head; the green color resonates with the Gall Bladder and so addresses templar/Shaoyang headaches.

Use the elixir as a wash for skin irritations and allergies, especially suppurations.

Place the stone in a cloth soaked with the elixir water and use as a compress on the eyes, for eyestrain.

Internal Application

Drink as an elixir to address functions and uses.

Intentional Application

Place a specimen or sculpture in the center of the home, or in the east corner, to support the health palace.

Cautions and Contraindications

Aventurine is contraindicated with medications, drugs, or chemotherapy. It chelates the drugs from the body.

Use caution in cases of constipation, or anytime the person has difficulty eliminating, such as with an inability to sweat or expectorate.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Among the aventurines, the green color has the strongest effect to clear Heat in the Blood.

An elixir with a combination of green aventurine and red jasper is similar in effect to the herb notoginseng/san qi in its effect to break up Blood stagnation and at the same time stop bleeding.

Combinations

Green aventurine is potentiated by emerald.

Combine aventurine with:

· bloodstone for chronic infections at the blood level, for example hepatitis C. Aventurine regulates Qi and Blood; bloodstone clears Fire Toxins from the Blood.

· jasper for nodules or tumors (tape on the affected area).

· calcite to clear kidney stones.

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse once a month in running water for one hour. Recharge in water potentiated by quartz or on a bed of hematite. (Some say to recharge in the sun, but the color might fade in sunlight.)

ORANGE/PEACH AVENTURINE • • • • • • • • •
(See color insert plate 36)
		Taste	Spicy, bitter
		Nature	Cooling
		Affinities	LU/LR/HT/KI
		Hardness	6.5–7
		Crystal structure	Trigonal
		Stone group	Oxide
		Level of formation	Igneous/Yuan, metamorphic/Ying, sedimentary/Wei

Color/Appearance/Light

Pale orange and opaque, with tiny bits of mineral inclusions that cause a sparkle

Chemical Composition

Silica dioxide (SiO₂) + hematite or goethite

Key Characteristics

Brings its effects toward the Kidneys.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Descending; grounding

Establishes Heart–Kidney communication.

Functions and Uses

Strengthens Kidney Yang Qi by recycling Defensive/Wei Qi to Mingmen. Indicated for:

– weakened immunity

– low libido, impotence

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Tape to the lower abdominal region overnight for impotence.

Cautions and Contraindications

Aventurine is contraindicated with medications, drugs, or chemotherapy. It chelates the drugs from the body.

Use caution in cases of constipation, or anytime the person has difficulty eliminating, such as with an inability to sweat or expectorate.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Orange/peach aventurine can be confused with sunstone. Sunstone is more transparent than aventurine.

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse once a month in running water for one hour. Recharge in water potentiated by quartz or on a bed of hematite. (Some say to recharge in the sun, but the color might fade in sunlight.)

RED AVENTURINE • • • • • • • • •
(See color insert plate 36)
		Taste	Spicy, bitter
		Nature	Neutral
		Affinities	LU/LR/HT/KI
		Hardness	6.5–7
		Crystal structure	Trigonal
		Stone group	Oxide
		Level of formation	Igneous/Yuan, metamorphic/Ying, sedimentary/Wei

Color/Appearance/Light

Orangey red and opaque, usually with tiny bits of mica

Chemical Composition

Silica dioxide (SiO₂) + iron

Key Characteristics

Breaks up Blood stagnation.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Anatomical region: chest/heart

Descending

Directs energy to the Kidneys to address adrenal exhaustion.

The sensory organ associated with the Heart is the tongue. Red aventurine helps with stuttering, and also with the inability to speak one’s truth.

Functions and Uses

Breaks up Blood stagnation; invigorates Blood to expel Wind; clears Heat in the Blood. Indicated for:

– cardiovascular conditions, arteriosclerosis, varicose veins, high blood pressure

– high cholesterol

– insomnia, nightmares, irritability, panic attacks

– skin conditions, especially those involving pigmentation, such as liver spots

– post-traumatic stress disorder

Clears Heat from the Heart through the Urinary Bladder (via the Small Intestine). Indicated for:

– Lin syndrome/urinary tract infections

Emotional use. Indicated for:

– lingering emotions, especially frustration, anger, or resentment

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Wearing red aventurine over the chest region long-term will help treat angina, heart pain, or Heart Bi/Obstruction.

Cautions and Contraindications

Aventurine is contraindicated with medications, drugs, or chemotherapy. It chelates the drugs from the body.

Use caution in cases of constipation, or anytime the person has difficulty eliminating, such as with an inability to sweat or expectorate.

Combinations

Combine red aventurine with rhodonite to rebuild damaged heart tissues after a heart attack.

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse once a month in running water for one hour. Recharge in water potentiated by quartz or on a bed of hematite. (Some say to recharge in the sun, but the color may fade in sunlight.)

• Azurite •
(See color insert plate 37)
		Taste	Sweet, sour
		Nature	Cold or neutral
		Affinities	LR/HT/KI
		Hardness	3.5–4
		Crystal structure	Monoclinic
		Stone group	Carbonate
		Level of formation	Sedimentary/Wei

Chinese Name

Kong long qing, “empty dragon blue” (or green)

Azurite has a strong association with the dragon, recognized in Chinese culture as a powerfully beneficial creature. Fengshui practitioners see certain shapes of mountain ranges as a sleeping dragon; the soul of the dragon lives in these mountains. The mountains protect the land beyond from extremes of wind and rain. Fengshui is about learning how to work with the protection of the dragon. The dragon shows us the fault lines of the Earth and where to find veins of mineral ores.

Qing king, “blue emptiness”

Azurite forms in empty space, a new stone resulting from external factors.

Bian qing shi, “changing blue (or green) stone”

It changes. With more water content, azurite becomes malachite.

Color/Appearance/Light

Vibrant azure blue. It is the color of the sky, of the ocean. It offers us new beginnings, renewal, resurrection.

The blue gives a strong Liver association, affecting the eyes and other Liver functions. It also has affinity with the Curious Organs, specifically the Uterus and Brain.

The blue color relates to venous circulation (versus the red of arterial circulation).

Chemical Composition

Copper carbonate hydroxide (Cu₃(CO₃)₂(OH)₂)

As a carbonate, it helps neutralize Heat, or acid levels. It regulates movement: it slows down things that are moving too quickly.

The copper content stimulates energetic movement in an area of blockage or increases circulation of energy, Blood, and Fluids. It promotes bone healing and expels Wind.

Copper maintains the integrity of structure, including the myelin sheath of the nerves.

Key Characteristics

Azurite is important for any condition related to the Liver, especially eye problems and Wind conditions.

It addresses Liver Qi stagnation resulting from external factors, such as climatic factors, environmental factors, or trauma from an accident or other traumatic event. It also resonates with constitutional emotional tendencies, especially fear.

Azurite benefits acute flare-ups of chronic conditions.

In keeping to its Chinese name, azurite is like the blood of the dragon. Where we injure the Earth, it bleeds. That is why it manages our own traumas and deep wounds.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Anatomical level: skin

Adjusts the balance of Nourishing/Ying Qi and Defensive/Wei Qi.

Benefits the Liver for smooth flow of Qi—it keeps us balanced both emotionally and physically.

Liver and Kidney Luo Channels

Yin Wei Mai, which is associated with major transitions of life, especially when there is a deficiency of “mediumship”—Blood and/or Essence/Jing—causing difficulty in handling situations in life

Functions and Uses

Regulates the Liver; assures the smooth flow of Qi; stimulates movement. Indicated for:

– poor balance (physical or emotional), inflexibility

– nervousness, anxiety

– mood swings

– pain conditions, such as whiplash or frozen joints

– spasms

– low blood pressure

– hypothyroidism, numbness, neuropathy, atrophy

Extinguishes Wind; calms the Shen. Indicated for:

– constant fidgeting or nail chewing, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Tourette’s syndrome; for issues where the brain and nerves are constantly active, constantly firing

Resolves Liver–Spleen imbalances; regulates Stomach Qi. Indicated for:

– Liver invading Spleen signs and symptoms: nausea, bloating, distension

– abdominal spasms, fullness, or ulcers

Promotes function of the eyes. Indicated for:

– poor vision

– optic atrophy

– eye pain; photosensitivity; dry, gritty eyes; eye irritation from external factors

Cools Heat in the Blood. Indicated for:

– heavy menses, spotting, endometriosis, dysmenorrhea

– anxiety, nervousness

Harmonizes Luo Channels, especially the Liver Luo; benefits the Uterus. Indicated for:

– urogenital issues, genital pain

– low sperm count

– pregnant women with a history of late-term complications—it calms the fetus in the last trimester of pregnancy and encourages proper fetal development

Benefits tissue for regeneration. Indicated for:

– bone fractures, scars

– nerve damage, such as with multiple sclerosis

– wounds, swellings

Emotional use. Indicated for:

– people with a lot of stagnation and heat, who don’t know how to let go

– people who live through a traumatic event and subsequently have fear

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– pacifying the Hun/soul of the Liver; assists with past-life regression

– meditation—brings remnants of the past to consciousness, allowing them to be released

– wisdom palace

– opening the third eye chakra (by color); resonating with the solar plexus chakra (by function)

Methods of Application

Azurite is better placed topically or held than used as an elixir.

Topical Application

Important to use after any type of surgery: place on the surgical scar to speed healing. It also facilitates the healing of fractures.

Massage the bottoms of the feet to induce labor.

Hold the stone for low blood pressure.

Massage, place, or tape:

· in the depression on the bottom of the foot, behind the ball/KI-1, to enhance semen production.

· on the medial aspect of the lower leg, a little more than a hand’s width up from the high point of the inner anklebone on the border of the tibia/LR-5 (Liver Luo), for urogenital issues.

· on the inner corner of the eye/UB-1 for photosensitivity, eye strain, eye pain, or floaters.

· near the ears for tinnitus.

· in the “V” on the top of the foot where the metatarsal bones of the first and second toes meet/LR-3 and in the web between the thumb and index finger on the back side of the hand/LI-4 for seasonal affective disorder, to help one better acclimate to the environment.

· on the little-finger edge of the hand, in the large depression just in from the metacarpal joint/SI-3, to stimulate the spinal nerves for a hunched back.

· on the anterior border of the sternocleidomastoid lateral to the Adam’s apple, where the carotid artery pulses/ST-9, for an underactive thyroid.

· on the paravertebral muscles opposite the side of bands of tension, to stimulate the less active side; helpful for scoliosis.

During a Luo point treatment, apply after the point stops bleeding.

Azurite is brittle and pulverizes easily. Place the powder on the inner forearm three fingers’ width above the wrist crease (looking at the palm side of the hand), between the tendons/PC-6, to open Yin Wei Mai for the anxiety and nervousness that can accompany transitional periods of life.

Powder and mix with petroleum jelly or sesame oil to use as a poultice:

· locally for throat pain.

· on broken bones.

· on herniated disks.

· on repetitive stress injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome or trigger finger.

· over the Liver, to detoxify.

· on the lower abdomen for excessive bleeding during menstruation or endometriosis.

Wear earrings made with small crystals set in gold, worn on the eye reflex point on the earlobe, to improve vision or for floaters (take the earrings off at night); also for brain fog.

Wear as a bracelet during the last trimester of pregnancy.

Internal Application

To calm the Shen, drink the stone water (made with a potentiated quartz crystal).

Intentional Application

Hold a sphere during meditation to work with the Hun, to bring remnants of the past to consciousness and to release the associated traumas, for soul retrieval, and for past life information.

In an ear, nose, and throat clinic, surround a generator quartz with azurite to break up or reduce stagnation.

Place as a specimen or sculpture in the north corner of the home to cultivate knowledge and wisdom, especially as regards the grace to accept events in life as happening for a purpose, and to cultivate the ability to embrace change.

Cautions and Contraindications

Not for use as an elixir. Instead, use a potentiated quartz crystal.

Not for use with estrogenic types of cancer.

It is too soft to be tumbled.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Azurite and malachite are similar in composition, though malachite contains more water, which gives it more energetic conductivity. With its sweet taste, azurite is more nourishing than malachite.

Azurite has a stronger effect on the Liver, and malachite on the Spleen.

Azurite is appropriate for acute flare-ups of chronic conditions; malachite is more appropriate for acute conditions.

Use azurite for people who are conditioned to need excessive stimulation, doing many things at once. Dumortierite is for people who repeatedly do the same habitual actions or behaviors.

Azurite is similar to the herb huang jing/polygonatum rhizome/Solomon’s seal in its concept of “return the Essence.”

Combinations

Use as the principal stone in a combination.

Combine azurite with malachite for migraines with photosensitivity, or for eye irritation from external factors: three days with azurite, followed by three days with malachite. Repeat as needed.

Do not combine with silver.

For a broken elbow (uncasted), place azurite directly on the fracture. Place magnetized hematite at the wrist and shoulder to increase the intensity of the treatment.

Li Shizhen recommends avoiding the use of chalcedony with azurite. Azurite has a strong Wood association. Chalcedony has an association to Water and Fire. The combination emphasizes the relationship of Water giving birth to Wood, and subsequently fueling Fire. Together, the stones become overbearing and exert control over one’s life, eventually “burning up” the wearer/user.

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse and recharge in hematite. Alternatively, cleanse by smudging with sage or moxa. Do not cleanse in water.

Stone History

Li Shizhen describes azurite this way: “It dredges through blood vessels to nourish the spirit; dredges through the water channels to promote lactation, facilitate movement of the joints, and remove stagnation and hardness.”

Historically, azurite was powdered and used as a dye and as pigment for paint. The powder is still available through art supply stores (though check to make sure it is not produced synthetically).

Common Locations

Azurite occurs in many locations around the planet, including Europe, North America, and Asia.

• Azurite-Malachite •
(See color insert plate 38)
		Taste	Bitter, sweet
		Nature	Neutral
		Affinities	LR/SP/ST/HT
		Hardness	3.5–4
		Crystal structure	Monoclinic
		Stone group	Carbonate
		Level of formation	Sedimentary/Wei

Chinese Name

He qing shi, “coming together of blue-green stone”

Color/Appearance/Light

Blue and green

Chemical Composition

Copper carbonate hydroxide (Cu₂CO₃(OH)₂)

The copper content nourishes Liver Blood and together with the water content gives strong conductivity of energy.

As a carbonate, it is alkalizing.

Key Characteristics

Azurite-malachite is said to be a stone that emerges from the Earth when the Earth is traumatized. When found in large quantities, there has been some sort of invasion, some kind of environmental assault. It acts as a protector of the Earth, amplifying its Defensive/Wei Qi.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Harmonizes the Middle Burner.

Functions and Uses

Regulates Liver Qi. Indicated for:

– premenstrual syndrome

– headaches

– high blood pressure

Treatment Concept for Qi or Blood Deficiency

When conditions develop that relate to deficiency of Qi or Blood, it is because the body has deficient resources to expel pathology. The Bladder Shu/Transporting points adjacent to the spine are responsible for distributing energy to the Internal Organs. If a Shu point is particularly tight, the associated organ will be weak; the point must relax before the organ can strengthen. Place azurite-malachite at areas of tightness along the paravertebral muscles until the point or muscle relaxes.

If a Cold pathology is responsible for the tight muscles, first massage the affected area with a pyrite wand to warm the area. When the point or area relaxes, leave the azurite-malachite in place and gently tap it with rose quartz, to help build back the Qi and/or Blood.

Clears Lung Heat leading to Lung deficiency. Indicated for:

– asthma, coughing, wheezing

Breaks up accumulations. Indicated for:

– gallstones, kidney stones, accumulations in the liver, swollen spleen

– nodules, tumors, areas of calcification

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– strengthening third eye function

– helping to resolve our traumas and deep wounds

Fengshui. Indicated for:

– protecting the home against negativity and maintaining stability in the Earth

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Place azurite-malachite over areas of substantial accumulations (such as tumors) to gather energy and begin to release and discharge the stagnation. Apply for thirty minutes a day.

Hold to harmonize the mood swings of premenstrual syndrome.

Place over the Liver for Liver Fire signs and symptoms (headaches, red eyes, angry outbursts, high blood pressure).

Internal Application

Use a quartz crystal potentiated with azurite-malachite in drinking water for gallstones or kidney stones.

Intentional Application

Place a sculpture or specimen near the entrance of a home to protect against negativity and maintain stability. It is especially appropriate as a gift to someone moving into a new home.

Cautions and Contraindications

Not for use as an elixir.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Azurite is neutral in nature as compared to malachite, which is warming because it amplifies and moves. The naturally occurring combination of azurite-malachite has a stronger effect in breaking up accumulation than the individual stones.

Azurite-malachite is detoxifying and breaks up accumulations, such as bone spurs, bone cancer, and swelling of the eye. Dioptase is regenerating. It builds back the Liver Blood, promotes healing of muscle or ligament tears and broken bones, and resolves floaters due to deficient Blood.

Do not confuse azurite-malachite with chrysocolla, which is a silicate. Chrysocolla is more cooling than azurite-malachite. Chrysocolla is also more pertinent for acute conditions affecting the Lungs.

Combinations

Combine azurite-malachite with rhyolite or leopardskin agate-jasper to break up calcification (such as in breast tissue).

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse and charge with hematite.

• Bronzite •
(See color insert plate 39)
		Taste	Bitter, sweet
		Nature	Cooling
		Affinities	GB/KI
		Hardness	5–6
		Crystal structure	Orthorhombic
		Stone group	Chain silicate
		Level of formation	Igneous/Yuan, metamorphic/Ying

Color/Appearance/Light

Greenish brown, opaque. It has a bronze-like metallic luster, with some sparkles, but it never appears bright. The darkness of the ferromagnesian silicates absorbs heat and light quickly. It usually appears in fibrous or platy masses, but sometimes as stubby crystals. It is most often opaque, sometimes translucent, and rarely transparent.

Chemical Composition

Ferromagnesium silicate ((Mg,Fe)SiO₃)

Common impurities include calcium, aluminum, cobalt, nickel, manganese, titanium, chromium, sodium, and potassium.

It is one of the few ferromagnesian stones used in stone medicine (along with peridot and diopside). They are important in relationship to the Marrow and its production of red blood cells.

Bronzite is the gemological name for the common mineral enstatite.

Key Characteristics

Bronzite stimulates the marrow to produce blood and directs the blood toward the bones and joints. It also stimulates Wei Qi.

Bronzite absorbs heat very quickly. The heat causes its effect to penetrate deeply into the body.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Bronzite resonates with the Meeting Point for the Marrow/GB-39, located on the lateral aspect of the lower leg, a hand’s width up from the high point of the anklebone.

It also stimulates Defensive/Wei Qi.

Functions and Uses Nourishes and moves blood into the bones, joints, and marrow. Indicated for: –anemia, cancer

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Enhance bronzite’s effect by adding heat from moxa or a far-infrared lamp.

For Bone Bi/Obstruction, scrape bronzite on areas of the spine or joints, or place the stone on the area of pain and heat with moxa or a far-infrared lamp. It enhances the body’s ability to move blood into the bones and joints.

Use a bronzite massage wand to scrape the lateral aspect of the lower leg, a hand’s width up from the high point of the anklebone/GB-39.

Internal Application

Drink as an elixir (use a potentiated quartz crystal) to stimulate the marrow to produce red blood cells.

Cautions and Contraindications

It has the potential of containing many trace minerals. Use a potentiated quartz crystal for elixirs.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Bronzite is similar to tourmaline in that both stones stimulate Defensive/Wei Qi and are very invigorating.

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse in running water once a month. Let it dry for a short time in the sun, or place with a crystal to charge.

Common Locations

It is widely found in North America, Europe, Asia, and India.

• Cavansite •
(See color insert plate 40)
		Taste	Sweet
		Nature	Cooling
		Affinities	LR/SP/HT/KI
		Hardness	3–4
		Crystal structure	Orthorhombic
		Stone group	Sheet silicate
		Level of formation	Igneous/Yuan

Color/Appearance/Light

Bright blue. Very small, aggregate crystals that form little balls, usually sitting on a matrix of apophyllite or zeolite minerals, such as stilbite.

Chemical Composition

Hydrous calcium vanadium oxide silicate

(Ca(VO)Si₄O₁₀.4(H₂O))

Vanadium is anti-inflammatory, especially in the circulatory system. It also stimulates the Spleen in its responsibility to manage Blood.

Key Characteristics

Anti-inflammatory

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

It brings energy to the Kidneys, affecting Yin Wei Mai for transitional times of life. Cavansite supports Heart– Kidney communication.

Functions and Uses

Clears Heat. Indicated for:

– osteoporosis

– irritated eyes

– hemorrhaging (such as a menopausal woman with uterine bleeding)

– anemia due to loss of blood

Nourishes Blood and Yin. Indicated for:

– poor vision and hearing

– anemia

Emotional use. Indicated for:

– the person who is unable to move with the changes of life, who cannot bring Blood, Heart, or Spirit to a new phase of life

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– strengthening throat chakra function—to help release and speak the emotions

– use as a prayer stone, to bring us back to and affirm the essence of who we are

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Place cavansite over areas of inflammation, especially where Heat is burning Essence:

· bone (osteoporosis)

· eyes or ears (declining vision or hearing)

· teeth (thinning enamel)

· lung area (coughing)

· tumors

Use the elixir (with potentiated quartz) as a wash for irritated eyes.

Internal Application

Drink as an elixir (use a potentiated quartz crystal) to clear Heat.

Cautions and Contraindications

Not for internal consumption.

Combinations

Cavansite is potentiated by any stone that affects the Kidneys, for example stones containing silica (blue lace agate) or phosphorus (apatite).

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse with smoke from sage or moxa.

Stone History

Cavansite is a relatively new stone, discovered in the 1980s.

Common Locations

India

• Chalcopyrite •
(See color insert plate 41)
		Taste	Bitter, spicy, slightly sweet
		Nature	Warming
		Affinities	LU/LR/SP/ST
		Hardness	3.5–4
		Crystal structure	Tetragonal
		Stone group	Sulfide
		Level of formation	Igneous/Yuan, metamorphic/Ying, sedimentary/Wei

Chinese Name

Zi ran tong, “natural copper”

Color/Appearance/Light

Metallic yellow. Opaque. When exposed to air it oxidizes to iridescent blues, greens, and purples. (It is popularly called peacock stone.) Usually massive or botryoidal, but it sometimes appears as crystals.

Chemical Composition

Copper iron sulfide (CuFeS₂)

Sulfur tonifies Yang Qi and the immune system.

Copper and iron support the production and circulation of Blood.

It can also contain minor amounts of elements such as nickel, lead, zinc, cobalt, gold, silver, cadmium, selenium, and tin.

The iridescently colored tarnish is actually another copper iron sulfide called bornite.

Key Characteristics

Chalcopyrite is very moving to break up energy blockages. It clears Fire Toxins and addresses damage to the DNA.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Directs Defensive/Wei Qi upward.

Stimulates Yang Qi to support the immune system.

Functions and Uses

Tonifies Yang Qi; strengthens the immune system; invigorates Yang to move stagnation. Indicated for:

– weakened immunity

– pain conditions

Clears Heat and benefits the Essence/Jing; repairs DNA. Indicated for:

– inflamed tissue

– Steaming Bone syndrome

– side effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy

Clears Fire Toxins; detoxifies the brain, the marrow, and the bone; cools Heat in the Blood. Indicated for:

– pulmonary tuberculosis

– brain tumor, bone cancer, leukemia

Regulates the Liver. Indicated for:

– Liver invading Spleen and Stomach signs and symptoms: indigestion, bloating

– Liver Wind: tremors, seizures, other neurological conditions

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– opportunity palace—it attracts support from friends because it nourishes and moves Blood

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Place or tape:

· at the top of the head/GV-20 to stimulate Kidney Yang for hair growth (ten minutes daily).

· in the depression on the bottom of the foot, behind the ball/KI-1, to invigorate Yang to repair DNA damage. Use only for ten minutes at a time; it can cause a headache from the stimulation of Yang.

Internal Application

Use a quartz crystal potentiated with chalcopyrite to create an elixir.

Cautions and Contraindications

Excessive use can cause headaches. Not for internal consumption.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Chalcopyrite, pyrite, and marcasite are all sulfides. Pyrite is analgesic. Marcasite strengthens Spleen function; chalcopyrite regulates the Liver.

Combinations

Combine with a hydrating stone, for example opal, to make sure the body has sufficient Yin to flush out toxicity.

Cleansing and Charging

Place in the sun for a couple of hours.

Stone History

As a major source for copper, chalcopyrite has been mined for thousands of years. Copper was the basis of the Bronze Age. Before we knew how to smelt iron, bronze was the most durable, widely worked, and economically important metal to ancient civilizations.

Common Locations

England, Europe, Asia, South America, Canada, United States

• Charoite •
(See color insert plate 42)
		Taste	Bitter, spicy
		Nature	Cooling
		Affinities	KI/LR/PC
		Hardness	5–6
		Crystal structure	Monoclinic
		Stone group	Chain silicate
		Level of formation	Metamorphic/Ying

Color/Appearance/Light

Pale lilac to deep purple or violet, and occasionally pink. It ranges from opaque to translucent, sometimes in the same piece. It has a swirling, fibrous appearance and sometimes has chatoyancy.

The purple color resonates with Heart–Kidney communication.

Chemical Composition

Hydrated potassium sodium calcium silicate hydroxyfluoride (K(Ca;Na)₂Si₄O₁₀(OH;F)·H₂O)

Many minerals combine to form the complex rock called charoite. In addition to its fundamental chemistry, it can also contain barium, aluminum, iron, manganese, and strontium.

The calcium and fluoride content brings its effects to the Bone level. The fluoride, as a halogen, in combination with the hydroxy group’s purging effect, helps draw poisons from the body.

The electrolyte content supports fluid metabolism and conducts Qi.

Key Characteristics

Breaks up Heat stagnation by stimulating Yang Qi.

Its spicy and bitter taste makes it a moving, descending stone. In combination with its cooling nature, the net effect is to cool off Heat and its resulting agitation, and to direct it downward and inward.

The Pericardium affinity lets us know that the stone has a significant effect on the emotions. In particular, charoite helps suppress or contain emotions.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Governor Vessel/Du Mai

Accesses the Source/Yuan and Defensive/Wei levels as they pertain to the Fluids of the Stomach and Spleen; supports Divergent Meridian treatment.

Functions and Uses

Regulates the waterways; engenders Fluids to expel pathogenic factors. Indicated for:

– external pathogenic factors, such as common cold

– fluid retention, especially in the chest region; congestive heart failure

– ultraviolet radiation, electromagnetic radiation, x-rays

Invigorates and cools the Blood; calms the Shen. Indicated for:

– emotional agitation, stress, tightness in the chest

– menstrual cramping

Recycles Yang Qi to the Governor Vessel/Du Mai; invigorates Yang to break up Fluid or Phlegm stasis or hardenings. Indicated for:

– Phlegm misting the Mind (confusion, poor concentration), attention deficit disorder in adults, autism in children

– Liver Fire, cirrhosis, hardening of the liver, ascites

– congestive heart failure

– neuropathy in the feet or legs

– non-healing ulcers, skin cancer resulting from sun exposure

– low back pain

Cools External and Internal Wind. Indicated for:

– emotional challenges of life transitions

– twitching eyes or mouth, Bell’s palsy, facial tic

– leg cramps

Sedates excess Wood and Fire in newborns. Indicated for:

– jaundice

Emotional use. Indicated for:

– the person who has difficulty with changes in life, especially to alleviate fear and insecurity

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– relationship palace, especially when there is disrespect among siblings

– improving boundaries, social insecurity

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Massage, place, or tape bilaterally in the web between the thumb and index finger on the back side of the hand/LI-4 to help release pathogenic factors.

Apply charoite locally:

· for injuries, such as sprains or fractures.

· for damaged organs: the liver from cirrhosis; or the pancreas with insulin dependency (in Chinese medicine, Spleen/Pancreas is one unit—in this case, charoite has more effect on the Pancreas than the Spleen).

Wear as jewelry when receiving x-rays.

Internal Application

Drink the elixir when there is a need to purge.

Make an elixir with a potentiated quartz crystal and give small amounts to newborns with jaundice.

Cautions and Contraindications

Charoite is only of moderate hardness, with the potential of many mineral impurities, including aluminum. Use a potentiated quartz crystal for an elixir if there is concern for heavy metal toxicity.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Charoite is similar in appearance to sugilite, but sugilite is darker in color, more expensive, and not so easily available.

Combinations

Charoite is better as the associate in a combination than as the principal.

Combine charoite with:

· selenite to break up Yin stasis and flush out dead tissue and smoky quartz to direct Kidney Qi to support the Spleen (for a damaged pancreas).

· fluorite or apophyllite to increase its effect on Divergent Meridian treatment (in topical application).

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse under running water; charge in quartz crystal.

Stone History

Nomads used charoite in an elixir to cement the bond of family and to protect against invasion.

Charoite was brought into China by Mongolians, who used it to make a decoction to celebrate a new beginning on birthdays and other special days, and to release past “hauntings.”

Common Locations

Charoite is a rare stone, so far found in only one location in Siberia.

It forms from limestone subjected to heat and pressure and encountering the unique chemicals introduced by intrusive igneous rocks, ultimately becoming a new stone.

• Chiastolite •
(See color insert plate 43)
		Taste	Sweet
		Nature	Cold
		Affinities	HT/SP/ST/LR
		Hardness	5–5.5
		Crystal structure	Orthorhombic
		Stone group	Island silicate
		Level of formation	Metamorphic/Ying

Chinese Name

Ping shan shi, “peaceful mountain rock”

The stone grants a sense of peace and calm.

Color/Appearance/Light

Off-white to brown, with black. Chiastolite is an opaque variety of andalusite. Its habit of growth is in square-ish columnar crystals. When the column is sliced through horizontally, the cross-section shows an off-white or brownish body color with a black cross. Andalusite, which can occur as transparent or translucent, does not have the cross shape.

Chemical Composition

Aluminum silicate (Al₂SiO₅)

The black color is carbon or graphite.

It usually contains traces of iron, calcium, and chromium. The combination of aluminum and calcium clears Heat (acidity) and gives association to the Bone and Sinews.

It may also include very minor traces of magnesium, potassium, titanium, vanadium, copper, lead, and plutonium.

The many possibilities of trace minerals make it a diversified stone to affect neurological conditions.

Key Characteristics

It relaxes the muscles and nerves, especially skeletal nerves, to affect neurological conditions.

Chiastolite addresses a condition that was known in classical times as “Damp Blood,” which described stickiness in the Blood resulting from Dampness, but not yet truly stagnant Blood.

Chiastolite and Heat Conditions

Conditions of Heat include:

· Heat in the Blood, causing nosebleeds, irritability, or disturbed Shen;

· Heat in the Sinews, causing cramping; or

· Heat in the joints, causing Hot Bi/Obstruction syndrome.

When these conditions are present for a lengthy period, the Heat eventually causes Internal Wind to stir, causing Heat and Internal Wind to occur simultaneously.

· If Heat overrides Wind, inflammatory conditions manifest. Blood, which nourishes the nerves and sinews, is consumed by the Heat, and Wei/Atrophy syndrome can develop. Common conditions include neurological illnesses, such as multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease), or Parkinson’s disease.

· If Wind overrides Heat, the condition can manifest as seizures.

Chiastolite clears Heat that damages the Blood and Essence and invigorates the Blood to expel Wind.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

The cross-like pattern is appropriate for conditions of Counterflow or Rebellious Qi (and hence the Luo Channels).

Luo Channels

Functions and Uses

Clears Heat. Indicated for:

– bad breath, gum conditions, tooth decay

– Food Stagnation

– strong body odor, dark urine

– osteoporosis

– any condition involving the nerves, such as trigeminal neuralgia, muscle spasms, irregular heartbeat, incontinence, constipation

Cools Heat in the Blood; breaks up Blood stagnation; invigorates the Blood to expel Internal Wind; strengthens the Spleen to transform Dampness causing “sticky” Blood. Indicated for:

– poor circulation

– palpitations, high blood pressure

– convulsions, seizures, epilepsy

– post-stroke patients, to reduce acidity in the Blood that might generate Wind

– leukemia

– bleeding

– diabetes

Calms the Shen. Indicated for:

– insomnia characterized by difficulty falling asleep

– nervousness

Regulates Liver Qi. Indicated for:

– angry outbursts, nervousness, behavioral problems associated with the Liver

– Liver invading Spleen signs and symptoms, such as abdominal distension

Resolves Wind or Hot Bi syndrome. Indicated for:

– chronic radiating pain

– gout, joint pain, arthritis

– bursitis, tendinitis

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– inducing calm to benefit meditation

Methods of Application

Topical Application

For the person who cannot get out of bed in the morning because the Blood is slow to be invigorated, make a morning ritual to hold chiastolite for several minutes before arising.

Hold at night to promote peaceful sleep.

Wear a necklace of beads to clear Heat in the upper region.

Use the elixir as a foot soak for gout.

Internal Application

Drink as an elixir (use a potentiated quartz crystal) to address functions and uses.

Intentional Application

Chiastolite is available as a sphere. Take it to a mountain and meditate.

Cautions and Contraindications

With its potentially complicated chemical content and its relative softness, use a potentiated quartz crystal for elixirs intended for drinking.

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse in running water for two hours. Recharge in the sun or on quartz crystal for two hours.

Common Locations

Chiastolite is widely occurring in Australia, Europe, Asia, and the United States.

• Chrysoberyl/Cat’s Eye (Cymophane) •
(See color insert plate 44)
		Taste	Spicy, sweet
		Nature	Cooling
		Affinities	LR/LU/KI
		Hardness	8.5
		Crystal structure	Orthorhombic
		Stone group	Oxide
		Level of formation	Igneous/Yuan, metamorphic/Ying

Color/Appearance/Light

Yellowish, yellowish green, brownish, brownish green, or gray. The “ordinary” chrysoberyl is yellowish green and ranges from translucent to transparent. Translucent stones with chatoyancy are cut and polished into cabochons to show a distinct milky ray of white light crossing the center line of the cabochon. The most prized color for cat’s eye is called “milk and honey.” Transparent, gem-quality stones are usually faceted.

Chemical Composition

Beryllium aluminum oxide (BeAl₂O₄)

It can also include iron or hematite, chromium, and/or titanium.

Key Characteristics

Chrysoberyl is a stone in the making. It is “immature” in the stone world, eventually to become beryl. Immaturity brings with it innocence and promotes the ability to forgive and forget more easily.

Cats are known for their night vision. The name is a metaphor for the stone’s effect on vision, both physical and prophetic.

Antiparasitic

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Anatomical region: chest

Chrysoberyl accesses both the Source/Yuan and Defensive/Wei levels. It encourages a release of latency by allowing pathology to come to the surface.

Functions and Uses

Anchors to the Kidney; settles the Shen; establishes Heart–Kidney communication; breaks up Blood stagnation. Indicated for:

– chest tension from anxiety or fear of something going wrong

– panic attacks

– Yang types of epilepsy, manic episodes of schizophrenia

– headaches

Tonifies Lung Qi. Indicated for:

– respiratory conditions

– Heart conditions related to the Lungs, such as congestive heart failure

Emotional use. Indicated for:

– surrendering more quickly to change, offering flexibility for people who are very set in their ways—it helps us see ourselves more clearly and, hence, change our perception of the world; it can cause a healing crisis

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– helping to bring back innocence, to promote forgiveness

Cat’s eye has a relationship to vision. It is a stone of prophecy, allowing us to see far, to look ahead.

Cat’s eye offers protection: “With me, you can be innocent; I’ll protect you.”

Methods of Application

It is better touching the skin than used as an elixir.

Topical Application

Apply chrysoberyl on the low back in the depression below the L2 spinous process, a little above waist level/Mingmen/GV-4, to promote forgiveness, especially for someone else’s immaturity.

Intentional Application

Chrysoberyl needs to be warm to be effective. Jewelry needs to be worn frequently and consistently for efficacy. It helps us come to terms with “who we are.”

It promotes the idea of innocence, the ability to fall in love without expectations.

Wear as a pendant touching the midline of the abdomen, at the “V” where the ribs meet the base of the sternum/CV-15, to calm the Shen.

Cautions and Contraindications

As an “immature” stone, chrysoberyl is somewhat unpredictable in its effect. It is not a stone for beginners.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Chrysoberyls are immature, relative to beryls. Generally, beryls induce latency, while chrysoberyls allow latency to release.

Barite and chrysoberyl are both antiparasitic, but barite has a stronger association with fungus.

Another chrysoberyl is called alexandrite. It has a stronger effect on the Source/Yuan level of energetic movement.

Combinations

As jewelry, a gold setting intensifies its effect.

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse under running water; charge in the sun for half an hour.

Common Locations

It is widely found across the planet, including Brazil, Europe, India, Australia, Madagascar, Russia, Africa, and the United States.

• Chrysocolla •
(See color insert plate 45)
		Taste	Bitter, spicy, sweet
		Nature	Cooling or cold
		Affinities	LU/LR/KI
		Hardness	2.5–3.5
		Crystal structure	Orthorhombic, monoclinic, or amorphous, depending on conditions during formation
		Stone group	Sheet silicate
		Level of formation	Metamorphic/Ying, sedimentary/Wei, igneous/Yuan

Chinese Name

Bian lu, “changing into the green stone”

Li Shizhen saw the stone as a transformation of malachite—either as it dissolves and becomes softer or as it further solidifies to become harder. In either case, it is changing into a new stone, evolving as it is subjected to the forces of Heaven (rain) and Earth.

Color/Appearance/Light

Mottled or multicolored green or bluish green. Opaque to translucent, rounded masses or bubbly crusts. It can crystallize in the form of crusts, layers, large masses, or needlelike crystals. Chrysocolla is the name for any massive, globular, glassy, blue to green copper-bearing silicate mineral whose species is not specifically identified.

Chemical Composition

Hydrated copper silicate ((Cu,Al)₂H₂Si₂O₅(OH)₄·nH₂O)

The composition of chrysocolla is highly variable and therefore lacks a definitive chemical composition. Multiple analyses of different compositions have been offered over the years. It can contain many impurities, including aluminum, iron, manganese, nickel, chromium, silver, and boron.

The water content conducts the Qi to speed its effect for acute conditions. It is helpful in conducting intention for massage, Reiki, and qigong. Its high copper content is also conductive for energy and helps mend broken bones.

Just as its chemical composition is variable, chrysocolla is described with different crystal structures. In many cases, especially the softer varieties, it is an amorphous “silica gel” or gelatinous precipitate. For harder varieties formed at higher temperatures, the crystal structure might be orthorhombic or monoclinic.

Key Characteristics

Chrysocolla benefits any condition that requires descension and consolidation of energy, for example excitability, irritability, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It also encourages a healthy pregnancy.

Chrysocolla is a good stone for children.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Anatomical region: chest

Directs Lung Qi down to the Kidneys; brings resources inward to support Kidney Yin.

Adjusts the balance of Defensive/Wei and Nourishing/Ying Qi, especially as pathology is moving from the interior to the exterior.

Functions and Uses

Benefits the assimilation of Great/Da Qi; tonifies Lung Qi and enhances descension into the Kidneys to regulate the Lower Burner; increases respiratory capacity. Indicated for:

– weak immunity, Wind-Heat exogenous factors

– asthma, especially resulting from Lung Qi deficiency

– mental agitation, tension, nervousness

– encouraging a healthy pregnancy

Resolves Liver invading Spleen signs and symptoms; strengthens Spleen Qi; regulates Liver Qi. Indicated for:

– digestive disorders due to stress: abdominal fullness, distension, flatulence

– hypoglycemia, swollen liver or spleen

– varicosities

Resolves any type of Bi/Obstruction syndrome, but especially for Dampness responding to Heat; drains Dampness responding to Heat. Indicated for:

– joint pain, especially swollen, painful joints

– swellings

Chrysocolla and Spleen Function

The Spleen’s major responsibilities are to transform and transport the foods that we eat and to “bank” the Blood by maintaining the integrity of the blood vessels. Dampness can form when the Spleen is weakened by poor diet (most especially foods that become sugar when metabolized, such as alcohol or starchy carbohydrates, not to mention sugar itself), or by stress, which creates the condition of Heat causing the Liver to invade the Spleen. The body creates Dampness to manage the Heat, to slow down activity in the body. This process results in inflammation.

Dampness is the pathogenic factor that is most damaging to the Spleen. If the Spleen is weak and cannot manage the Blood, varicosities can develop. High blood sugar thickens and slows the flow of blood; it causes fatigue and feeds bacteria and fungi. Chrysocolla helps manage Blood and regulates insulin levels.

Dampness is heavy and can cause an achy, heavy quality of pain. Chrysocolla accesses the joints and is appropriate for any type of Bi/Obstruction syndrome, but especially for Damp- Heat Bi.

Chrysocolla is useful for the common scenario of a person who is overweight and diabetic, with high blood pressure, insomnia, and hip pain.

Nourishes and invigorates Liver Blood; clears Heat in the Blood, especially when it stirs Wind. Indicated for:

– premenstrual syndrome, fibrocystic breasts, menstrual cramping, heavy bleeding, dysmenorrhea, early period with cramping

– menopausal signs and symptoms, such as hot flashes or insomnia

– skin conditions, rashes, redness on the cheeks

– restless leg syndrome

– nervousness, tension

– muscle spasms

– radiating nerve pain, such as sciatica

– neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis

– Wind signs and symptoms due to Blood deficiency, such as with high blood pressure

– leukemia

Nourishes Fluids. Indicated for:

– lactating mothers

– poor sperm production

– Yin deficiency with weak immunity, inability to flush out pathology

Clears Internal and External Heat, including external infections. Indicated for:

– Stomach Fire, excessive appetite

– Liver Fire, nervousness, insomnia

– tonsillitis, inflamed eyes, inflamed gums, fever

– burns

Regulates Defensive/Wei Qi. Indicated for:

– connective tissue problems, tendinitis, ligament tears

– mood swings

Chrysocolla is the principal stone to encourage a healthy pregnancy and to offset any adverse signs and symptoms during pregnancy. It is similar in effect to KI-9/Guest House (located on the medial aspect of the lower leg at the base of the calf muscle), the point used toward the end of each trimester to help assure a healthy pregnancy by clearing toxicity. It nourishes the womb and the fetus.

Emotional use. Indicated for:

– generally harmonizing the emotions

– issues of separation, such as death or divorce

– the sensation of emotions being trapped in the chest

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– deepening and regulating the breath and calming the mind during meditation

– affecting the acupuncture point located at the third eye, Yintang; it can induce heightened states of consciousness

– relationship palace—for marriages that have become predictable and boring, without novelty or spark

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Hold chrysocolla during a hypoglycemic episode to ease shakiness.

For a young child with poor bone growth, the mother can hold the stone while breastfeeding.

For carpal tunnel syndrome, wave the stone over the wrist.

For fibroids, dysmenorrhea, or idiopathic infertility, hold in the hands.

To reduce fever, with the elbow bent scrape the muscle around the crease where the elbow bends, in line with the index finger/LI-11/“Pool at the Crook,” with a chrysocolla massage wand to clear Heat.

To encourage the release of a pathogenic factor from the interior/Ying level to the exterior/Wei level, in a stone layout place chrysocolla under the feet or on the tailbone, as a grounding stone.

Massage, place, or tape:

· in the region of the eyes to clear Heat.

· on the thyroid gland for hyperthyroidism.

· on the pelvis, on the upper border of the pubic bone, about two fingers’ width lateral to the center line/ST-30, for heavy bleeding or thick blood clots during menstruation.

· on the paravertebral muscles adjacent to the lower border of the T9 spinous process/UB-18/Liver Shu point to build back Liver Blood.

Powder and mix with egg white to use as a poultice for a fractured bone. (Some stones are light and soft, making them relatively easy to pulverize.) Place on:

· the soles of feet for hot flashes.

· burns.

Internal Application

Drink as an elixir (use a potentiated quartz crystal) or in water (use a tumbled stone, not rough, and only for a short time) for fever, Fire Toxins, or Hot Bi syndrome.

Rinse or gargle for inflamed gums or tonsillitis.

Intentional Application

Place on the acupuncture point located at the third eye/Yintang to induce an altered state of consciousness.

Place under the pillow to induce sleep.

Hold during meditation to encourage deeper breathing and to calm the mind.

Cautions and Contraindications

Use a potentiated quartz crystal for elixirs.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

The major stones containing copper are azurite, chrysocolla, dioptase, and malachite. To differentiate their priority of use:

· Azurite tonifies Liver Qi.

· Chrysocolla clears heat.

· Dioptase breaks up blood stasis affecting the heart.

· Malachite invigorates Liver Qi.

The harder forms of chrysocolla, especially those found with a quartz matrix, form through the interaction of silicic acid from the water of a river or a stream with surrounding minerals. Malachite and azurite form because of the interaction between carbonic acid from rainfall and copper.

Chrysocolla, with its Lung affinity, is more appropriate for acute conditions than azurite or malachite.

Chrysocolla likely contains more iron than azurite or malachite and hence has a more direct effect on the Blood.

Chrysocolla is more cooling than azurite or malachite.

When treating Wind/neurological conditions, especially if they are due to trauma (such as post-traumatic stress disorder), chrysocolla is more appropriate for women and dioptase is more appropriate for men.

Chrysocolla and turquoise both clear Heat. Turquoise is most appropriate for the upper region. Chrysocolla affects the entire body but emphasizes the lower region.

Combinations

Chrysocolla is best as an associate stone in a combination. It will stimulate a quick response.

Combine chrysocolla with:

· lapis lazuli or magnesite to treat deficient Blood resulting from Full Heat.

· amethyst for asthma.

· larimar for children with poor growth patterns.

· malachite for an aggravation of Wind, perhaps causing seizures.

· blue lace agate to resolve Liver invading Spleen signs and symptoms.

· rhyolite or leopardskin agate-jasper for fibrocystic breasts (chrysocolla helps the body assimilate calcium more efficiently).

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse and recharge with hematite.

Common Locations

Israel, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zaire, Chile, Australia, Russia, France, England, and the United States (Arizona, Utah, New Mexico)

• Dioptase •
(See color insert plate 46)
		Taste	Bitter, sweet
		Nature	Cold
		Affinities	LU/LR/SP/GB
		Hardness	5
		Crystal structure	Hexagonal/trigonal
		Stone group	Ring silicate
		Level of formation	Sedimentary/Wei, metamorphic/Ying

Color/Appearance/Light

Rich, deep blue green. Crystals have a glassy shine and range from transparent to translucent. It is often found growing on a matrix such as calcite or barite, but it also forms clusters of hexagonal crystals with square-ish terminations. It sometimes forms in geodes.

Chemical Composition

Hydrous copper silicate (CuSiO₃·H₂O)

As a silica oxide stone, dioptase is relatively simple and easy to work with. The water and copper content makes it a powerful conductor of Qi, making it effective for acute conditions.

Key Characteristics

Dioptase is effective for conditions over which we feel we lack control (such as acute episodes of post-traumatic stress or addictions).

It is also good for heart conditions that arise from stress, resulting in Liver Blood stagnation.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

It influences the Brain through its effect on the internal trajectory of the Liver channel, which travels from the rib cage up through the chest and throat and into the eyes, into the brain, and finally to the top of the head/GV-20. Through its effect on this trajectory of energy, dioptase helps us learn more quickly.

Dioptase makes a bridge between the Lung’s instinctual awareness and the Liver’s cognitive awareness.

Dioptase and the Lung–Liver Energetic Relationship

Dioptase works to help bring instinctual drives to conscious awareness, or conversely, to make the things we initially learn become autonomic, like riding a bicycle. Instinctual drives come from the level of Defensive/Wei Qi, which is governed by the Lungs and the Liver. Cognition comes from the level of Blood, or Nourishing/Ying Qi, which is governed by the Liver, Heart, and Spleen. The Liver makes a bridge between these two levels.

The instinctual drive to breathe comes from the Lungs. When yogis or other spiritual practitioners put their attention on the breath, the instinct to breathe becomes more conscious. Highly accomplished practitioners can consciously manipulate their body temperature, heart rate, and other autonomic activity. The consciousness that allows for this control of instinctual activity comes from the Blood, in particular the experiences held in the Blood and stored by the Liver.

Dioptase helps us learn more quickly and improve weak responses. It helps the Wei Qi recognize an opportunistic infection more quickly. On the other hand, it can help us “unlearn” the unconscious, habitual behaviors or addictions that hinder our lives. Dioptase can return consciousness and meaning to the Liver’s Blood.

Dioptase particularly benefits people whose temperament requires that they be in control, but whose circumstances deny them this control. For example, as we age we begin to lose control of our health. Many people develop high blood pressure because they cannot control the aging process. Their frustration at this loss of control increases their level of stress. They might even have a heart attack. They feel frustrated or resentful (Liver) because the Heart, the Sovereign Ruler, has been thwarted. There is nothing to be done. Life is unfair. Dioptase helps us let go of the frustration and release the Liver Blood stasis holding on to the resentment.

Another example might be people who experience a trauma. Maybe they were in a car accident and are now too fearful to get into a car again. They do not have control over their fear. They cannot release the memory of the trauma, and it continues to haunt them. Dioptase can help them release the Liver Blood stagnation holding frustration or fear.

Functions and Uses

Invigorates, nourishes, and cools Liver Blood; invigorates Blood to expel Wind. Indicated for:

– swollen liver (due to Liver Blood deficiency)

– dull headaches, especially when occurring after menstruation

– muscle spasms

Stimulates Wei Qi, especially as it affects the internal terrain (such as the smooth muscles of the gut or the heart muscle). Indicated for:

– weak peristalsis

– acute congestive heart failure, cardiac insufficiency, angina

– low blood pressure

– human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), low T-cell activity

Resolves Liver/Wood insulting Lungs/Metal, manifesting in the Large Intestine. Indicated for:

– irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, constipation, bloating, alternating constipation and diarrhea

Harmonizes the Middle Burner. Indicated for:

– Liver invading Spleen symptoms (indigestion, abdominal distension)

– swollen spleen

Emotional use. Indicated for:

– people whose temperamental profile requires the need to be in charge, but who have encountered an inability to maintain that control—perhaps it is because of their position in the family, or perhaps it is because the aging process has limited them in ways they resist

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– conducting Qi to support Reiki and intentional work

– promoting the ability to receive the grace of self-love

– strengthening heart chakra function

– prosperity palace

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Dioptase has enough water content that it does not have to be placed directly on the body; it can simply be waved over points or regions to ionize the electromagnetic field.

Carry the stone to increase stamina.

Place directly on areas of pain:

· on headaches, migraines, or toothaches

· on the pubic bone for menstrual pain or intestinal pain

· over the heart for muscle cramps causing the pains of angina

Place locally over the liver, or on Liver acupoints, such as the intercostal space below the breast tissue, in a line below the nipple/LR-14; on the lateral torso, just below and in front of the tip of the eleventh rib, usually on a level slightly higher than the navel/LR-13; and/or on the paravertebral muscles adjacent to the lower border of the T9 spinous process/UB-18, to affect Liver function in general.

Dioptase is an excellent gua sha massage tool to invigorate Blood to expel Wind.

Scrape varicosities or Luo points to bring Blood stagnation to the surface. Follow with application of a stone, such as bloodstone or red jasper, to break up Blood stasis.

Internal Application

Drink as an elixir (use a potentiated quartz crystal) for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to increase T cells and thymus activity.

Cautions and Contraindications

Its high copper content warrants the use of a potentiated quartz crystal for elixirs.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Dioptase is similar to chrysocolla but has a richer color. They both form through the interaction of copper with water containing silicic acid from dissolved quartz and other silicates.

Dioptase addresses low blood pressure; azurite-malachite is for high blood pressure.

Both dioptase and malachite contain high concentrations of water. The water content gives them a gentle, soothing effect for someone going through acute stress.

Dioptase works better on torso points than azurite or malachite.

All the stones containing copper regulate Blood. Dioptase has a greater effect in breaking up Blood stasis in the Liver and Heart.

Combinations

Dioptase is an associate in a combination, not the principal stone.

Combine dioptase with kunzite to strengthen weak Heart Qi.

In a suggested combination for post-traumatic stress disorder, use:

· dioptase for Liver Blood stagnation;

· red aventurine as the transforming stone, to bring consciousness into the trauma and to further clear Heat in the Blood; and

· amethyst as the enhancer.

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse and recharge in hematite.

Common Locations

Namibia, Congo, Kazakhstan, Argentina, United States (Arizona)

• Dolomite •
(See color insert plate 47)
		Taste	Sweet, spicy
		Nature	Warming
		Affinities	KI/ST/SP
		Hardness	3.5–4
		Crystal structure	Trigonal
		Stone group	Carbonate
		Level of formation	Igneous/Yuan, sedimentary/Wei

Color/Appearance/Light

Colorless, white, red, brown, gray, or pink. It usually occurs in massive form, but it also forms square-ish, sometimes curved crystals. The luster of dolomite crystals is pearly. The pink colors are especially sought after as specimens.

Chemical Composition

Calcium magnesium carbonate (CaMg(CO₃)₂)

Dolomite usually has a balanced combination of equal parts calcium and magnesium, which helps the body balance these two minerals.

Dolomite usually contains impurities, chiefly silica (which directs energy to the Kidneys), aluminum, and iron (causing a yellow or brown tint). It can also contain traces of manganese (pink color), cobalt (hot pink color), lead, and zinc.

Although none of the chemical formulas shows it, most dolomite likely contains minuscule amounts of sulfur. Elemental sulfur is a common component of sediments in general. Dolomite serves as a reservoir rock for oil and gas, which commonly contain sulfur. Dolomite absorbs sulfur; it is used in industrial filtration systems.

Key Characteristics

Dolomite is a safe form of sulfur to tonify Kidney Yang. It works slowly despite its softness.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Descending

Luo points, especially for emptiness of Luo. It affects the Blood level as it relates to the Source/Yuan level. Anatomical region: flesh

Functions and Uses

Tonifies Kidney Yang. Indicated for:

– Yang deficiency: adrenal deficiency, dark rings around the eyes, poor sleeping, fatigue

– low libido

– chronic fatigue syndrome

Tonifies Spleen Yang; benefits the muscles to tone and regenerate. Indicated for:

– flaccidity in the flesh

– fibromyalgia

– frequent miscarriage

– incontinence

Breaks up Blood stagnation; invigorates the Blood (especially the pink color). Indicated for:

– insomnia

– palpitations

– angina, aortic stenosis, coronary artery blockages

– muscle cramps, restless leg syndrome

Protects against damage to the Blood level during chemotherapy.

Emotional use. Indicated for:

– grief or sadness

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– creativity palace—helps cultivate a career as a writer

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Massage, place, or tape:

· on the inner forearm three fingers’ width above the wrist crease (looking at the palm side of the hand), between the tendons/PC-6, for angina.

· on the spot identified as HT-5—on the little-finger side of the inner wrist/forearm, touch the hollow in the wrist crease in line with the little finger, and slide the finger proximally over the bump to find the next hollow area one thumb’s width medial to the tendon—for blocked carotid arteries.

· on the lateral aspect of the lower leg, midway between the high point of the anklebone and the crease at the back of the knee, two thumbs’ width lateral to the tibia (shinbone)/ST-40, for tightness in the neck, fusing of the spine in the neck, or dowager’s hump.

· on the medial aspect of the ankle, in the hollow where the Achilles tendon attaches to the heel bone/KI-4, for calcification in the lower back.

· on the inner aspect of the wrist/forearm in line with the thumb, in the depression proximal to the bony landmark of the radial styloid process/LU-7, for calcification in the shoulder or for trigger finger.

In a stone layout, dolomite is an anchoring stone appropriate for placement at the tailbone or low back/Mingmen to return Yang to the lower region.

Internal Application

It adds warmth and Yang Qi to any elixir intended to treat Cold signs and symptoms.

Cautions and Contraindications

None known.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Dolomite (CaMg(CO₃)₂) differs from calcite (CaCO₃) by the inclusion of magnesium, though in its colorless or white color it appears to be very similar.

Combinations

Combine dolomite with:

· nephrite jade to treat Kidney Yang deficiency or adrenal exhaustion.

· rhyolite agate-jasper to break up accumulations and blockages.

· sodalite to emphasize the Liver affinity.

· amber for asthma. Amber brings a descending quality from the Lungs to the Kidneys; dolomite addresses insufficiency.

· tiger eye for hypothyroid conditions, to strengthen Spleen Qi damaged by Heat.

· aquamarine for a hypoadrenal condition affecting the thyroid. Add nephrite jade to strengthen the combination.

· chrysocolla for Liver Blood deficiency.

· amethyst for stress-related asthma.

· amber to bring Lung Qi down to the lower region, and prehnite to break up waste and fatty deposits, in order to tone the muscle of the bladder and reduce frequent urination, or to tone the uterus to prevent frequent miscarriage.

· apatite to slow the spread of Heat.

Common Locations

Canada, Switzerland, Spain, Mexico, Namibia, United States (the Midwest)

• Dumortierite •
(See color insert plate 48)
		Taste	Bitter, sweet
		Nature	Slightly cold
		Affinities	LR/SP/ST
		Hardness	7–8
		Crystal structure	Orthorhombic
		Stone group	Island silicate
		Level of formation	Igneous/Yuan, metamorphic/Ying

Color/Appearance/Light

Blue, brown, green, and (rarely) violet or pink. Crystals usually appear as fibrous aggregates and have a vitreous luster. They can sometimes be similar in appearance to tourmaline.

The blue color, mottled with white, is called dumortierite quartz. The blue color associates with the Liver.

Chemical Composition

Aluminum borosilicate (Al7BO₃(SiO₄)₃O₃)

Common impurities include iron (blue color), titanium, calcium, magnesium, and manganese, which account for the color variations.

Aluminum clears Heat and soothes the nerves. Iron supports the production of Spleen Blood.

Key Characteristics

Dumortierite directs Heat away from the body quickly.

It sedates, or cools off, an overactive mind.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Penetrating Vessel/Chong Mai as it relates to digestion and Counterflow Qi

Liver–Sinew and Kidney–Bone relationships.

Functions and Uses

Tonifies the Spleen’s production and management of Blood. Indicated for:

– hemorrhoids, red eyes, heavy menstruation, dark sublingual veins

– headaches (dull or severe)

– dizziness

– insomnia

Harmonizes the Middle Burner; resolves Liver invading Spleen and Stomach signs and symptoms. Indicated for:

– babies with colic

– diarrhea

– nervous stomach

– nausea and vomiting, especially during chemotherapy

Subdues Wind. Indicated for:

– restlessness—the need to move, especially in a habitual way

– difficulty concentrating, especially when there are many distractions to the senses

– Sensory Wind/Wind in the orifices, such as for the person who cannot make eye contact or who continually interrupts

–autism, Tourette’s syndrome

Dumortierite and the Relationship of the Liver and Spleen to the Emotions

Our emotions and behaviors are largely controlled by Liver Blood. The Liver, however, only stores the Blood; it does not produce it. The responsibility for production falls to the Spleen and Stomach; they produce the Blood that allows us to play our roles in society.

In all our interactions we are playing roles. We might be playing the role of a mother or a child. Of a teacher or a student. We need the ability to shift roles quickly. Maybe we are preparing for a class and our mother calls. Will we interrupt our work and be a good child? Or will we continue our work and be a good student? These roles are the result of socialization; they do not arise spontaneously. We rely on memory (Blood) to play them properly.

Sometimes we have difficulty moving smoothly from one role to another. Some people cannot play roles at all. They challenge society’s expectations and are judged as “social deviants.” Some of us are born to be rebels. Some of us are not able to conform. If we try to do the things that everybody else is doing, we might feel nauseous. Conforming might cause us to scream in frustration. Such people may be healthy in their relationship to themselves, but they are out of sorts in society.

Dumortierite affects the Nourishing/Ying level of interaction, the level at which we learn to accommodate the external environment with our core self. If we are constantly uncomfortable with what is required of us by society, our physical structure and nervous system are challenged. We might develop seizures. If we are uncomfortable in our own skin, we develop skin conditions. We might be very sensitive to the environment, or food, or types of fabric in clothing, and we may develop allergies. “Normal” social dialogue is uncomfortable. We develop obsessions.

Dumortierite helps us understand and makes us comfortable in our various roles. It is a good stone for actors.

– epilepsy, convulsions, seizures

– skin irritations, possibly resulting from food allergies

Directs Kidney Yang upward to support the Governor Vessel/Du Mai and upright posture. Indicated for:

– scoliosis, spondylitis, other spinal issues

Absorbs Heat. Indicated for:

– headaches

– inflammatory pain

Emotional use. Indicated for:

– the person who eats while watching TV or talking on the phone, or who multitasks in various other ways

Emotional use. Indicated for:

– the person who cannot filter extraneous stimulation, who has the inability to carry on a conversation when other conversations are going on nearby, such as at a party

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Place in the sun for fifteen minutes, then hold or place on the area of headache.

Internal Application

Drink as an elixir to address functions and uses.

Cautions and Contraindications

Dumortierite is sometimes mistaken for sodalite and has been used as an imitation for lapis lazuli.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

There are a number of important stones that affect the Blood:

· Dumortierite manages Blood by strengthening the Spleen.

· Hematite nourishes Blood and oxygen.

· Garnet invigorates and nourishes the Blood.

· Pyrite warms the interior and breaks up Blood stagnation due to Cold.

· Lapis lazuli nourishes Liver Blood that has been damaged by Heat.

Dumortierite and epidote both affect the Penetrating Vessel/Chong Mai:

· Epidote addresses the trajectory of Chong Mai as it goes into the chest to affect the Heart and Lungs.

· Dumortierite has a major effect on Chong Mai as it relates to digestion and Counterflow Qi.

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse with warm water. Charge with quartz.

Common Locations

Sources of dumortierite include Brazil, Austria, France, Italy, Norway, Poland, Russia, Madagascar, Namibia, Sri Lanka, Canada, and the United States (Nevada).

• Garnet •
(See color insert plate 49)
		Taste	Sweet, salty
		Nature	Neutral
		Affinities	LU/HT/KI
		Hardness	6.5–8.5
		Crystal structure	Cubic
		Stone group	Island silicate
		Level of formation	Metamorphic/Ying, igneous/Yuan

Color/Appearance/Light

Red, green, yellow, orange, brown, pink, purple, gray, or black. They can be transparent or translucent. Pyrope and almandine range in color from red or purple to orangey red. Spessartine occurs in a variety of orange colors, while andradite comes in yellow, yellowish green, green, and black. Grossular has the widest color range of any garnet species, from colorless through yellow to reddish orange and orangey red to a strong, vibrant green.

The four principal minerals that cause color in garnets are iron (purplish red, brown, yellow), manganese (orange, pink), chromium (red, green), and vanadium (green).

Chemical Composition

The “garnet group” includes silicate minerals that all share a cubic crystal structure but have slightly different chemical compositions. The different species are almandine (the most common garnet), pyrope, spessartine, andradite, grossularite (varieties of which are hessonite, also called “cinnamon stone,” and tsavorite), and uvarovite.

Almandine: iron aluminum silicate (Fe₃Al₂(SiO₄)₃)

Pyrope: magnesium aluminum silicate (Mg₃Al₂(SiO₄)₃)

Spessartine: manganese aluminum silicate (Mn₃Al₂ (SiO₄)₃)

Andradite: calcium iron silicate (Ca₃Fe₂(SiO₄)₃)

Grossular: calcium aluminum silicate (Ca₃Al₂(SiO₄)₃)

Uvarovite: calcium chromium silicate (Ca₃Cr₂(SiO₄)3)

None of these varieties appears in a pure form in nature. The crystal structure of garnet remains unchanged, while chemical elements of one variety substitute with chemical elements from other varieties to create intermediate varieties with different colors.

Key Characteristics

Garnet is a very nurturing, stabilizing stone. It resuscitates Yang Qi and is beneficial for convalescents.

Garnet is an appropriate stone for any condition involving a hormonal imbalance or weakness, such as menopause or diabetes.

It separates from its matrix. It does not want “entanglement” but wants to remain uncluttered, unbounded.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Du Mai; directs Qi up the spine to the occiput/GV-16/Palace of Wind to awaken consciousness.

Supports Heart–Kidney communication to resolve conflicts between the Self and the world.

Lesser Yin/Shaoyin: energy is not yet fully Yin, but it is beginning to retreat, as in menopause or andropause. This stage gives the opportunity for self-reflection. Physical symptoms include imbalances of hot and cold: manic depression; cold hands with hot feet; Heat above, Cold below.

Functions and Uses

See specific colors.

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– people born in the month of January, as a birthstone

Methods of Application

See specific colors.

Cautions and Contraindications

Garnets are relatively hard, but they contain aluminum and other potentially dangerous elements. Use the elixir with caution.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

All garnets address Blood stagnation, whether physical or emotional. Here are further differentiations:

· The grossular garnets (tsavorite, hessonite) contain calcium for the Bones and Kidneys; they resonate with the Water element.

· Uvarovite contains calcium for the Bones/Kidney/Water and chromium to help manage sugar/Spleen/Stomach/Earth.

· Spessartine contains manganese, giving it resonance with the Heart/Fire.

· Almandine, pyrope, spessartine, and grossular garnets all contain aluminum to cool the Liver/Wood.

· Uvarovite and grossular garnets are important stones for Blood and Ying Qi.

· Andradites (black melanite, green demantoid, green or yellow topazolite) are rich in iron; they benefit convalescents.

There are a number of important stones that affect the Blood:

· Hematite nourishes Blood and oxygen.

· Garnet invigorates and nourishes the Blood.

· Pyrite warms the interior and breaks up Blood stagnation due to Cold.

· Lapis lazuli nourishes Liver Blood that has been damaged by Heat.

· Dumortierite manages Blood by strengthening the Spleen.

Combinations

In nature, garnet often occurs with iolite. They are a good combination. The combination nourishes and invigorates Blood and clears Heat producing Wind.

Garnet is an associate stone to invigorate the Blood. It is helpful in a combination for a person convalescing from serious illness.

BLACK GARNET/MELANITE • • • • • • • • •
		Taste	Sweet, salty
		Nature	Slightly cooling
		Affinities	LR/HT/KI
		Hardness	6.5–7.5
		Crystal structure	Cubic
		Stone group	Island silicate
		Level of formation	Metamorphic/Ying

Color/Appearance/Light

Black. It has a highly reflective submetallic luster. Often referred to as “black garnet,” it is variety of andradite. It is also called “titanian andradite.”

Chemical Composition

Calcium iron silicate (Ca₃Fe₂(SiO₄)₃) + titanium, aluminum, and magnesium

Key Characteristics

The black color emphasizes its relationship to the Lower Burner and the Kidneys.

Melanite increases absorption of calcium, especially for poor bone growth.

Functions and Uses

Benefits the Essence/Jing. Indicated for:

– poor bone growth in children

– osteoporosis

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– strengthening the Will/Zhi, the soul of the Kidneys

Methods of Application

Internal Application

Drink as an elixir to address functions and uses.

Intentional Application

Place in areas of the home or office to reduce strong electromagnetic fields.

Common Locations

Italy, the Ural Mountains of Russia, the Ukraine, and the United States (Arizona and California)

GREEN GARNET—TSAVORITE, UVAROVITE, DEMANTOID • • • • • • • • •
(See color insert plate 49)
		Taste	Sweet, salty
		Nature	Slightly cooling
		Affinities	LR/SP/ST/HT
		Hardness	6.5–7.5
		Crystal structure	Cubic
		Stone group	Island silicate
		Level of formation	Metamorphic/Ying

Color/Appearance/Light

Tsavorite: green and emerald green with high transparency. It is rare and the most valuable of the grossular variety.

Uvarovite: green, emerald green, or green black. Uvarovite occurs as well-formed but tiny crystals. For jewelry, it is usually fashioned from drusy slabs.

Demantoid: yellowish green with diamond-like luster. Demantoid is a rare and valuable green garnet.

Chemical Composition

Tsavorite: calcium aluminum silicate (Ca₃Al₂(SiO₄)₃) + vanadium or chromium

Uvarovite: calcium chromium silicate (Ca₃Cr₂(SiO₄)₃) possibly with aluminum

Demantoid: calcium iron silicate (Ca₃Fe₂(SiO₄)₃) + chromium

Key Characteristics

The green garnets soften Dampness and Phlegm, especially when dietary factors of sugar or cholesterol are an issue.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

In general, the green color supports the energetic relationship between the Liver and the Kidneys.

Functions and Uses

Resolves Phlegm and drains Dampness. Indicated for:

– chronic respiratory conditions, such as asthma

– digestive difficulties, addiction to dairy and grains

– urinary tract infections with frequent urination

– fatigue, poor concentration

– lipomas

Nourishes Liver Blood and extinguishes Wind. Indicated for:

– stroke

– itchy, dry patches on the skin

– pain that “wanders” around the body

– tight muscles

– insomnia

Clears Full and Empty Heat. Indicated for:

– excess Liver signs and symptoms: headaches, shaking, especially during menopause

– excess Kidney Yang; imbalanced hormonal (estrogenadrenal) levels during menopause: Empty Heat, hot flashes, night sweats

– low-grade fevers

Opens the throat to allow Qi to circulate to the sensory orifices. Indicated for:

– Qi stagnation in the eyes, mouth, and tongue—Bell’s palsy, facial paralysis

Resolves Fright Wind. Indicated for:

– anxiety attacks (affecting the chest)

– panic attacks (emerging from the lower abdomen) –paranoia

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– relationship palace—uvarovite is specific to attracting one’s soul mate

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Hold green garnet during an asthma attack.

Apply topically on:

· the midline of the lower abdomen, a thumb’s width above the upper border of the pubic bone/CV-3, for Dampness in the Lower Burner, chronic urinary tract infections, or kidney stones.

· the top of the head/GV-20 for excessive Yang.

· on the paravertebral muscles between the lower border of the T7 spinous process and the upper border of T9/UB-17 ½, the “diabetes” point.

Internal Application

Drink as an elixir to address functions and uses.

Intentional Application

Wear as a pendant in the central notch at the base of the throat/CV-22 to open the throat.

Cautions and Contraindications

Because of its possible vanadium content, use a potentiated quartz crystal when making an elixir with tsavorite.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

During menopause, if there are Liver signs and symptoms of headaches or shaking, green garnet is appropriate. If the person appears pale and feels tired all the time (Lung Qi or Lung Yin deficiency), use red garnet.

Tsavorite is a gentle stone. It benefits the skeletal nerves and the bones, including stiffness of the joints, and is a good stone to use between flare-ups of arthritic pain. It gently removes toxins from the Liver.

Uvarovite helps break down fatty acids (cholesterol) and breaks up thick blood caused by sugar consumption, which can manifest as varicosities in the legs. It is cooling to benefit hormones and Blood and reduce menopausal symptoms.

Combinations

Combine green garnet with turquoise during an asthma attack: wear or hold turquoise in the gender hand (right for women, left for men) and green garnet in the other hand.

Use tsavorite (green grossular) as an associate stone to make relationship between the Sinews (Liver) and the Bones (Kidney). It is not a principal stone.

Use uvarovite as the principal stone in a combination for conditions of Dampness.

In a combination to settle the Shen when Heat is responding to Dampness, combine uvarovite with green aventurine as the transforming stone and lithium quartz or amethyst as a harmonizer.

Use demantoid (green andradite) as an associate stone in a combination to address an enlarged liver.

Common Locations

Kenya, Tanzania. Uvarovite is found associated with chromium ores in Spain, Russia, and the Canadian province of Quebec. It also occurs in Finland, Norway, and South Africa. Demantoid is found in Russia.

RED GARNET—ALMANDINE, PYROPE (AND GROSSULAR) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
(See color insert plate 49)
		Taste	Sweet, salty
		Nature	Neutral
		Affinities	LU/HT/KI
		Hardness	7.5–8.5
		Crystal structure	Cubic
		Stone group	Island silicate
		Level of formation	Metamorphic/Ying

Chinese Name

Shi lu shi, “guava stone”

Color/Appearance/Light

Dark red. Any of the red colors give association to the Blood. The relatively dark, rich color is appropriate for a person who lacks warmth, either physically or emotionally. The Chinese word for this dark red color is dan—it is deep red, not shiny, and is appropriate for the early stages of meditation to clear emotional issues.

Almandine: brown, brownish red, red, black, or black red. Almandine is the most common garnet. It is usually opaque and not popular for gemstone use, although there are some less common forms that are deeply red and transparent. These are used in jewelry and are sometimes called precious garnet. In rough form, it is blocky, with low-luster individual crystals, or growing out of, but still attached to, a matrix.

Pyrope: Blood red, dark pink, or rose red. The pyrope garnets are the only ones that always occur in red tones. The dark red color is found in small-sized stones. Bigger gems tend to turn very dark, almost black. Pyrope, especially its pink variety called rhodolite, is popular in the gem trade for its transparency and frequent lack of flaws or inclusions.

Chemical Composition

Almandine: iron aluminum silicate (Fe₃Al₂(SiO₄)₃)

The iron content nourishes; the aluminum soothes the nerves. It absorbs and retains heat well.

Pyrope: magnesium aluminum silicate (Mg₃Al₂(SiO₄)₃)

It can also contain traces of iron, calcium, manganese, and chromium.

Key Characteristics

Red garnet is a very nurturing stone. It resuscitates Yang Qi and is beneficial for convalescents.

Red garnet is an appropriate stone for any condition involving a hormonal imbalance or weakness, such as menopause or diabetes.

Its cubic structure stabilizes the Lower Burner to help us work through shock and trauma.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Governor Vessel/Du Mai; directs Qi up the spine to the occiput/GV-16/Palace of Wind to awaken consciousness.

Supports Heart–Kidney communication.

Functions and Uses

Cools Heat in the Blood, breaks up Blood stagnation, nourishes Blood. Indicated for:

– cardiac insufficiency, arteriosclerosis, high or low blood pressure

– blood clots, varicosities, sluggish venous circulation

– emotional disturbances, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, poor concentration, panic attacks, anxiety

– muscle spasms

– leukemia

– deficient Blood stirring Wind, such as with tremors or cramps

Tonifies Kidney Yang Qi. Indicated for:

– degenerative conditions of the spine, herniated disks, osteoporosis, low back pain

– poor posture, especially among the elderly

– cold hands and feet

– Alzheimer’s, comatose patients

– fear

Strengthens the Will/Zhi, the soul of the Kidneys. Indicated for:

– low motivation and ambition, poor self-esteem, depression

Tonifies Lung Qi. Indicated for:

– fatigue, weakened immunity

Nourishes Lung Yin; generates Yin to balance hormones. Indicated for:

– diabetes

– menopausal Empty Heat

Emotional use. Indicated for:

– someone who struggles between the desire for interaction (Heart) and being either self-absorbed or unable to take care of the self (Kidney)

– someone who lacks character and willpower to manage difficulties in life

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– strengthening root and heart chakra functions

– cleansing the Blood of emotional issues that interfere with spiritual practices—red garnet is one of the first stones to work with for this purpose

– cultivating the virtue of devotion by nurturing Yang Qi toward perseverance

– protecting the “Host” Qi from Pestilent Qi; it is protective against negativity from other people

– maintaining equanimity through the emotional upheavals of life

– cultivating innocence, because it helps us accept all possibilities; it returns us to a childlike state and helps us cultivate generosity

Methods of Application

Red garnet needs to touch the skin.

Topical Application

Hold a tumbled stone in the hand. It opens the Palace of Effort/Lao Gong/PC-8, located at the center of the palm, which in turn opens the Heart.

Massage, place, or tape on the medial aspect of the leg, a little above the inner corner of the kneecap in a depression on the bulge of the medial portion of the quadriceps/SP-10, to harmonize the Blood and regulate menses.

Massage over scar tissue or areas of paralysis (such as with Bell’s palsy or post-stroke).

Place on or massage around shingles lesions.

Wear red garnet as:

· a necklace to touch the center of the chest/CV-17 for palpitations.

· a ring on the fourth or fifth finger for depression.

· a ring on the middle finger for post-traumatic stress disorder.

· earrings to affect the brain. Wear long-term for Alzheimer’s disease.

· earrings with the stone touching the skin for constant stimulation (especially for a comatose person).

Internal Application

Drink a red garnet elixir to:

· clear Heat in the Blood, such as with high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, or menopausal Heat post-stroke.

· restore nerves and soothe pain, such as with Bell’s palsy or shingles.

Intentional Application

Take a garnet on retreat to support self-reflection. Alternatively, for the person who does not like crowds, take it to a party to stay grounded.

For a home that is located close to major power lines, keep garnets to reduce strong electromagnetic frequencies.

Cautions and Contraindications

None known.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

During menopause, if there are Liver signs and symptoms of headaches or shaking, green garnet is appropriate. If the person appears pale and feels tired all the time (Lung Qi or Lung Yin deficiency), use red garnet.

Pyrope garnets are usually a lighter color and more transparent than the similar almandine garnets.

Grossular garnet is detoxifying for the liver.

Combinations

Garnet is a good choice as an associate stone in a combination intended to invigorate the Blood.

Combine garnet with:

· stalactite/stalagmite to repair a herniated disk or to increase confidence. Apply the combination on the area of herniation; for confidence, apply on the low back in the depression below the L2 spinous process, a little above waist level/GV-4/Mingmen, or drink as an elixir. Alternatively, hold the garnet and drink stalactite/stalagmite water.

· carnelian for hormonal imbalances associated with menopause and andropause. Carnelian supports Kidney Qi to support the hormones; garnet clears the Heat.

· serpentine to release karmic “infestations”—that is, qualities that we may have inherited from our parents or from previous incarnations. Drink as an elixir (use a potentiated quartz for serpentine).

· moonstone for menopausal signs and symptoms.

Common Locations

Almandine is common worldwide, but the gem forms of the variety are much less widespread. Sources include India, Sri Lanka, China, Madagascar, Australia, Brazil, and the United States (Alaska, Idaho, North Carolina, and New York).

The original deposits of pyrope were in Bohemia, in the Czech Republic, though these sources are no longer productive. Presently, the main pyrope deposits are in Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, India, Sri Lanka, China, and the United States (Arizona and North Carolina).

YELLOW, BROWN, ORANGE GARNET—HESSONITE, SPESSARTINE, TOPAZOLITE • • • • • • • • •
(See color insert plate 49)
		Taste	Sweet, salty
		Nature	Cooling
		Affinities	LR/SP/ST/HT
		Hardness	6.5–7.5
		Crystal structure	Cubic
		Stone group	Island silicate
		Level of formation	Metamorphic/Ying

Color/Appearance/Light

Hessonite: orange brown. A grossular garnet, it is also called cinnamon stone. It usually occurs in well-formed, small, transparent crystals.

Spessartine: sunny orange to red brown. Also called Mandarin garnet, it is often associated with almandine.

Topazilite: yellow, yellow green, lemon yellow, or yellow brown. It is a form of andradite garnet.

Chemical Composition

Hessonite: calcium aluminum silicate (Ca₃Al₂(SiO₄)₃) + manganese

Spessartine: manganese aluminum silicate (Mn₃Al₂(SiO₄)₃) + iron

Topazolite: calcium iron silicate (Ca₃Fe₂(SiO₄)₃) + titanium

Key Characteristics

The darker brown garnets direct Blood to the Kidneys/Jing level and support the hormones.

The lighter yellow and orange garnets generally resonate with the Middle Burner. They direct Blood to the Heart.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Governor Vessel/Du Mai

Functions and Uses

Nourishes Blood and Yin to balance the hormones. Indicated for:

– andropause, menopause

– diabetes

– infertility, impotence

– Yin deficiency

– cardiac insufficiency, slow heart rate

Cautions and Contraindications

Use caution with elixirs because of the aluminum content.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

The dark colors resonate with the Lower Burner and the light colors with the Middle Burner.

Common Locations

The most well-known hessonite deposits are in Sri Lanka, but it is also mined in Italy, Brazil, India, Canada, Madagascar, Tanzania, and the United States.

The best spessartine garnet specimens are found in Namibia and Mozambique. Other deposits are found in Brazil, China, Tanzania, Kenya, Madagascar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the United States.

• Hematite •
(See color insert plate 50)
		Taste	Bitter
		Nature	Cold
		Affinities	PC/LR
		Hardness	5–6
		Crystal structure	Trigonal
		Stone group	Oxide
		Level of formation	Igneous/Yuan, sedimentary/Wei, metamorphic/Ying

Chinese Name

Dai zhe shi, “red stone that perpetuates the generations”

Xue shi, “master of blood stone”

Zhe shi, “ocher stone”

Color/Appearance/Light

Metallic gray black, brown, or dull to bright red. The red and black colors give it association to Fire and Water. With age it gets browner. It is variable in its appearance. It is usually in grainy or bulbous masses but can sometimes appear as blocky, platy, or tabular crystals.

Chemical Composition

Iron oxide (Fe₂O)

It is usually pure but can contain minor inclusions of titanium, aluminum, or manganese.

The iron content transports oxygen into the blood. The name hematite gives recognition of its relationship to hemoglobin.

Key Characteristics

Hematite is an important stone for working on the Blood/Ying level. The Pericardium affinity supports the ability to protect and heal one’s self from the wounds of the world.

Hematite is highly charged due to its iron content and is easily magnetized. It conducts intention easily.

Its iron content allows the stone to absorb and retain heat effectively.

Hematite is like a sponge; it absorbs the nature of an illness.

Hematite for Deep Nourishment

We are born looking for nourishment and looking to feel nurtured. We want the breast milk and the adoring eyes of our mother. We look for unconditional love. If these factors were absent during our infancy, we continue to seek for the same nourishment and nurturing as we grow older.

Gehong, the great alchemist, recommended a visualization to initiate change in our lives. At the end of every day, focus on the parts of the day that did not work out, or on the parts of the body that feel broken. Then conjure an image of the self as a young child who is nourished, who has a wholesome relationship to life. The young child comes and touches the areas of the body that are painful, or reassures that the difficulties of the day have been resolved.

This practice is enhanced by using hematite. It is magnetic and attracts the things we want and need to make life complete. We must first, however, go through a process of healing our fragmented selves. Hematite grounds us and helps mend that which is broken.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Hematite is the heaviest stone used in stone medicine. It is very yin, very anchoring, and draws Blood and energy downward, to the pelvis or to the lower extremities.

It is appropriate for Lesser/Shaoyin conditions, such as leakage of Qi or excessive sweating.

Conception Vessel/Ren Mai

Functions and Uses

Anchors Rebellious Qi and subdues Liver Yang. Indicated for:

– coughing, wheezing, asthma

– high blood pressure

Breaks up Qi and Blood stagnation. Indicated for:

– Wei/Atrophy syndrome: neuropathy, numbness, paralysis, especially in the lower region

– arrhythmia, heart murmurs

– amenorrhea, scanty menses

– varicose veins

– impotence, frigidity

– poor circulation: cold hands and feet, Raynaud’s syndrome

– postsurgical complications, such as embolism

Clears Heat in the Blood. Indicated for:

– bleeding wounds

Emotional use. Indicated for:

– grounding, to mend the fragmented soul

– the person who is very needy, who demonstrates childlike behavior, especially if the person’s history includes the feeling or reality of abandonment: an orphan, a premature infant who was kept in an incubator, or someone who had an uncaring mother

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– strengthening root chakra function

– travel and opportunity palace

– prosperity palace

Methods of Application

Topical Application

In a stone layout, hematite is effective as a root chakra stone.

To balance and stabilize the energetic field, place at the top of the head, the bottom of the feet, and the center of the chest. This connects energetic circuitry and is helpful for jet lag or seasonal affective disorder.

For a sprain or fracture in the area of the elbow, place or tape a magnetized hematite at the shoulder and wrist. Place or tape a stone with high copper content (such as azurite) at the elbow. The magnetic charge from the stones at wrist and shoulder move through the azurite and intensify the treatment.

Massage, place, or tape:

· in the depression on the bottom of the foot, behind the ball/KI-1, to ground energy for high blood pressure or anxiety.

· on the central notch at the base of the throat/CV-22 to encourage verbalization of buried emotion and begin the process of resolution.

Put powder directly on a bleeding wound to stop bleeding. (Powder can be scraped off some of the raw stones, but it is more easily obtained from a Chinese herbal supply company.)

Powder and mix with petroleum jelly or sesame oil to use as a poultice on a swollen spleen or liver to break up Blood stagnation.

Wear as a ring to treat deficiency in the related Organ or meridian, such as on the thumb for Lung Yin deficiency or on the little finger to affect the Heart and its circulation of Blood.

During pregnancy, or other times of high metabolic activity when we have the potential for iron loss, wear a bracelet or pendant of hematite as an amulet. (Wear only during the first trimester.)

Carry a polished stone for Shen disturbance.

Hold the stone to relieve the pain of arthritic hands.

For cold hands, play with beads or small spheres.

Internal Application

As an elixir, hematite increases hemoglobin.

Over time, hematite will rust when used in an elixir. Tumbled, polished stones will hold up better than raw stones.

For a decoction, decoct for thirty minutes and remove from the water before adding other stones or herbs.

Intentional Application

Place a specimen in the west corner of the home to benefit the travel and opportunity palace.

Place a specimen in the south to increase prosperity.

Cautions and Contraindications

Do not combine hematite with stones high in phosphorus, such as apatite, especially during the second and third trimester of pregnancy. (Phosphorus interferes with the absorption of calcium.)

Consistent wearing of hematite jewelry is generally appropriate only for the very young and for mothers in the first trimester of pregnancy. Otherwise, wear it only occasionally.

Some say that “magnetic hematite” or “hematine” is a composite material derived from natural hematite, magnetite, and small amounts of other natural minerals such as copper, titanium, and aluminum. This composite material can be intensely and permanently magnetized. The online mineral database Mindat.org (www.mindat.org) maintains that “magnetic hematite” is an artificially created magnetic material that contains no natural hematite. An investigation of one item offered for sale as “magnetic hematite” showed that it was composed of a ceramic barium-strontium ferrite magnet: (Ba,Sr)Fe₁₂O₁₉. In addition, the magnetic strength of this material is much higher than that of any naturally occurring hematite or magnetite specimen.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

There are a number of important stones with iron content that affect the Blood:

· Hematite nourishes Blood and increases oxygenation.

· Garnet invigorates and nourishes the Blood.

· Pyrite warms the interior and breaks up Blood stagnation due to Cold.

· Lapis lazuli nourishes Liver Blood that has been damaged by Heat.

· Dumortierite manages Blood by strengthening the Spleen.

Combinations

Hematite is the major stone for recharging other stones used to address the Nourishing/Ying level. It attracts heat to potentiate other stones. Place the stones that need recharging on a slab of hematite, or in a dish containing many small pieces, to put them “back into the Earth.” It works best for the blue and green copper-containing stones. Leave them to charge for two days. The method provides a kind of “cardiopulmonary resuscitation” for stones.

Do not combine hematite with silver.

Hematite is antagonistic to pyrite and amethyst.

For jet lag or seasonal affective disorder, in a stone layout with hematite at the top of the head, the bottoms of the feet, and the center of the chest, hold a transformative stone (such as blue lace agate) in one hand and a harmonizer (such as smoky quartz) in the other.

Although generally incompatible, the combination of amethyst and hematite is appropriate for help in the transition of dying. Place the stones on the lateral aspect of the ankle in the depression behind the external malleolus/UB-60/Kun Lun. This point is the Western Paradise, a legendary region where people go when they die.

· Hematite, as the matriarchal stone of the Earth, gives permission to the person’s Po/soul of the Lungs to return to the Earth.

· Amethyst works with the Hun/soul of the Liver, assisting the person to let go of regrets and other “baggage” of this lifetime, so he or she either has no need for another incarnation or willingly chooses to return to this plane of existence.

Using the two stones together grants passage to both the Po and the Hun. The combination is helpful during hospice care.

Combine hematite with:

· malachite and tree agate to help pull out trauma held in the Lower Burner from a history of sexual abuse. Place hematite under the feet, malachite directly below the base of the tailbone/GV-1, and tree agate at the midline of the lower abdomen on the upper border of the pubic bone/CV-2.

· beryl to accentuate its descending nature.

· bloodstone for anemia due to heavy menstruation or hemorrhage.

Cleansing and Charging

Anything rich in iron has a descending effect. It draws energy back to discharge into the ground.

Hematite requires no cleansing or charging. Its red and black color brings Fire and Water together. It is similar in this way to amethyst, even though they are incompatible.

Stone History

Hematite appears in the Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica. An “elder” stone of Chinese medicine, it was popular for nourishing the Blood and Vital Qi, especially for women. Li Shizhen noted that it treated “hundreds” of gynecological disorders.

The Shang Han Lun tradition used hematite, the heaviest stone, with inula, the heaviest flower, in a decoction (with other herbs added) for blood clots or postsurgical complications.

Archaeological researchers from Arizona State University have found evidence in South Africa, at Mossel Bay, that hematite was used by hominids as early as 164,000 years ago. They believe that the stone was used ritually to make markings in some way.^*27

Common Locations

Most of the tumbled, polished hematite comes from Brazil.

Hematite is one of the most common minerals and is found in numerous localities. Some of the best specimens are found in England, Mexico, Australia, and the Lake Superior region of North America.

It is the source of red coloring in soil all over the planet.

The Mars Rover has found small spherules of hematite in at least two locations on that planet.

GOETHITE • • • • • • • • •
		Taste	Bitter
		Nature	Cold
		Affinities	SP/LR
		Hardness	5–5.5
		Crystal structure	Orthorhombic
		Stone group	Oxide
		Level of formation	Igneous/Yuan, sedimentary/Wei, metamorphic/Ying

Color/Appearance/Light

Brownish black, yellow brown, or reddish brown

Chemical Composition

Iron hydroxide (FeO(OH))

It commonly contains manganese as an impurity.

Hydroxides (OH) give a purging effect.

Key Characteristics

Goethite has its effect on the Blood, not the Fluids.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Goethite is very grounding and descending and affects the lower region of the body.

Functions and Uses

Nourishes Blood. Indicated for:

– scanty menses

– anemia

– declining senses: cloudiness of vision, floaters, deafness, tinnitus, poor smell

Invigorates Blood; breaks up Blood stagnation. Indicated for:

– coagulated blood in the pelvic region: fibroids, ovarian cysts, postpartum retention of blood, painful periods

– varicose veins

Expels Wind. Indicated for:

– dizziness

– high blood pressure

– epilepsy

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Place directly on the inner corner of the eyes/UB-1 for floaters or other symptoms of vision decline.

Massage around the ears or the nose for declining sensory acuity.

Massage varicose veins.

Cautions and Contraindications

Contraindicated during pregnancy.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Goethite has an effect on the sensory portals; hematite does not. Hematite and goethite are almost indistinguishable. They often grow in layers in the same stone.

Stone History

Named after Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the celebrated German poet and scientist.

Common Locations

Goethite is found throughout the world, though collection-worthy specimens are less common. Among the locations for interesting formations are Morocco, Egypt, England, France, Spain, and Mexico. In North America, specimens come from Ontario and the western United States.

• Hemimorphite •
(See color insert plate 51)
		Taste	Sweet, spicy
		Nature	Cooling
		Affinities	LR
		Hardness	4.5–5
		Crystal structure	Orthorhombic
		Stone group	Group silicate
		Level of formation	Sedimentary/Wei

Color/Appearance/Light

Blue, green, and colorless. The blue or blue-green colors form translucent to opaque crusts and are often banded with white and mixed with a dark matrix. These colors affect the Curious Organs, in particular the Uterus (genitalia). The colorless form produces very glassy, clear, or white thin, bladed crystals, often arranged in fan-shaped aggregates.

The name hemimorphite refers to its crystal structure, which is blunt at one end and pointed at the other.

Chemical Composition

Hydrated zinc silicate hydroxide (Zn₄Si₂O₇(OH)₂·H₂O)

Common impurities are copper and iron. As a hydroxide, it helps the body rid itself of “distractions.”

Key Characteristics

Grounds Yang Qi and nourishes Yin.

Helps a person relax about the world and put attention to changing the self.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Descending: it moves energy to the urogenital area.

Anatomical level: bone

Yin and Yang Qiao Vessels:

· Yin Qiao Mai relates to knowing who we are and how we feel about ourselves, right now. It helps us move into ourselves and discover our worth.

· Yang Qiao Mai is about bringing our own agenda into the world.

Functions and Uses

Directs Yang Qi downward; benefits Yang Qiao Mai. Indicated for:

– vertex headaches

– Rebellious Qi, nausea, coughing

– high blood pressure

– insomnia

– agitation, tremors, seizures, convulsions

– frustration, judgmental or critical attitudes toward the world

– lethargy resulting from stagnation

Nourishes Yin; benefits Yin Qiao Mai. Indicated for:

– poor self-esteem

Resolves Wen Bing/Heat/infectious diseases that affect the Essence/Jing/DNA, as well as those related to the Uterus (genitalia). Indicated for:

– polio

– sexually transmitted diseases, genital warts, pain during intercourse, vaginal tears, candidiasis

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– travel and opportunity palace—generates new opportunities for growth

– creativity palace—engenders confidence to create inspirational work

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Use as a wand on the cuticles of the hands and feet for tremors, restless leg syndrome, or Parkinson’s disease.

Apply as a powder to genital sores.

Intentional Application

Wear as a pendant to support intentional work.

Place a specimen in the west corner of the house to support opportunity and creativity.

Cautions and Contraindications

Not for use an as elixir. Contraindicated during pregnancy because of its strongly descending nature.

Combinations

Combine hemimorphite with:

· red calcite, both of them in powder form, and apply on syphilitic sores or genital warts. Make a wash with the same combination and rinse the lower region for painful intercourse or tightness.

· apatite and leopardskin or ocean jasper as a plaster for osteoarthritis in the hip.

Cleansing and Charging

Rinse with running water; charge with hematite.

Stone History

Scholars and artists used hemimorphite as snuff bottles to bring their intention to generate new opportunities for growth and to improve confidence, especially the confidence to create something inspiring.

Hemimorphite was once called calamine. It was powdered, put in a lotion, and used for skin irritations.

Common Locations

China, Mexico, England, Zambia, United States

• Hiddenite (Green Spodumene) •
(See color insert plate 52)
		Taste	Spicy, sweet
		Nature	Cooling
		Affinities	LR/HT/LU
		Hardness	6.5–7
		Crystal structure	Monoclinic
		Stone group	Chain silicate
		Level of formation	Igneous/Yuan

Chinese Name

Xi deng shi, “stone that brings hope for ascension”

Color/Appearance/Light

Emerald green, yellowish green, deep yellow, light yellow, or, rarely, colorless. Some say that only the green color should be called hiddenite. The color can fade with prolonged exposure to bright light.

Hiddenite appears as tabular crystals, often with many triangular, cuneiform-like etchings on the surface, which are considered record keepers. The crystals are usually quite small.

The stone is relatively transparent, which implies that it can provide revelation: the stone can help us understand what our Essence/Jing is trying to convey in this lifetime.

Chemical Composition

Lithium aluminum silicate (LiAlSi₂O₆)

Lithium is known to affect manic depression. It cools Heart Fire.

Impurities of chromium, which cools Heat in the blood, are responsible for the green color.

Aluminum is also cooling and soothing to the nervous system.

Key Characteristics

Anti-inflammatory

It is an igneous stone. It is most appropriate for children with neurological disorders that are based in the constitution, such as children born with muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, autism, or Asberger’s syndrome.

Hiddenite benefits a traumatized person who cannot bear the weight of responsibility.

The spicy taste helps with the depressive aspect of manic-depression; the sweet taste soothes the manic aspect.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

The Lung affinity helps us open up and let go.

Functions and Uses

Returns Fire to Mingmen; calms the Shen. Indicated for:

– irritability and restlessness, agitation and vexation, nervousness and anxiety

– panic attacks, high blood pressure

– acute trauma and shock

– generalized anxiety disorder, with chronic fear of the future

– attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

– Dian Kuang (manic depression)

– epilepsy, convulsions, seizures

– jaundice in newborns resulting from second-trimester issues where toxins from the Heart move into the Liver—that is, Fire going into Wood too quickly

Resolves Wind-Damp Bi syndrome. Indicated for:

– arthritic joints

– sciatica, shoulder pain, lower back pain

– shoulder tension/pain from stress

Breaks up Yin stagnation (Dampness or Blood). Indicated for:

– varicosities, phlebitis

Emotional use. Indicated for:

– clearing emotional stagnation

– someone who has more responsibility than she can handle, presenting with psychosomatic symptoms of shoulder tension, weakness in the arms, or carpal tunnel syndrome

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Use small beads of hiddenite as ear press beads. Tape to ear reflex points for pain.

Wear a bracelet made of small hiddenite beads to address both emotional conditions and pain.

Internal Application

Drink the elixir short-term to address functions and uses, especially for emotional concerns.

Intentional Application

Use as an amulet as protection against lightning and against addictions.

Cautions and Contraindications

As an elixir, use on a short-term basis only due to its lithium and aluminum content.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Of the spodumenes:

· The clear color can be applied topically to relieve shoulder pain resulting from stress.

· The green color (hiddenite) is more for Wind Bi syndrome—that is, radiating pain or other Wind signs and symptoms, such as convulsions and seizures.

· The pink color (kunzite) is more associated with the Blood.

Kunzite has a stronger affinity to the Heart, as compared to hiddenite, which resonates more with the Liver.

The green-colored hiddenite is more rare than the pink kunzite.

A less expensive stone containing lithium is lithium quartz.

Combinations

Use as an associate stone in a combination to address Wind/neurological conditions.

Combine with stones containing calcium to direct the effect to the joints.

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse in running water once a month. Recharge in quartz crystal.

Stone History

In Chinese culture, hiddenite was used as an amulet against sudden surprise, to protect against being hit by lightning (there was the belief that lightning was a punishment from God), or against anything that might happen very suddenly, very traumatically.

It was used during the Qing dynasty for opium addiction.

The Western name comes from W. E. Hidden, a mineralogist who found the stone in the nineteenth century outside a small North Carolina town, which has since also been named Hiddenite. It had been in use in Chinese medicine prior to that time.

Common Locations

Brazil, China, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Pakistan, United States (North Carolina)

Some mineralogists maintain that only the green spodumene found in North Carolina is appropriately called hiddenite. In this location, the hiddenite occurs in the company of emerald. Some other sources of green spodumene, such as Afghanistan and Pakistan, may be colored by irradiation and not chromium content.

• Howlite •
(See color insert plate 53)
		Taste	Spicy, bitter, sweet
		Nature	Cooling
		Affinities	SP/HT/LR
		Hardness	3.5
		Crystal structure	Monoclinic
		Stone group	Borate
		Level of formation	Sedimentary/Wei

Color/Appearance/Light

White. It appears in opaque nodules resembling cauliflower heads. When polished, they show black “spider web” markings.

Howlite is porous and easily dyed. It is often used as a substitute for turquoise.

Chemical Composition

Calcium borosilicate hydroxide (Ca₂B₅SiO₉(OH)₅)

It can contain traces of sodium and potassium.

Key Characteristics

An important stone to break up stagnation

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

The affinities of Spleen/Heart/Liver tell us that howlite addresses Blood management, circulation, and storage.

Functions and Uses

Breaks up Yin, Blood, and/or Bone stagnation. Indicated for:

– high cholesterol with high blood pressure

– Yin stagnation or stasis, latency

– heart conditions involving Blood stagnation

Clears Heat in the Blood and the resulting Wind; brings Blood to the Sinews. Indicated for:

– Wei/Atrophy syndrome (multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease), neuropathy, Yang types of epilepsy

Tonifies the Spleen’s management of Blood; “banks” the Blood. Indicated for:

– poor memory, lack of concentration

– varicosities

Methods of Application

Topical Application

The two Liaos/“bony holes” of the face—on the temple, in the depression lateral to the outer corner of the eye/GB-1, and in the depression under the cheekbone, below the outer corner of the eye/SI-18—are areas where pathology is either held locally, in the Gall Bladder, Bladder, or Stomach channels, or transported more deeply into the level of Source/Yuan Qi to be held latent. Tape howlite beads on these points to draw latency and toxic accumulations from these areas. (This treatment requires that the person be strong. Otherwise, use aquamarine or malachite.)

Internal Application

Drink as an elixir to address functions and uses.

Intentional Application

Hold a howlite sphere to improve concentration while studying.

Cautions and Contraindications

Much of what is easily available on the market is probably magnesite, not howlite.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Howlite and magnesite are similar in appearance. Howlite is described as having black veins; magnesite has gray veins.

Howlite and magnesite are both important for clearing Heat in the Blood and moving Blood stagnation. Howlite has a stronger affinity to Spleen Blood (banking the Blood, memory, concentration). Magnesite has a stronger relationship to Liver Blood, especially Heat in the Blood stirring Wind, and directs Blood to the Sinews and Bones.

Both affect the Heart by breaking up Blood stagnation. Howlite and magnesite both have an effect on Wind, but magnesite is stronger in this action.

Howlite and bloodstone both break up Blood stagnation. Howlite is more related to digestive causes, such as high cholesterol, plaque, high blood pressure, and arteriosclerosis. Bloodstone has more association with platelets and clotting, not cholesterol.

Both howlite and malachite can be used to help break up Yin stasis. Use malachite for someone who is weak. Howlite can be used for someone who is strong.

Combinations

Combine howlite with:

· bloodstone for Blood stagnation, and the more substantial Blood stasis.

· lapis lazuli for scar tissue and/or bone grafts. The cubic crystal structure of lapis resonates with the jawbone in particular. Use the combination as an elixir for a mouthwash. Powder the combination and apply to the area for at least three weeks.

Cleansing and Charging

Howlite is soft and porous. Cleanse for a short time in running water. Recharge in quartz crystal.

Common Locations

It is found as masses or nodules embedded in the clay of borax deposits in California. Nova Scotia has similar but smaller nodules in gypsum and anhydrite beds.

Howlite has become quite rare because the area where it was gathered in Southern California has now been built over. Some mineralogists claim that much of the howlite on the market is actually magnesite from South Africa. A differentiation is that true howlite has black lines; South African magnesite has gray lines. Fortunately, the two stones have similar function.

• Iolite/Water Sapphire •
(See color insert plate 54)
		Taste	Spicy, bitter, sweet
		Nature	Cooling
		Affinities	KI/UB/TH
		Hardness	7–7.5
		Crystal structure	Orthorhombic
		Stone group	Ring silicate
		Level of formation	Metamorphic/Ying

Color/Appearance/Light

Sapphire blue to blue violet, or yellowish gray to light blue. Gem-quality iolite is transparent. Its color varies with changes in the angle of light. It is typically available as very small beads.

Chemical Composition

Magnesium iron aluminum silicate ((Mg,Fe)₂Al4Si₅O₁₈)

Magnesium addresses conditions originating in the Middle Burner. Iron is nourishing for blood. Aluminum calms the nerves.

Key Characteristics

Iolite is detoxifying; it clears Heat, drains Dampness, and resolves Damp-Heat.

It stimulates Yang Qi to break up hardness and stimulates Fluids to flush turbidity.

It is particularly appropriate when Dampness and Heat are responding to each other but Heat is dominant, pushing Dampness upward into the chest, throat, and head. In China, iolite was used to manage malaria.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

It directs energy upward, all the way to the top of the head/GV-20.

Functions and Uses

Breaks up accumulations. Indicated for:

– calcium deposits: in the arteries, on lymph nodes, along the spine

Iolite and Damp-Heat

The body’s response to chronic Dampness is to create Heat. When Damp and Heat combine, accumulations form. In modern understanding, we know that Heat is analogous to acidity, and when there is too much acidity in the body, homeostasis brings calcium to neutralize the inflammation, thereby slowing the progression of Heat conditions. The accumulations of Damp-Heat usually include some degree of calcification.

Dampness usually begins in the Middle Burner with poor digestive function. Dampness typically sinks to lower regions of the body. When Dampness combines with Heat and the Heat is greater, the combined pathology can rise upward in the body. In the progression of pathology, Heat begins to occur in the region of Yangming—Stomach/Large Intestine—which includes the Middle Burner and—by virtue of the meridian trajectories of the Stomach and Large Intestine—the frontal sinus region of the face.

If we use chemical composition as our focus of discussion, magnesium affects the Middle Burner to manage Dampness. Magnesium is antagonistic to calcium, the mineral that slows Heat and binds into accumulations. Magnesium softens the hardness.

Iolite is a key stone for working with Damp-Heat, where Heat overrides Dampness and brings it upward in the body, potentially causing breast lumps, calcification in the carotid arteries, or polyps in the sinus region, to name just a few possibilities. It is especially appropriate for alcoholics.

– goiter

– fatty deposits, adhesions, ganglion cysts

Resolves Damp-Heat, with Heat overriding Dampness. Indicated for:

– high blood pressure, broken capillaries on the face

– bloodshot eyes

– memory loss

– embolism, aneurism

– alcoholism

– migraines, frontal headaches

– infections and inflammations in general

– breast lumps

– high fevers

– loss of memory

– sinusitis, allergies

– irritation in the throat

Expels Damp stagnation complicated by Damp-Heat or Yin stasis. Indicated for:

– swellings in the body: facial edema, swellings in the liver or the legs

– chronic fatigue syndrome

Emotional use. Indicated for:

– festering thoughts, obsessions that lead to exhaustion, inability to forgive

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Wear a necklace of iolite to address excessive Heat in the upper region affecting the sensory organs.

Internal Application

Drink an elixir to address functions and uses.

Cautions and Contraindications

None known.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Iolite is used for Heat responding to Dampness. Chrysocolla is for Dampness responding to Heat.

Combinations

Iolite combines well with garnet. They often occur in the same deposit. The combination nourishes and invigorates Blood and clears Heat producing Wind.

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse in running water once a month. Recharge in quartz crystal.

Common Locations

Iolite is found abundantly in Australia, Brazil, Burma, India, Madagascar, Namibia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Canada, and the United States (Connecticut).

• Kunzite (Pink Spodumene) •
(See color insert plate 55)
		Taste	Spicy, sweet
		Nature	Cooling
		Affinities	LR/HT/SP
		Hardness	6–7
		Crystal structure	Monoclinic
		Stone group	Chain silicate
		Level of formation	Igneous/Yuan

Color/Appearance/Light

Transparent pink or lavender. It often appears with triangular “etching” that resembles cuneiform writing. Stones with this configuration are considered record keepers. The transparency gives us clarity.

Chemical Composition

Lithium aluminum silicate (LiAlSi₂O₆) + manganese

Lithium calms the Shen. Aluminum soothes the nerves. Manganese brings emphasis to the Heart.

Key Characteristics

Anti-inflammatory

Kunzite is appropriate for Shen disturbances brought on by change. It helps bring awareness to our resistance, which might manifest as physical pain.

Its spicy and sweet taste invigorates and nourishes the production of Blood.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Heart–Kidney communication

Functions and Uses

Returns Fire to Mingmen; calms the Shen; clears Heat in the Blood. Indicated for:

– mania, anxiety

– high blood pressure

– stroke

– jaundice in newborns resulting from second-trimester issues where toxins from the Heart move into the Liver—that is, Fire moving into Wood too quickly

Invigorates Blood and breaks up stagnation; nourishes the production of Blood. Indicated for:

– arteriosclerosis, stenosis of the valves of the heart

– high cholesterol

– phlebitis, varicose veins

Resolves Bi/Obstruction syndrome. Indicated for:

– nerve pain: sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome

– osteoarthritis in the large joints

– rheumatoid arthritis in the small joints

Clears Liver Fire. Indicated for:

– hypertension

– shingles lesions on the flank of the body

Nourishes Kidney Yin. Indicated for:

– Empty Heat signs and symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats

– imbalanced relationship between the thyroid and gonadal hormones

Emotional use. Indicated for:

– the person who is undergoing change that might involve a loss of position or a sense of betrayal, and who feels angry or full of uncertainty—these feelings are often worse at night

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– quieting the mind for meditation, especially to reflect on resistance during a time of change

– strengthening heart chakra function (pink)

– strengthening third eye chakra function (lavender)

– encouraging loyalty

– feelings of loneliness—it invites others to be friendly to you, for companionship or nonromantic love

– relationship palace

– newlyweds, to help them maintain their independence and equality

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Tape small beads of kunzite to areas of pain/Bi syndrome.

Use small beads as ear tacks.

Internal Application

Drink as an elixir to address functions and uses (shortterm use only).

Cautions and Contraindications

Use only short-term as an elixir, due to its lithium and aluminum content, or use a potentiated quartz crystal.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Kunzite is similar to mu dan pi/moutan in its ability to both invigorate and cool the Blood.

Although a silicate, it does not have the simplicity of the agates or chalcedony. Lithium quartz is a less expensive substitute and brings its dynamics more directly to the Kidneys.

Combinations

Combine kunzite with:

· green hiddenite in an elixir to help detoxify from addiction to drugs and alcohol, because of its strong regulating effect on the Spirit.

· dioptase to strengthen a weak heart.

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse in running water once a month. Recharge in quartz crystal.

Common Locations

Brazil, Madagascar, Mexico, Sweden, Western Australia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Canada, United States

• Kyanite •
(See color insert plate 56)
		Taste	Sweet
		Nature	Cold
		Affinities	LR/KI
		Hardness	4.5–6.5
		Crystal structure	Triclinic
		Stone group	Island silicate
		Level of formation	Metamorphic/Ying

Color/Appearance/Light

Shades of blue (sometimes even a sapphire blue), blue green, green, brown, colorless, or, rarely, orange, yellow, or red. Crystals and cut stones can be translucent or transparent, with a vitreous, pearly sheen. Kyanite’s typical habit is an elongated, columnar, or platy crystal. It can sometimes occur as radiating masses of crystals. Gem-quality stones can be cut as cabochons or faceted.

Chemical Composition

Aluminum silicate (Al₂SiO₅)

The aluminum is cooling and soothing to the nervous system.

Kyanite can include trace amounts of chromium, titanium, lithium, magnesium, manganese, and vanadium.

The blue color is caused by trace amounts of iron and possibly chromium. The green color includes both iron and vanadium. The orange color includes manganese.

Key Characteristics

Kyanite is a principal stone for relaxing the Liver and the autonomic nervous system. It affects the brain and spinal function.

It has a stronger effect on Wind than on Blood and is useful for neurological conditions such as epilepsy or hypertension.

Kyanite has variations of hardness in the same crystal. Parallel with the long axis of the crystal it is approximately 4.5; perpendicular to the long axis it is approximately 6.5.

It is a high-vibration stone. Tibetans believe it opens all the chakras.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Governor Vessel/Du Mai

Kyanite helps settle energy down to the coccyx, which gives more stability to the lower back and allows the musculature supporting the spine to relax.

Functions and Uses

Clears Liver and Heart Fire; anchors Yang; pacifies Liver Wind. Indicated for:

– neurological conditions: hypertension, seizures or convulsions, nervousness, spasms, twitching eyes, Bell’s palsy, shaking of the head, Parkinson’s disease, trigeminal neuralgia –headaches

– temporomandibular joint disorders, grinding teeth

– chest pain, chest distension

– wind in the Uterus: habitual miscarriages, premature contractions

– poor motor-sensory coordination, Tourette’s syndrome

– adrenal exhaustion, insomnia

– withdrawal symptoms from barbiturate drugs, heroin, or alcohol

Clears Heat in the Blood. Indicated for:

– leukemia

Benefits the Liver’s storage of Blood; harmonizes Qi and Blood; encourages introspection. Indicated for:

– imbalanced, reactionary emotions; immature behavior; impulsive actions

Benefits the sensory organs. Indicated for:

– poor vision or hearing, loss of smell

Emotional use. Indicated for:

– the person who victimizes herself by “having to do it all,” by taking on too much responsibility

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– strengthening throat and third eye chakra functions

– travel and opportunity palace

– protection for safe travel

– inducing a meditative state

– increasing clarity and awareness

– helping to manage time, to prioritize and organize

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Place kyanite locally for:

· sciatica, eye twitch, or temporomandibular joint disorder.

· chest pain or distension.

As stagnation releases, emotions may come out. In a stone layout, hold fluorite to encourage the release in one hand, balanced by kyanite to harmonize in the other.

In a chakra layout, place at the hairline to stimulate the third eye.

Wear as a pendant touching:

· the central notch at the base of the throat/CV-22 to benefit the sensory organs.

· the center of the chest/CV-17 to address other functions and uses.

Internal Application

Drink as an elixir (a tumbled stone is better than rough) for post-stroke symptoms, Parkinson’s disease, or hypertension. For short-term use only; use a potentiated quartz crystal for long-term application.

Intentional Application

Hold a sphere during meditation to calm the Shen and encourage introspection to examine difficult emotions, especially anger and fear.

Cautions and Contraindications

With Kyanite’s aluminum content and relative softness, use a potentiated quartz crystal for elixirs, or use the elixir for only a short time.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Kyanite and lapis lazuli both contain aluminum to clear Heat, but lapis, with its more complex chemistry, has a stronger effect on the Blood.

Kyanite and sodalite both treat excess Liver signs and symptoms such as hypertension or convulsions. Kyanite does this by clearing Heat. Sodalite does it by generating Fluids. Sodalite is better for children.

Combinations

Combine kyanite with:

· opal to tonify Yin and Blood.

· smoky quartz to emphasize anchoring to the Kidneys.

· lapis lazuli to nourish Blood.

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse in warm water; charge in quartz.

Common Locations

Brazil, Switzerland, Russia, Serbia, India, Kenya, United States (North Carolina and Georgia)

• Lapis Lazuli •
(See color insert plate 57)
		Taste	Sweet
		Nature	Cooling
		Affinities	LR/HT/KI
		Hardness	5–6
		Crystal structure	Cubic to almost amorphous
		Stone group	Framework silicate to variable
		Level of formation	Metamorphic/Ying

Chinese Name

Tian qing shi, “celestial blue stone”

Qing jin shi, “clear gold stone”

Color/Appearance/Light

Vivid blue with flecks of “gold,” and sometimes patches of white. It is rarely purplish or greenish blue. It is opaque. The rough stone is dull, but it polishes well.

The strong blue color brings its effect to the Liver and the Curious Organs, in particular to the Brain and the Marrow.

Chemical Composition

Sodium calcium aluminum silicate sulfur sulfate

((Na,Ca)₈Al₆Si₆O₂₄(S,SO)₄)

Various minerals mix together to make up the rock lapis lazuli. The dominant mineral is intensely blue lazurite, which is a framework silicate and has a cubic crystal structure. When it combines with the many other minerals that may be present, including huaynite, sodalite, noselite, calcite, pyrite, diopside, augite, mica, and hornblende, the structure can become almost anything and might be classified as “almost amorphous.”

Key Characteristics

It purifies the Blood to clear the emotions, to calm the Shen, and to bind and eliminate toxins that cause bone spurs.

Lapis lazuli nourishes deficient Liver Blood due to Heat.

Lapis Lazuli and Blood and Kidney Deficiency

When the Liver is stagnant, especially because of Heat in the Blood leading to Blood deficiency, it cannot distribute its stored Blood to the Heart. When at the same time the Kidneys are deficient, hormonal deficiency results. In this scenario, the Liver must prioritize the Kidneys and sends what Blood it can afford to nourish the Essence. The Heart is left with an insufficient volume of blood to pump, potentially causing palpitations.

The gonadal (Kidney Yin) and adrenal (Kidney Yang) hormones come from cholesterol. With hormonal deficiency, the Liver increases its production of cholesterol in an attempt to balance the hormones associated with the Kidneys/Essence. By prioritizing the Essence, the Liver is unable to release the Blood it would normally be sending to the Heart, causing stress to the Heart. The increased cholesterol, in combination with the Liver delivering less Blood to the Heart, potentially leads to heart disease. This process allows accumulations to occur in the coronary arteries.

This is a scenario in which lapis lazuli plays its role. It relaxes the Liver to allow Liver Yin to move to Kidney Yin (“Acquired Essence”), increasing the necessary resources to produce hormones. This in turn lessens the Liver’s need to produce excessive cholesterol. At the same time, lapis nourishes and invigorates Liver Blood. With its additional resources, the Liver feels free to release more of its stored Blood to the Heart.

Its variable crystal structure opens an opportunity for endless possibilities, but with the hint of boundary from the lazurite’s cubic structure.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Descending. It benefits conditions where Heat is rising, such as high blood pressure and hyperthyroidism, as well as stagnation in the lower region, such as with ovarian cysts, poor defecation, or poor urination.

It relaxes and regulates the Liver by supporting the circulation of Liver Blood to the Heart and Brain and by descending Liver Yin to support Kidney Yin.

Accesses the Source/Yuan and Defensive/Wei levels; brings pathology into latency.

Conception Vessel/Ren Mai, the channel of bonding

Functions and Uses

Nourishes and moves Liver Blood to the Heart and to the Brain and the Sinews; breaks up Blood stagnation; affects the Marrow to generate Blood. Indicated for:

– spasms and cramping, Obstruction/Bi syndrome, joint pain

– poor vision or hearing, tinnitus

– palpitations

Circulates Liver Yin to nourish Kidney Yin. Indicated for:

– Empty Heat signs and symptoms: hot flashes, nighttime sweats

– hearing loss

– hyperthyroidism

– low back pain

Clears Heat in the Blood; calms the Shen. Indicated for:

– deficient Blood due to Heat, such as with scanty but frequent menses; vertigo; headaches

– hypertension

– bone spurs caused by toxins in the Blood

– emotional distress

– insomnia, irritability, restlessness, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety

Regulates the Liver. Indicated for:

– Rising Liver Yang signs and symptoms: facial tics, Parkinson’s disease, sore throat, irritation that affects the vocal cords, plum pit throat

– Liver invading Spleen signs and symptoms: food stasis, poor metabolism, digestive pain

Emotional use. Indicated for:

– the person with hypertension who has a hard time finishing a job, who has too many projects in the works and gets nothing finished

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– wealth and prosperity palaces

– strengthening solar plexus chakra function (because of its effect on the Liver)

– strengthening throat and third eye chakra functions (by its color)

– cultivating astral travel

– someone who feels she does not have “enough”—by nourishing the Blood, it helps her feel more comfortable with herself

– promoting a sense of connection, especially through speech and “owning” one’s voice; it encourages the ability to speak clearly what one is thinking and feeling

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Lapis lazuli works best with skin contact, especially on the central axis of the body (Conception Vessel/Ren Mai points). It is an ideal stone to wear with a pierced navel.

It also resonates with the point in the center of the armpit/HT-1.

Massage, place, or tape:

· on the midline of the abdomen, at the “V” where the ribs meet the base of the sternum/CV-15, to encourage Heart–Kidney communication via the Bao Mai (see here).

· on the midline of the abdomen, midway between the navel and the “V” where the ribs meet the base of the sternum/CV-12, to promote the process of rotting and ripening and break up food stasis.

· on the paravertebral muscles adjacent to the lower border of the T9 spinous process/UB-18 to nourish Liver Blood.

· on the chest, in the intercostal space below the breast tissue, in a line below the nipple/LR-14/Completion Gate, for the Wood imbalance of having too many unfinished projects.

· on the medial end of the crease behind the knee/LR-8 to nourish Liver Blood.

· in the depression on the bottom of the foot, behind the ball/KI-1 (and walk with it to stimulate the point), to encourage a sense of adequacy.

· on the anterior border of the sternocleidomastoid lateral to the Adam’s apple, where the carotid artery pulses/ST-9, for hyperthyroidism.

· over the ovaries for cysts.

Wear as a necklace touching the central notch at the base of the throat/CV-22 to regulate the thyroid.

With a massage wand, scrape the medial aspect of the knee crease/LR-8 and SP-9 to nourish the Blood and stimulate the Liver–Spleen relationship with regard to digestive function.

In a stone layout, lapis is an excellent choice for a stabilizing stone, placed either at the tailbone or in the depression on the bottom of the foot, behind the ball/KI-1, to tonify Kidney Qi’s support of Spleen Qi and regulate the Liver. Placing it at KI-1 also brings the therapeutic effects to the Bone level. With legs bent, place the stone under KI-1, or under the big toe if digestive issues are part of the diagnostic picture. It is not recommended to place it under the occiput, unless the strategy is to bring pathology outward from the internal level.

Mix the powder with a medium such as petroleum jelly and apply to bone fractures or bone spurs.

Apply the powder inside the mouth for conditions of the jawbone.

Internal Application

Use only short-term and in small amounts. It is reactive to water and can rust.

Drink for Ascending Liver Yang signs and symptoms.

Use as a mouthwash for bone conditions in the jaw region.

Drink as an elixir for ovarian cysts.

Intentional Application

For meditation or qigong, sit in a chair with the feet resting on lapis lazuli (in the depression on the bottom of the foot, behind the ball/KI-1). By nourishing the Blood and Yin, it helps give a sense of worth, respect, appreciation, and love for the self. It helps us value who we are.

Wear as jewelry to affirm the intention of creating prosperity, of having enough in life.

Wear as a necklace touching the central notch at the base of the throat/CV-22 to remind us to be careful with the words we use.

A mother can hold the stone while breastfeeding to promote bonding between mother and child. It is very protective.

Cautions and Contraindications

Contraindicated with low blood pressure.

Exercise caution when using as an elixir because of its broad chemical composition.

Avoid exposing the stone to too much light; it can fade.

Because of the relative expense and rarity of lapis lazuli, other stones are often dyed as substitutes. The presence of the gold flecks of pyrite can help make a correct identification.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Both lapis lazuli and turquoise have a strong relationship to the Liver. Lapis affects the Liver in its relationship to the Kidneys and Heart. Turquoise affects the Liver in its relationship to the Kidneys and Lungs. Both stones nourish Blood, but Turquoise has a stronger affect to nourish Fluids. Both stones clear Heat—lapis because it has a cooling nature, turquoise because it nourishes and moves Fluids to break up stagnation and inflammation.

Lapis, kyanite, and chrysocolla all affect the Liver:

· Lapis lazuli affects the Liver–Heart relationship with regard to Blood.

· Kyanite affects the Liver–Kidney relationship, especially to extinguish Wind.

· Chrysocolla nourishes and invigorates Liver Blood and treats Wind conditions that result from deficient Blood.

Bloodstone also invigorates and clears Heat in the Blood, but it is less nourishing than lapis lazuli.

Lapis lazuli is similar to the herb dang gui (Angelica sinensis) in its ability to nourish and move Blood simultaneously.

Combinations

Combine lapis lazuli with:

· howlite, as an elixir or powder, for jaw conditions. Use the powder inside the mouth for three weeks.

· howlite for scar tissue.

· rhodochrosite, for its expansiveness, to address post-stroke loss of vision.

· Elestial or tabby quartz crystal to solidify the intention of a treatment.

Lapis helps stabilize magnesite’s effects on the Liver and Gall Bladder.

To emphasize a strategy to bring a condition to latency, combine lapis lazuli with magnesite, blue lace agate, or kyanite to stabilize to the level of the Marrow.

To break up hardness (such as with ovarian cyst or thyroid nodules), place lapis lazuli locally and wave apophyllite over the area.

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse and recharge once a month in hematite. It can be placed in a bed of sea salt to help it retain its yin. Do not use water for cleansing; the iron can rust.

Stone History

Li Shizhen recommended lapis lazuli as an appropriate stone to affect the Conception Vessel/Ren Mai, the channel of bonding. It is especially for someone who is always running away from commitment to the meaningful things in life. It can be someone who cannot maintain relationships, or for someone who needs to stay busy, with many projects. This tendency also includes the dynamic of the Heart, which enjoys novelty and new experience.

The powdered pigment of lapis lazuli was called ultramarine and was the most expensive of the paint pigments during the European Renaissance; the special blue was reserved only for the most important, central subjects in paintings, such as the Virgin Mary. Modern ultramarine is made from synthetic pigments.

Common Locations

Afghanistan (difficult to obtain, but the best quality and color), Russia (good quality, with various colors of blue containing pyrite), Chile (containing numerous white calcite inclusions, usually the least valuable), Italy, Mongolia, Canada, United States

Lapis lazuli is the by-product of the transformation of chalk into marble. It is found in its best quality and largest quantity in a Himalayan limestone belt in Afghanistan, where it has been mined for over six thousand years. It is believed that the conditions required for the formation of lapis lazuli occurred here as the Indo-Australian plate drove north into the Eurasian plate about two hundred million years ago, pushing through the Tethys Sea and burying limestone and other sediments high in calcium carbonate, but lacking silica or iron. The sediments underwent intense metamorphic change under great temperature and pressure. These conditions are quite rare, and fine-quality lapis is much prized.^*28

• Magnesite •
(See color insert plate 58)
		Taste	Sweet, slightly bitter
		Nature	Cooling
		Affinities	LR/KI
		Hardness	3.5–4.5
		Crystal structure	Trigonal
		Stone group	Carbonate
		Level of formation	Sedimentary/Wei, metamorphic/Ying

Color/Appearance/Light

Colorless, white, pale yellow, pale brown, faintly pink, or lilac. The habit is usually massive, grainy, and compact. It sometimes forms as rounded, choppy nodules, like fossilized chewing gum. It is porous, with a surface resembling unglazed porcelain. It is usually opaque but can occasionally be found in square-ish, translucent crystals.

Magnesite is porous and easily dyed. It is used as a substitute for turquoise and other strongly colored stones.

Chemical Composition

Magnesium carbonate (MgCO₃)

It usually also contains calcium and iron, making it a ferromagnesian stone with more magnesium than iron.

It might also include traces of manganese, cobalt, or nickel.

Magnesium clears Heat and regulates the Middle Burner.

Key Characteristics

Magnesite clears Heat in the Blood and at the Qi level.

It does not tonify Qi but clears fever that damages the Qi.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Descending

Accesses the Source/Yuan and Defensive/Wei levels as they pertain to the Blood.

Functions and Uses

Clears Heat. Indicated for:

– Stomach Fire: excessive appetite, heartburn, constipation

– high fevers

– irritability, restlessness, emotionality

– wasting and thirsting disease (such as diabetes)

– exhaustion

Breaks up stagnation. Indicated for:

– high cholesterol, angina, arteriosclerosis

– gallstones, kidney stones

Pacifies Wind. Indicated for:

– seizures, convulsions, epilepsy

– migraines, headaches

– high blood pressure

– PMS, menstrual cramps

– twitching, spasms, tremors, jerkiness

– muscular tension

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Magnesite absorbs Heat being emitted from the body when it is placed topically or worn as jewelry.

Use as a powder for deodorant. It absorbs strong body odor (combine with essential oils for fragrance).

Internal Application

Drink as an elixir to address functions and uses.

Add 3 to 6 grams powdered at the end of a decoction. Alternatively, boil water with the stone and then take the stone out and add herbs.

Cautions and Contraindications

None known, though it is a soft stone with possible traces of cobalt or nickel. Use caution with elixirs when the stone has a pink or green tint.

Magnesite from South Africa is sometimes tumbled and substituted for howlite. The South African stone has grayish spider-web-like lines (perhaps chalcedony). According to some mineralogists, “real” howlite has black lines.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Magnesite and howlite are both important for moving Blood stagnation. Magnesite has a stronger affinity to Liver Blood, and howlite to Spleen Blood. Both affect the Heart, Blood stagnation, Sinews, and Bones.

Magnesite and howlite both have an effect on Wind, but magnesite is stronger in this action.

When we hold howlite, the stone will begin to draw Heat from the body, but the stone will stay cool. Magnesite also draws Heat out from the body, but the stone becomes warm.

Dolomite can be almost indistinguishable from magnesite.

Combinations

Combine magnesite with:

· azurite to emphasize its relaxing effect on the Liver, by nourishing Blood.

· lapis lazuli for deficient Blood resulting from Heat burning the Blood.

· lapis lazuli to stabilize magnesite’s effects on the Liver and Gall Bladder.

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse for a short time in running water, and charge in hematite.

Common Locations

Europe, North America, China, Australia, and South Africa. Rare, gem-quality crystals are found in Brazil. Austria is noted for having well-defined square-ish or hexagonal crystals.

Magnesite has also been found on Mars and in at least one meteorite.

• Magnetite/Lodestone •
(See color insert plate 59)
		Taste	Spicy
		Nature	Cold
		Affinities	HT/LR/KI
		Hardness	5.5–6.5
		Crystal structure	Cubic
		Stone group	Oxide
		Level of formation	Igneous/Yuan, metamorphic/Ying, sedimentary/Wei

Chinese Name

Ci shi, “the stone that nourishes”

Color/Appearance/Light

Metallic to dull black or gray. It is opaque and appears most often in a massive form, but also as square-ish crystals or as double-terminated pyramid-shaped crystals.

Chemical Composition

Iron oxide (Fe₂O₄)

It can include impurities of magnesium, zinc, manganese, nickel, chromium, titanium, vanadium, and aluminum.

Key Characteristics

Magnetite is the most magnetic of naturally occurring stones.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

A relatively heavy stone, it is descending.

Functions and Uses

Anchors Yang and extinguishes Wind; supports Kidney’s grasping the Qi; directs Qi downward. Indicated for:

– shaking of the head, Parkinson’s disease

– high blood pressure

– dizziness, vertigo

– high fevers

– Wind and Wind-Damp Bi syndrome: radiating and/or achy pain, muscle cramping, spasms

Stimulates Yang Qi to break up swellings in the lymphatic regions, especially the inguinal area.

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Magnetite feels very cold. Small stones can be placed on hot, inflamed eyes.

In a stone layout, place magnetite at the top of the head, at the bottoms of the feet, and in the center of the chest. This placement conducts energy and stabilizes our electromagnetic field.

In a stone layout, magnetite is effective as a root chakra stone.

Massage, place, or tape on the chest, in the intercostal space below the breast tissue, in a line below the nipple/LR-14. This is the finishing point for the cycle of energetic circulation through the body and gives a sense of completion.

Place on lymphatic swellings, especially in the groin.

Apply as powder to wounds to stop bleeding.

Apply as powder to muscle spasms and cramps.

Cautions and Contraindications

Not for use as an elixir due to its variable trace minerals.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Magnetite and hematite are both iron oxides. Magnetite is spicy and cold, with a cubic crystal structure. Hematite is bitter and cold, with a trigonal crystal structure.

Hematite is associated with the Blood; magnetite is anchoring for Wind.

Combinations

Magnetite and silver are a poor combination. Remove silver jewelry when receiving magnet therapy.

Cleansing and Charging

Leave with hematite for one to two days.

Stone History

Magnetite appears in the Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica.

It was used in early compasses.

In the Chinese theory of evolution, magnetite evolves from iron.

As magnetite-bearing igneous and sedimentary rocks form, the magnetite within them aligns with the Earth’s magnetic field. Since this magnetism does not change after the rock forms, it provides a record of what the Earth’s magnetic field was like at the time the rock formed. Magnetic records preserved in this way allow geologists to interpret the history of the Earth’s magnetic field, changes in its polarity, and the past motions of the Earth’s tectonic plates.

Common Locations

It is widely found across the planet, including Antarctica. The most desirable crystals come from Switzerland, though recent finds in Bolivia and New York State have become much sought after.

Magnetite also comes to the Earth in the form of meteorites.

Its largest deposits are massive and sedimentary in nature, and they formed some 2.5 to 1.6 billion years ago, when the Earth’s oceans and atmosphere were not yet oxygen-rich. The Earth underwent a major chemical transition as oxygen levels increased because of developing organisms. During this time, oxygen began to react with dissolved iron in the oceans and iron oxides precipitated out of the seawater to settle across the shallow seafloor. Circumstances are no longer conducive to this type of formation.

Huge deposits of magnetite have been found in banded iron formations, which have been studied to discover changes in the oxygen content of the atmosphere of the Earth.^*29

• Malachite •
(See color insert plate 60)
		Taste	Bitter, sweet, sour
		Nature	Slightly cooling, but also warming, because it moves and invigorates
		Affinities	SP/ST/LR
		Hardness	3.5–4
		Crystal structure	Monoclinic
		Stone group	Hydrated carbonate
		Level of formation	Sedimentary/Wei

Chinese Name

Lu qing, “green clear”

Shi qing, “emptiness stone”

Malachite forms with the interaction of copper deposits and external factors, such as oxidation and carbonic acid from rainwater that affects the water table. These and other factors in the general environment react with metals and minerals, and a “new” stone is created. The name implies that the stone forms in an empty space.

Color/Appearance/Light

Green. It is opaque with varying shades of green in concentric rings and bands. It often appears with a globular habit, but it can also be fibrous, and it sometimes appears as a stalagmite. Individual crystals are rare.

Chemical Composition

Copper carbonate hydroxide (Cu₂(CO₃)(OH)₂)

Copper conducts Qi, mends bone, purifies the blood, and penetrates to the Marrow.

As a carbonate, malachite regulates movement. The water content conducts and retains energy.

Key Characteristics

Is generally regulating for any kind of irregularity, such as irregular pulses/heartbeat, high or low blood pressure, menstrual irregularity.

Promotes the descension and release of pathology; purgative.

Hydrating and Yin nourishing; it nourishes Fluids to generate sufficient Yin to flush out pathology. Its water content allows for fast conductivity.

Its high water content makes it effective for energy work on the auric body. Malachite purifies by ionizing the water that is evaporating around the body. It cleanses the body’s energy field.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Descending

Harmonizing for the Middle Burner: the Stomach–Spleen and Liver–Gall Bladder

Functions and Uses

Regulates Liver and Stomach/Spleen Qi. Indicated for:

– premenstrual syndrome, menstrual cramps, irregular periods

– intermittent muscular pains

– headaches

– high or low blood pressure

Harmonizes the Middle Burner. Indicated for:

– Liver invading Spleen signs and symptoms: nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal distension

– diaphragmatic constriction and resulting Heat, panic attacks, post-traumatic stress disorder

– disharmony in the Spleen and Stomach: Sudden

Turmoil disorder (simultaneous vomiting and diarrhea)

– diabetes

Tonifies the Spleen and nourishes the Spleen’s production of Blood. Indicated for:

– excessive thinking

– loss of short-term memory

– diarrhea, dysentery

Malachite and Heat Stagnation

Malachite forms when minerals and metals transform because they are trapped and subjected to heat and pressure. It is useful for people with trapped Heat and stagnation who do not know how to change.

Heat and stagnation often lead to muscular tightness, especially in the back. If any of the points adjacent to the spine (Bladder Shu points) are tight, they cannot be used to tonify the respective Organ that is weak. To relax the point, first work with a pyrite wand to break up any obstruction. Then place malachite on the point. Tap the malachite with a rose quartz wand to potentiate its effect.

Nourishes Liver Blood to pacify Wind; brings Blood to the eyes. Indicated for:

– Wind resulting from Liver Blood deficiency (especially caused by Heat): epilepsy, seizures, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease)

– acute conjunctivitis, optic nerve damage, floaters

– insomnia from too many daily distractions

– muscular tension/cramps; tension in the neck, shoulders, or pelvis

– dysmenorrhea

– dizziness

Moves Blood and Qi inward and downward. Indicated for:

– amenorrhea, delayed menses, delayed labor

– high blood pressure

– asthma

– constipation

Cools Liver Blood. Indicated for:

– sleep disorders, especially insomnia because of not being comfortable with one’s self

Secures the Exterior. Indicated for:

– exposure to electromagnetic radiation (cell phones, x-rays)

Clears Lung Heat. Indicated for:

– nasal congestion

Astringes leakage. Indicated for:

– diarrhea, sweat, excessive weight loss

Emotional use. Indicated for:

– establishing adequate Liver Blood, which helps us feel more comfortable with ourselves The Liver is the “time keeper.” When we feel like we do not have enough time, it is likely due to a sluggish Liver. We might feel frustrated and resentful that we cannot accomplish all of our responsibilities. Malachite helps regulate the smooth flow of Liver Qi.

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Malachite provides a strong, directed force, made even stronger if it is cut into a six-sided generator.

Use only for short periods to consolidate Defensive/Wei Qi in an area and mobilize it downward to encourage a purging effect.

Place a sphere at the navel for five minutes to release old wounds, such as with sexual abuse.

Hold a sphere for five minutes to work with post-traumatic stress disorder or panic attacks.

Use malachite as a gua sha tool to move Blood and expel Wind.

Wear as a pendant at the center of the chest/CV-17 for its very strong, amplifying, directing force. It helps establish permanent changes in the digestive system.

Massage, place, or tape:

· on the back of the neck for twenty minutes to calm the nerves and settle thoughts. Useful for insomnia.

· in the depression on either side of the nostrils/LI-20, or hold in the hand, to drain sinus congestion.

· on the area of pain to relieve headache.

· on the soles of the feet to reduce seizures, high blood pressure, or asthma symptoms.

· on the areas of pain for sciatica.

· on swollen, red eyes, or use a low-dosage elixir as an eye wash.

· in the depression under the cheekbone below the outer corner of the eye/SI-18 to move the Qi in the Yang Leg Sinew Channels.

· two thumbs’ width lateral to the navel/ST-25 for constipation.

· on the chest to attract Qi into the region to release deeply buried emotions.

· on the soles of feet for children with poor skeletal development.

· on the crest of the trapezius muscle, midway between the “big bone” of the spine (C7 spinous process)/GV-14 and the tip of the acromium (the shoulder bone)/GB-21 to induce labor.

· on the lower abdomen for delayed menses or delayed labor.

· on the cuticles/Jing-Well points for sinew pain or cramping or for neuropathy.

Place malachite on the midline of the abdomen, at the “V” where the ribs meet the base of the sternum/CV-15, or on the center of the sternum, between the nipples/CV-17, with bloodstone or malachite directly below the base of the tailbone/GV-1, to open Bao Mai, the circuitry between the Upper and Lower Burners. This helps release deeply buried emotions. Add tree agate to the midline of the lower abdomen at the upper border of the pubic bone/CV-2 to help pull the shock and trauma out from the Lower Burner. Additionally, hold malachite in each hand, because repressed trauma can move from one side to the other.

Children with poor skeletal development can step on and play with the stone in their bare feet.

Pulverize and mix with a medium to make a paste to apply to fractures.

Internal Application

Use a potentiated quartz crystal to make an elixir, and use it only for acute conditions such as infection. If there are no results in two or three days, it is the wrong strategy.

Intentional Application

As a fengshui application, it can make something very small appear to be very grand.

It is popular to place malachite in the living room to support lively interaction.

Malachite amplifies everything, so use it cautiously.

Cautions and Contraindications

Contraindicated during pregnancy.

For short-term use only. It is used cautiously in Chinese medicine and is intended for acute conditions that need immediate resolution.

Wearing it too often can lead to imbalances, such as early menstrual periods.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Malachite and azurite have the same chemical composition, but malachite contains more water, allowing for faster conductivity of Qi. In nature, malachite is more stable than azurite. Over time, azurite can change to become malachite.

Malachite associates to the Spleen, and azurite to the Liver.

Azurite is neutral in nature, as compared to malachite, which is warming because it amplifies and moves.

Malachite is appropriate for more acute conditions than azurite.

Malachite is regulating and beneficial for people who are overactive, who have muscle cramps or headaches. Azurite is tonifying or stimulating.

Of the common copper stones:

· Malachite regulates Liver Qi.

· Azurite tonifies Liver Qi.

· Chrysocolla clears Heat.

· Dioptase breaks up Blood stasis affecting the Heart.

Malachite forms from the interaction of carbonic acid and copper. Chrysocolla is the result of the interaction of silicic acid and copper, making it a sturdier stone, and more cooling.

Malachite, chrysoprase, and aventurine all help regulate the smooth flow of Liver Qi.

Muscovite is an amplifier of stones that affect the Source/Yuan level. Malachite amplifies stones that affect the Defensive/Wei level.

Malachite and onyx both affect the Bone, but onyx is more direct in this action because of its black color and Kidney affinity. Malachite is more associated with moving Liver Blood.

Both howlite and malachite help break up Yin stasis. Use malachite for someone who is weak, and howlite for someone who is strong.

Combinations

Malachite is a principal stone in a combination to provoke a quick reaction. In combination with stones with Defensive/Wei-level therapeutics, it amplifies and consolidates Qi at the Wei level.

Combine malachite with:

· azurite to consolidate Qi and send it downward. It clears Heat that aggravates the emotions.

· azurite for migraines characterized by photosensitivity—three days with malachite, three days with azurite. Repeat as needed.

· chrysocolla for Wind signs and symptoms.

When using malachite to release old trauma, also use tiger eye, with its hematite content, to stay grounded, to help see clearly the buried emotions, and to begin the process of resolution.

Do not set in silver.

Cleansing and Charging

Malachite requires regular cleansing. It picks up energy and radiation very quickly and can transmit it back to the user.

Cleanse and charge in hematite, or in direct sun for three to six hours. Do not use water.

Alternatively, put the stone in a glass container, such as a ginseng cooker. Put the container on a stand in a cooking pot with water. Bring the water to a boil and turn off the heat. Seal the pot and leave it for two to four hours.

Stone History

It was used as a dye and as ink for icon paintings.

Li Shizhen notes that it affects the uterine muscles; it was used to promote labor.

Common Locations

It is found worldwide, including in Africa, Mexico, Australia (New South Wales), France, Israel, and the southwest United States.

• Peridot/Olivine •
(See color insert plate 61)
		Taste	Spicy, bitter, sweet
		Nature	Cooling or slightly warming
		Affinities	LR/HT/SP/GB
		Hardness	6.5–7
		Crystal structure	Orthorhombic
		Stone group	Island silicate
		Level of formation	Igneous/Yuan

Chinese Name

Pai lun shi, “olive stone”

Color/Appearance/Light

Green, greenish yellow, yellowish brown, brown, and white. Transparent to translucent, with a vitreous luster. It is usually granular and rarely appears as crystals.

Chemical Composition

Magnesium iron silicate ((Mg,Fe)₂SiO₄)

It generally has a higher concentration of magnesium than iron. The balance affects the color of green, with relatively higher amounts of iron causing a stronger green color.

It can also contain nickel and chromium.

It is a ferromagnesian stone; the combination of magnesium and iron makes peridot both cleansing and building. It gives the stamina to detoxify.

Key Characteristics

The name peridot is usually applied to gem-quality stones. Otherwise, the mineral is called olivine. The yellow-green color of peridot/olivine is sometimes called chrysolite.

Peridot is one of the most important stones to affect the Liver. Its influence travels throughout the entire trajectory of the Liver channel and is very broad-based in its effect on Liver function.

It simultaneously nourishes and detoxifies, and it is a key stone for healing at the level of Nourishing/Ying Qi in its relationship to Essence.

It cleanses as it restores, making it an important stone for cancer therapy. Always consider peridot for cancer patients undergoing conventional treatment; it does not interfere with chemotherapy or radiation.

As the major component of the mantle of the Earth, peridot/olivine, by virtue of the law of signatures, has a strong effect on Nourishing/Ying Qi issues, especially assisting us to navigate through the many pressures of life while still fulfilling our own purpose.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Stimulates the Gall Bladder in its bridge relationship between the Curious Organs and the Internal Organs/Zang-Fu, especially pertaining to cancer treatment.

Accesses the Marrow to affect congenital diseases or other conditions set in the genetic matrix.

Linking Vessels/Yin or Yang Wei Mai in their relationship to aging

Belt Channel/Dai Mai for its holding capacity

Functions and Uses

Promotes all Liver functions: affects the entire trajectory of the Liver meridian. Indicated for:

– conditions requiring detoxification of the Liver

– conditions of the Uterus/genitalia in relationship to the Liver meridian, such as difficult labor or genital pain

Nourishes the Blood; cools Heat in the Blood; breaks up Blood stagnation. Indicated for:

– skin conditions, such as liver spots or warts

– dysmenorrhea

– hemorrhaging

Clears Liver Fire and Wind. Indicated for:

– red, inflamed eyes

– acidosis, bad breath, body odor

– high blood pressure

– Internal Wind: neurological inflammation, such as with seizures or convulsions

Regulates the Liver and Gall Bladder. Indicated for:

– diaphragmatic constriction

– Liver invading Spleen and Stomach signs and symptoms, such as nausea or bloating

– swellings in the Middle Burner (swollen spleen or liver)

– weight gain

– Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, alternating constipation and diarrhea

– tender breasts

– jaundice

– sluggish bile, gallstones

Tonifies Yang; clears inflammation by stimulating Yang Qi, which in turn draws Heat back to Mingmen; consolidates Qi to Mingmen. Indicated for:

– hepatitis, prostatitis, irritable bowel syndrome

– weak immunity

Clears Heat in the Marrow. Indicated for:

– Steaming Bone syndrome, cancer of the bone or marrow

Pacifies the Hun/soul of the Liver (requires long-term wearing to have this impact). Indicated for:

– balancing emotions, bipolar disorder

– dementia, forgetfulness

– attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Emotional use. Indicated for:

– soothing and softening the traumas of our lives; it aids in letting go

– helping remove self-blame, promoting forgiveness of self and others

– relaxing excess Wood energy causing anger or rage, or the intensity of overachievers (especially when there is a family history of these tendencies)

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– cultivating acceptance

– protecting from evil spirits

– people born in the month of August, as a birthstone

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Massage, place, or tape peridot on the chest, in the intercostal space below the breast tissue, in a line below the nipple/LR-14, to regulate Liver and Gall Bladder functions, such as constipation from Heat in the Liver, or diaphragmatic constriction.

Apply topically to warts (outgrowths of self-toxicity), or wear a ring with the stone touching the wart.

Spray the elixir onto warts.

Wear as a necklace, ring, or earrings to address functions and uses.

Internal Application

Add the elixir to coffee enemas to enhance their effect, particularly to help break up gallstones.

Intentional Application

Wear as a ring on the index finger (Large Intestine channel/Metal) to assist in breaking away from old habits and patterns that keep us unhealthy.

Meditate with a stone under the tongue to purify contaminated thoughts and emotions.

Wear as an amulet for protection.

Cautions and Contraindications

None known.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Peridot is cooling for Liver Fire; larimar is regulating for Liver Qi.

Peridot and chrysoprase are both detoxifying, but peridot also helps heal and regenerate. Chrysoprase does not.

Combinations

Combine peridot with:

· aquamarine or emerald for gallstones or bile duct obstruction.

· larimar to emphasize the therapeutic effect to the Liver and Gall Bladder.

· barite on warts.

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse in warm water once a month. Recharge in quartz.

Stone History

In early times, peridot was worn as an amulet to ward off evil spirits.

Peridot was recommended by Li Shizhen for people who blame themselves for past actions, to absolve the self for guilt or “sins.”

Common Locations

Olivine is among Earth’s most common minerals, because it derives from peridotite. Peridotite has the same chemical composition (high in magnesium and iron, low in silica) as the molten magma in the Earth’s mantle and makes up the largest percentage by volume of the upper mantle. With the continual eruption spreading outward at the midocean rifts, peridotite emerges onto the subsea floor to move slowly and steadily toward the continents in either direction.

As the mediator between the core and the crust of the Earth, the mantle is constantly accommodating the influences between the deep and superficial levels.

Olivine can also form in a metamorphic process that transforms dolomite and other sedimentary rocks that are high in magnesium and low in silica. A further metamorphosis involving water absorption can cause olivine to change into serpentine.

Gem-quality peridot is rather rare. Only small grains typically occur in the crust, found in lavas and in large fragments of peridotite. Rarely, it is found in large crystals lining veins or pockets in igneous rocks.

It can also be found in iron-nickel types of meteorites, sometimes as large crystals.

Historically the most important deposit of gem-quality peridot was on the volcanic island Zabargad (St. John) in the Red Sea, east of Egypt. This site was mined for more than 3,500 years.

In modern times, most peridot comes from the San Carlos Apache reservation in Arizona; other sources are China, Myanmar, and Pakistan. A relatively new find in Pakistan is producing particularly high-quality peridot.

• Prehnite •
(See color insert plate 62)
		Taste	Bitter, spicy
		Nature	Slightly cooling
		Affinities	LR/ST/SP/KI
		Hardness	6–6.5
		Crystal structure	Orthorhombic
		Stone group	Sheet or group silicate
		Level of formation	Metamorphic/Ying

Color/Appearance/Light

Pale to dark green, transparent to translucent. Often found in finger-shaped formations or masses with distinctively ridged surfaces, and rarely as short, tabular, or prismatic crystals. It sometimes encrusts another mineral, such as anhydrite, which then washes away, leaving prehnite as a hollow casting. Prehnite is sometimes described as a sheet silicate, sometimes as a group silicate.

Chemical Composition

Calcium aluminum silicate (Ca₂Al₂Si₃O₁₀(OH)₂)

Common impurities include titanium, iron, magnesium, sodium, potassium, and/or water.

Key Characteristics

Breaks up all kinds of accumulations and concentrations.

Prehnite does not tonify or engender Qi, but it gives a sense of vitality by helping to clear pathology.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Belt Channel/Dai Mai to release and drain

Prehnite and Accumulations and Gatherings

Accumulations and gatherings/Juji are the eventual result of Qi stagnation. The initial cause might be a traumatic injury, a poorly prepared meal, or an emotional event, especially fear. As Qi stagnation lingers, the body generates Heat to move the sluggishness. If this Heat is unsuccessful in breaking up the stagnation, Blood and Fluids also begin to stagnate, forming accumulations and gatherings.

These accumulations and gatherings concentrate in the regions of the head, chest, and abdomen, impeding healthy functioning.

· Accumulations, Ji, can be substantial or energetic. Rebellious Qi is an example of energetic accumulation. Accumulations are of six types: food, Qi, Blood, Phlegm, Heat, and Fluid stagnation. They can include acute indigestion, swellings, bruises, areas of inflammation, or sinus congestion.

· Gatherings, Ju, are always substantial—they are a mass of some kind—and are usually seen as the result of long-term accumulations. They can include lipomas, nodules, cysts, and tumors.

The Belt Channel is a major site for accumulations and gatherings, as stagnation gradually seeps into the lower region.

Prehnite can be used topically or internally to break up accumulations and gatherings.

Functions and Uses

Breaks up all types of Juji/accumulations and gatherings. Indicated for:

– Qi stagnation: pain conditions

– Heat stagnation: Fire Toxins, cancer (it slows metastasis)

– Blood stagnation: bruising, varicose veins, high blood pressure

– Fluid/Phlegm stagnation: fatty accumulations, lymphatic accumulations

– Cold stagnation: prostate swelling, Cold in the Uterus (infertility or painful menstruation)

– Food Stagnation: indigestion, metabolic waste, gout, toxic overload in the Kidneys

Releases the Belt Channel/Dai Mai; metabolizes fatty accumulations. Indicated for:

– flaccidity around the waist

Clears Heat; calms the Shen. Indicated for:

– anxiety disorders

– hyperactivity in pets and children

– metastatic cancer

– renal hypertension

Tonifies Spleen Qi; regenerates flesh; strengthens connective tissue. Indicated for:

– weakness, muscle prolapse

– frequent miscarriage

– incontinence, frequent urination

– Food Stagnation, poor digestion

Regulates the relationship of Liver/Wood to Kidney/Water. Indicated for:

– Liver constraint affecting the Urinary Bladder, such as stress-induced urinary tract infections

– toxic overload of the Kidneys, such as with gout Intentional use. Indicated for:

– strengthening heart chakra function

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Carry prehnite in the hand for anxiety disorders (right hand for women, left hand for men).

Heat the stone in hot water and apply over fatty deposits to break them up.

Massage, place, or tape:

· on the chest, in the intercostal space below the breast tissue, in a line below the nipple/LR-14, and/or two thumbs’ width lateral to the navel/ST-25 to break up accumulations.

· on the midline of the abdomen, midway between the navel and the “V” where the ribs meet the base of the sternum/CV-12, to strengthen Qi.

· on lipomas and cysts (add heat).

Internal Application

Drink as an elixir to break up accumulations, such as with gout or prostate swelling.

Intentional Application

Place under the pillow to promote lucid dreaming.

Cautions and Contraindications

Prehnite is contraindicated during pregnancy, because it breaks up fat and other accumulations in the lower region.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

With long-term use, prehnite mildly builds Liver Blood, but not as strongly as chrysocolla, lapis lazuli, malachite, or turquoise.

Combinations

When creating a stone combination, prehnite is an associate stone, not a primary stone.

Combine prehnite with:

· bloodstone or ruby to stop bleeding caused by excessive Heat.

· amber or dolomite to tone the Bladder to reduce frequent urination or the Uterus to protect against miscarriage.

· a sulfur-containing stone, such as pyrite or dolomite, pyrite or dolomite, and place directly on stubborn, sharp pain or areas of pale skin that are cold to the touch.

· obsidian for Cold stagnation.

Cleansing and Charging

There is no history of this stone in Chinese medicine, so it offers an opportunity to examine it for ourselves. Perhaps bury it next to plants and let the Earth recharge it.

Stone History

The stone is named after Colonel Hendrik Von Prehn (1733–1785), who originally found the stone in South Africa.

Common Locations

It occurs in many locations across the planet but is nevertheless somewhat uncommon. Gem-quality prehnite comes from deposits in Australia. Other locations include South Africa, Morocco, Switzerland, Mali, India, Canada, and the United States (New Jersey, Virginia, Michigan, and Washington).

• Pyrite/Fool’s Gold •
(See color insert plate 63)
		Taste	Spicy
		Nature	Warming
		Affinities	ST/LR
		Hardness	6–6.5
		Crystal structure	Cubic
		Stone group	Sulfide
		Level of formation	Igneous/Yuan, metamorphic/Ying, sedimentary/Wei

Chinese Name

Huang tie kuang, “yellow iron ore”

Color/Appearance/Light

Metallic, brassy yellow, or gray. It can appear as cubes, large or small, smooth or grooved; as disks; as aggregates of very small crystals; and in other shapes, such as rods and dodecahedrons, and very rarely as dendritic, treelike shapes. The different shapes are the result of varying temperatures and the amounts of dissolved iron and sulfur in the region. These factors control the rate of speed at which the crystals form. The simplest, smoothest cubes are created at relatively low temperatures and saturation (sedimentary level). Higher saturation and temperature forms the more complex shapes.^*30

The popular “sunbursts” are from the sedimentary/Wei level. The origin of pyrite suns has been debated, but the current consensus is that they are concretions spread out under pressure and forced to grow in a laterally compressed, radiating manner in seams of slate or coal.^†31

Chemical Composition

Iron sulfide (FeS₂)

Common impurities include gold, nickel, cobalt, silver, copper, zinc, arsenic, selenium, thallium, and vanadium.

The iron relaxes by nourishing. The sulfur warms and moves energy.

Key Characteristics

Pyrite is fast acting and analgesic. The sulfur content is warming to move Cold stagnation. It is particularly appropriate for digestive, circulatory, and respiratory conditions.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

The cubic crystal structure gives resonance to the cheekbones, including the temporomandibular joint and the bite, to address Bell’s palsy.

Accesses the Source/Yuan and Defensive/Wei levels as they pertain to the Liver and Gall Bladder (pathology held latent in the Blood).

Luo Channels

Functions and Uses

Breaks up Cold obstruction. Indicated for:

– Cold in the Stomach: painful digestion, vegetarians who lack Stomach Fire

– Cold in the Uterus: infertility, painful menses

– Cold in the extremities: Raynaud’s syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, weakness, chronic fatigue syndrome

– Cold Bi/Obstruction syndrome: areas of sharp pain that is worse with cold weather

– Blood stagnation due to Cold: varicose veins

Opens the chest; expels Cold phlegm. Indicated for:

– bronchial asthma, bronchial spasm

– shortness of breath

– anxiety

Emotional use. Indicated for:

– depression

– the person who is constantly doing too much and needs to cultivate boundaries (the cube shape)

– the person who is a social rebel (the sunburst shape)

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Apply pyrite topically for a short time only, because it interacts with sweat and rusts (it can also have an odd metallic smell).

Hold to encourage a full release of fever.

Massage, place, or tape:

· on the center of the sternum, between the nipples/CV-17, to calm bronchial spasms or bronchitis.

· on the third eye during acupuncture, massage, or Reiki treatments to calm the mind and stabilize energy.

· on the area over the stomach, or stomach points, to warm Cold in the Stomach.

· on the upper border of the pubic bone for Cold in the Uterus.

· in a depression in the wrist joint, in line with the fourth finger (looking at the back of the hand)/TH-4, for Raynaud’s syndrome.

· on the inner wrist, in the center of the crease in line with the middle finger/PC-7, for carpal tunnel syndrome.

· on spider veins/Luo vessels to invigorate Blood.

· on Luo points for Cold in the area. (Cold should not be confused with emptiness of the Luo.)

Warm the elixir and apply as a compress to the chest for bronchial asthma, for bronchial spasm, or to reduce anxiety (assuming Cold is the root cause).

Internal Application

Use a quartz crystal potentiated by pyrite for an elixir to address functions and uses.

Intentional Application

Wear as an amulet to protect against insects.

As a specimen or sculpture, it is reflective of support from friends.

For abundance, put in a drawer with the checkbook or cash.

Cautions and Contraindications

Use only for relatively acute conditions. It is not appropriate for long-term Phlegm stagnation or chronic anxiety.

Pyrite will rust when exposed to sweat. Do not leave it on the skin for long periods. The crystals also decay when exposed to moisture in the air; they need to be stored carefully.

Do not take internally. Use only potentiated quartz crystals for elixirs.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Pyrite, hematite, and garnet all contain iron and affect the Blood.

· Pyrite warms the interior and breaks up Blood stagnation due to Cold; it increases gastric acid.

· Hematite increases oxygenation of the Blood.

· Garnet invigorates and nourishes the Blood.

Pyrite is warming and moves stagnation due to Cold. Amazonite is cooling and moves stagnation due to Heat.

Combinations

Combine pyrite with aventurine to quicken aventurine’s analgesic effect.

Pyrite is incompatible with amethyst and with hematite.

If areas along the paravertebral muscles are tight, the Bladder Shu/Transporting points located in those muscles are not available to tonify the related Organs. To break up obstructions in the paravertebral muscles, first massage the areas with pyrite. Follow by placing azurite or malachite on the area, to open the tight areas to receive tonification. Tap the malachite with rose quartz to potentiate the stone.

Because of its iron content, pyrite can also be used to cleanse other stones. The iron draws out discharged energy.

Cleansing and Charging

Recharge with quartz crystal or with sea salt in the sun (salt draws out the toxins, and the sun recharges the stone’s yang nature).

Some materia medicas advise to never expose pyrite to water.

Stone History

The following is included for historical interest only. Do not attempt to make and apply this remedy.

If it was to be taken internally, preparation involved first slow-cooking a small pyrite crystal (3 to 5 ounces) with 30 grams of licorice for twenty-four hours (perhaps to reduce toxicity), then drying it in the sun. The pyrite was then pounded into a fine powder in a mortar and pestle. The powder was soaked in vinegar overnight (an alchemical process). The powdered pyrite was then put in a ceramic container and baked for three full days at 350 degrees. The powder was then placed in cheesecloth, dipped in white vinegar, and left to dry. This dipping and drying was repeated nine times. Powder that was treated in this way was taken internally to break up all accumulations in the body. It was believed that this powder would mend broken bones and could be applied topically over fibroids and other blood accumulations. Pyrite is analgesic. The process of preparation draws considerable heat into the mineral, which is taken in by the body when applied topically to help break up the accumulations caused by Cold. When taken internally, it brings Yang energy to break up accumulations.

Common Locations

Pyrite is a very common mineral found in many different environments. Some notable occurrences are Peru, Germany, Spain, Russia, South Africa, and the United States (Illinois and Missouri), among many others.

• Rhodochrosite •
(See color insert plate 64)
		Taste	Spicy
		Nature	Warming
		Affinities	HT/LR
		Hardness	3.5–4
		Crystal structure	Trigonal
		Stone group	Carbonate
		Level of formation	Igneous/Yuan, metamorphic/Ying, sedimentary/Wei

Color/Appearance/Light

Bright red, hot pink, light pink, orange red, brown, or gray. It may be banded with different shades of pink. It ranges from transparent to translucent to opaque and has a pearly finish. Crystals occasionally darken with exposure to the air, by the formation of manganese oxide. It occurs in a wide variety of crystal shapes, from square-ish to sharply terminated, rounded botryoidal shapes, stalagmites and stalactites, and even rose shapes.

Chemical Composition

Manganese carbonate (MnCO₃)

It often includes traces of iron and calcium (causing the white color) and can also include magnesium, zinc, cobalt, and cadmium.

The red colors occur when there is minimal iron content.

Manganese affects Heart Blood.

Key Characteristics

Rhodochrosite is a soft stone for relatively acute conditions; it is spicy, to move and dilate. It expels Cold to strengthen the immune system.

It opens the Portals to expand consciousness through the sensory orifices.

Rhodochrosite benefits conditions of aging, especially for the person who has lost passion for life because of the physical issues that develop during the aging process.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

It establishes connection between the Nourishing/Ying and Source/Yuan levels, allowing an internal dialogue to bring deep emotional issues to consciousness. It supports Heart–Kidney communication by opening the Heart to accept the self.

It mediates the Nourishing/Ying and the Defensive/Wei levels.

It addresses Defensive/Wei Qi issues, whether superficial or deep.

Sinew Channels

Luo Channels

Functions and Uses

Opens the Portals; stimulates circulation to dilate the sensory orifices; calms the Shen. Indicated for:

– acute loss of hearing

– fainting

– headaches, especially occipital and templar, migraines

– poor memory

Breaks up Blood stagnation. Indicated for:

– bruises; liver spots; bluish discoloration of the lips, fingers, and toes

– arteriosclerosis

– osteoporosis

– weakness

– diminished libido

Regulates Heart Qi. Indicated for:

– poor circulation, Raynaud’s syndrome

– arrhythmia, palpitations, tachycardia

– anxiety

Rhodochrosite and “Coursing” the Qi

Rhodochrosite “courses the Qi.” This is a regulating treatment strategy associated with the Liver. The term refers to setting a course, as if sailing a ship. It implies that a treatment will give the person a new direction.

It is especially appropriate for major transitions in life, where we feel that we are losing control of our lives. When we age and begin to lose sensory acuity, we also lose a sense of sovereignty. Coursing the Qi helps us find control by moving in a new direction.

Courses the Qi. Indicated for:

– high or low blood pressure

Regulates Liver Qi; settles ascending Yang. Indicated for:

– high blood pressure due to stress

– continual, constant stress

Emotional use. Indicated for:

– the person who is a rebel, who is uncomfortable with the world and has many problems in life, such as with bipolar conditions

– the person who lacks warmth, whether physical or emotional

– the person who feels unable to create because her world is not receptive to what she has to offer—perhaps she has been a caretaker for many years and is now free to create, but she encounters a “wall” between herself and the world that prevents expression (physically, this scenario can manifest as a reproductive type of cancer, such as ovarian cancer)

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– creativity palace: it generates Blood to inspire new ideas for writers, inventors, and scientists and breaks up stagnation, such as with writer’s block

– helping cultivate a career as a musician

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Rhodochrosite can be applied directly to the skin for long durations to impact chronic conditions.

Place the stone in the hand of someone who has fainted. Squeeze the hand to increase circulation and open the Portals.

Although the stone is soft, it can be worn as a pendant to address functions and uses.

Massage, place, or tape:

· a small stone in the depression on the bottom of the foot, behind the ball/KI-1, and walk with it for about thirty minutes to address headache.

· on the back of the wrist, in the depression just medial to the tip of the ulnar styloid process (on the little-finger side)/SI-6, to hearten people suffering from conditions of aging. As the Xi-Cleft point, it is appropriate to address crisis or emergency situations.

· at the notch in the occiput where the skull meets the spine/GV-16 for a dull, achy headache. It brings circulation to break up the stagnation.

· on the upper border of the pubic bone, about two fingers’ width lateral to the center line/ST-30, for endometriosis.

· at the base of the neck, in the depression below the C7 spinous process (the “big bone” between the neck and upper back)/GV-14, and at the top of the head/GV-20, to summon Yang Qi upward and give increased capacity to manage the changes of life.

· on any of the Luo points to open the blood vessels and treat fullness of Luo.

Combine the powder of both rhodochrosite and barite and apply over fungal/yeast infections on the skin.

Spray an elixir of rhodochrosite and barite on fungal skin conditions.

Intentional Application

A cranial-sacral practitioner could wear a ring on the fourth finger while working to touch the receiver’s occipital region.

Place a specimen in the west corner of the home or studio to support the creativity palace.

Cautions and Contraindications

It is a soft stone with the potential of cadmium or cobalt in its content. Use a potentiated quartz crystal in an elixir.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Rhodochrosite is the stone equivalent to the acupuncture point SI-6/Yang Lao/“Nourishing the Aged,” the Xi-Cleft point to address crisis or emergency. It is a point used for people faced with uncertainties and difficulties, who feel disheartened about life because of the process of aging.

Rhodonite and rhodochrosite are both stones with significant manganese content, and they have a number of similarities. Both resonate with the Heart. Both are warming in nature. Both are appropriate for emergencies. Rhodochrosite has a stronger relationship to the Liver, while rhodonite has affinity with the Lungs. Rhodochrosite is a carbonate, with a hardness of 3.5–4. Rhodonite is a silicate with a hardness of 5.5–6.5.

Combinations

Combine rhodochrosite with:

· barite for fungal/yeast skin conditions.

· lapis lazuli for blindness occurring after a stroke.

A useful combination of pink stones to open the chest includes rose quartz placed on the center of the sternum, between the nipples/CV-17, with pink tourmaline on the left side and rhodochrosite on the right, stabilized by lapis lazuli under each big toe.

For the despair associated with the “dark night of the soul,” take an elixir of rhodochrosite (made with a potentiated quartz crystal), place chalcopyrite on the midline of the abdomen, midway between the navel and the “V” where the ribs meet the base of the sternum/CV-12, and hold ruby (or wear a necklace, or a ring on the fourth finger).

Use pink tourmaline in the left hand and rhodochrosite in the right hand to bring more oxygen, more life, more meaning into the breath and digestion, to encourage external Qi to combine harmoniously with our own chest/Zhong Qi and digestive/Gu Qi.

Cleansing and Charging

The stone must be cleansed in running water after each session. Recharge every two weeks in quartz crystal.

Common Locations

Large, square-ish, beautiful crystals are found at the Sweet Home Mine in Colorado. In South Africa and Peru there are intensely red, sharply pointed crystals. Stalagmites and stalactites are found in an old Incan silver mine in Argentina; these are usually sliced, yielding slabs with banded, concentric rings.

• Rhodonite •
(See color insert plate 65)
		Taste	Sweet, spicy, bitter
		Nature	Warming
		Affinities	HT/LU/KI
		Hardness	5.5–6.5
		Crystal structure	Triclinic
		Stone group	Chain silicate
		Level of formation	Metamorphic/Ying

Chinese Name

Qiang wei hui shi, “bright wild rose with fern stone”

Color/Appearance/Light

Pinkish red or brownish red, often with black dendritic inclusions. It most often appears in massive form, though it can in rare cases form tabular crystals. They range from opaque to transparent (usually an orange red) and have a vitreous or pearly luster.

The stones with the combination of black and red support Heart–Kidney communication.

Chemical Composition

Manganese silicate (MnSiO₃)

Rhodonite also includes significant amounts of calcium and may include smaller quantities of magnesium, iron, aluminum, and, more rarely, zinc.

The black inclusions are manganese oxide.

Key Characteristics

It acts as an antihistamine for allergies.

Rhodonite has a very moving quality; it tonifies Qi but does not nourish Blood.

Rhodonite forms when manganese is subjected to hydrothermal activity and pushed into the crevices, holes, or “wounds” in the Earth. It covers or seals the holes and crevices, the “clefts”; by the law of signatures it is used for non-healing wounds, much like the resins in herbal medicine. It also helps mend bones.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

An important Blood/Ying Qi–level stone that also accesses Defensive/Wei and Essence/Yuan levels.

Rhodonite resonates with the Xi-Cleft points used for emergencies (see here).

Functions and Uses

Tonifies Qi, especially Heart, Lung, and Spleen. Indicated for:

– frequent illness, whether from internal or external factors

– cardiac insufficiency (such as panting after climbing stairs), lethargy with exertion

– chronic allergies, especially stress-related; hives

– bronchitis, respiratory vulnerability

– digestive issues in general, diarrhea, abdominal distension

Regulates Defensive/Wei Qi. Indicated for:

– over- or underactive immune responses, such as with frequent colds and allergies or autoimmune conditions (requires long-term internal use)

Clears Heat by moving stagnation. Indicated for:

– menopausal symptoms

– chronic inflammatory nerve conditions: spasm, tremors, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, tinnitus, eye twitching, stuttering

– Raynaud’s syndrome, neuropathy, loss of sensation or mobility of the limbs

Breaks up Blood stagnation. Indicated for:

– bruises, hematomas, blood clots

Calms the Shen. Indicated for:

– anxiety disorders

– traumas of life, fears and phobias

Clears Fire Toxins at the Blood level. Indicated for:

– autoimmune disorders, such as multiple sclerosis or inflammatory bowel disease

– leukemia

Regenerates tissue. Indicated for:

– broken bones, scarring of the bones

– surgical scars

– side effects of chemotherapy and radiation

– ulcerations, burns

– fibrotic accumulations

Softens hardness. Indicated for:

– arthritic joints, sclerotic skin

– arteriosclerosis

– rigid attitudes

Emotional use. Indicated for:

– the person who lacks warmth, whether emotional or physical

– situations in which the heart is challenged by the difficulties of life—rhodonite helps us become more aware of the nature of the challenge and come to acceptance or resolution

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– relationship palace

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Rub rhodonite directly on wounds or injuries.

After radiation treatments, place over areas that have been treated.

Hold a sphere for Raynaud’s syndrome, multiple sclerosis, or other autoimmune conditions.

Massage, place, or tape:

· on the Xi-Cleft points used for emergencies. Use appropriate points to address specific acute conditions or emergencies. For example:

swelling of the throat—about two hands’ width up from the inner wrist crease on the palm side of the forearm, in line with the thumb/LU-6

vomiting—about a hand’s width up from the wrist crease on the forearm, in line with the thumb/LI-7

knee pain—on the anterior lateral aspect of the thigh (when the knee is flexed), in a depression about two thumbs’ width above the kneecap/ST-34

menstrual pain—on the medial aspect of the lower leg, in a depression about a hand’s width below the depression at the base of the inner knee, in line with the high point of the medial anklebone/SP-8

palpitations—on the palm side of the forearm in line with the little finger, in a depression a couple of fingers’ width up from the wrist crease/HT-6

acute shoulder pain—on the back of the wrist, in the depression just medial to the tip of the ulnar styloid process (on the little-finger side)/SI-6

diarrhea—on the lateral edge of the foot, in a depression in front of the heel/UB-63

Rhodonite and Allergies

Allergies, whether manifesting in the respiratory system, the skin, or the gut, will affect the musculature of the body as it tries to respond to the allergen. Typically, Yang Qi mobilizes upward, specifically to a point approximately in the middle of the top border of the shoulder blade called Grasping the Wind/SI-12. The Yang Qi creates tension in the local region of the shoulders, but also lower in the body, in the buttocks and the muscle bands on the sides and backs of the legs. The specific points for this approach are the Lower He-Sea points, all located behind or below the knee on the anterior-lateral and lateral aspects of the lower leg. (See “The Lower He-Sea Points of the Yang Leg Channels” in appendix 2.) Massaging these areas automatically helps release the shoulders and hence the neck (Shaoyang and Taiyang zones), to help release the allergens.

Additionally, we must treat the face (to affect the sinuses, or Yangming zone), as well as the Large Intestine organ, via the use of a point located in the web between the thumb and index finger on the back side of the hand/LI-4/Joining Valley. Massage to break up any tension in this point.

Massaging these regions or points with rhodonite is appropriate for both aspects of this approach to treating allergies.

acute lower abdominal pain—in a depression below and behind the anklebone on the inner aspect of the heel/KI-5

acute emotional distress—a little more than a hand’s width above the wrist crease (looking at the palm side of the forearm), in line with the middle finger/PC-4

tinnitus—on the forearm (looking at the back of the hand), a hand’s width up from the wrist crease in line with the fourth finger/TH-7

painful skin—in the groove between the fibula and tibia (shinbone), on the lateral aspect of the lower leg, almost midway up from the high point of the lateral anklebone to the crease behind the knee/GB-36

excessive uterine bleeding—behind the tibia (shinbone) on the medial aspect of the lower leg, almost midway between the high point of the medial malleolus and the crease at the back of the knee/LR-6

· in the web between the thumb and index finger on the back side of the hand/LI-4 and in the “V” on the top of the foot where the metatarsal bones of the first and second toes meet/LR-3 for jet lag or to help us orient to new, foreign environments.

· on Spleen and Stomach Luo points for mental confusion, feeblemindedness, or disorientation:

on the medial aspect of the foot—touch the hollow proximal to the “bunion” bone, and then slide the finger toward the arch until it hits the first metatarsal bone/SP-4

on the lateral aspect of the lower leg, midway between the high point of the anklebone and the crease at the back of the knee, two thumbs’ width lateral to the tibia (shinbone)/ST-40

Internal Application

Drink as an elixir long-term for autoimmune conditions.

Intentional Application

Wear as a pendant touching the center of the chest/CV-17 to address functions and uses.

Use as a sculpture in the south corner of the home to help instill unconditional love. It has been used since the Qing dynasty to attract the lesson of what it means to be in love with no conditions attached—the elusive notion of Love itself.

Cautions and Contraindications

None known.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Rhodonite and aquamarine both have antihistamine effects. Rhodonite is regulating for Yang Qi as it supports Defensive/Wei Qi. Aquamarine, by its cooling and spicy qualities, clears Wind Heat and also hydrates. It is appropriate for someone who is very dry.

Rhodonite and rhodochrosite have a number of similarities. They both contain significant amounts of manganese, are warming in nature, and resonate with the Heart. Both are appropriate for emergencies. Rhodochrosite has a stronger relationship to the Liver, while rhodonite has affinity with the Lungs. Rhodochrosite is a carbonate, with a hardness of 3.5–4. Rhodonite is a silicate, with a hardness of 5.5–6.5.

Combinations

Rhodonite clears Heat. Combine with aquamarine to nourish Fluids for people who are very dry, such as with Sjogren’s syndrome.

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse in running water and dry in the sun.

Stone History

Rhodonite was popular in the Shang Han Lun tradition for its ability to tonify the Qi and protect against the progression of Wind and Cold penetrating the body’s defenses.

Common Locations

The two most notable localities for this mineral are New South Wales, Australia, and Minas Gerais, Brazil. These areas produce blood-red transparent crystals. Peru also produces beautifully colored rhodonite. Other sources are Sweden, Russia, and Italy. In the United States it is found widely in Massachusetts, where it is the state stone.

• Seraphinite •
(See color insert plate 66)
		Taste	Sweet
		Nature	Cooling
		Affinities	LU/LR/SP/HT
		Hardness	2–2.5
		Crystal structure	Monoclinic
		Stone group	Sheet silicate
		Level of formation	Metamorphic/Ying

Color/Appearance/Light

Dark shades of green with intricate, feathery patterns of iridescent silver and white. It appears as thick flakes, masses, and groups of flaky and scaly forms of mica. It can also appear as crystals, which are usually tabular and pseudo-hexagonal in shape. When polished it has a vitreous, pearly luster and ranges from transparent to translucent to opaque.

The darkness of the color associates to the Kidneys; the whiteness associates to the Lungs, to help us let go. The greenish color gives priority to physical healing.

Seraphinite is the trade name for green clinochlore. The seraphim are the first order of angels, and the stone has the appearance of feathers, to help us feel lighter.

Chemical Composition

Hydrous magnesium iron aluminum silicate

((Mg,Fe)₅Al(Si₃Al)O₁₀(OH)₈)

Seraphinite can also contain traces of chromium and calcium.

Key Characteristics

Regulating for Qi and Fluids; nourishing for Blood

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Seraphinite adjusts the Defensive/Wei and Nourishing/Ying levels by bringing Fluids and Blood to the surface to release an external pathogenic factor.

Functions and Uses

Regulates Qi. Indicated for:

– Liver invading Stomach/Spleen symptoms: diaphragmatic constriction, alternating diarrhea and constipation, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders

– asthma

Regulates Fluids. Indicated for:

– inability to sweat

– poor digestion

Nourishes Blood; mobilizes Blood and Fluids to the Sinews. Indicated for:

– muscle spasms, chills, tightness, muscle aches and pains, tension along the spine

Clears Heat, especially Stomach Fire and Liver Fire, notably when it creates Heart Fire. Indicated for: –hyperthyroidism

– heat and irritation in the eyes

– palpitations, insomnia, feelings of betrayal, broken heart

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– relationship palace—useful to attract people to attend to one’s needs

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Place seraphinite on the eyes, throat, or chest to clear Heat.

Put in a slow cooker with some water to heat and use as a massage tool for stiff muscles, especially at the neck. (If it is very hot, first wrap it with a small cloth until it cools down.) Massage the sternocleidomastoid muscle, the paravertebral muscles of the neck, and the trapezius to release trapped Wind.

Internal Application

Drink as an elixir (use a potentiated quartz crystal) to address functions and uses.

Cautions and Contraindications

It is soft, with aluminum content. Use a potentiated quartz crystal for elixirs.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Seraphinite is similar to the herb pueraria/ge gen in its effect to cool and relax the shoulder region in order to release Wind.

Combinations

Combine seraphinite with:

· sodalite as a principal stone to generate and regulate Fluids, with seraphinite as the associate.

· garnet to affect the Blood more directly.

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse and recharge with hematite.

Common Locations

Although clinochlore occurs in a number of places, seraphinite is only found in the Lake Baikal region in eastern Siberia.

• Serpentine •
(See color insert plate 67)
		Taste	Spicy, sweet
		Nature	Cooling
		Affinities	LU/LR/ST/SP
		Hardness	2–5
		Crystal structure	Monoclinic
		Stone group	Sheet silicate
		Level of formation	Metamorphic/Ying

Chinese Name

Shi men yan, “stone with snake markings”

Yin xian shi, “the stone that is aware of the dangers of Yin”

This name acknowledges that the stone winds its way upward in the Earth; it can help us manage the dangers and poisons of self-contamination brought by society. Serpentine lightens and softens the heaviness, solidity, and rigidity of habituated patterns.

Color/Appearance/Light

Mottled shades of green, gray, brown, black, white, or yellow, and sometimes multicolored, especially green with yellow. It appears as aggregates, sometimes platy or fibrous, sometimes columnar. It is translucent to opaque, and rarely transparent, with a greasy, waxy luster.

Chemical Composition

Hydrous magnesium iron silicate ((Mg, Fe)₃Si₂O₅(OH)₄)

Serpentine is the name for a large group of stones; the chemical composition varies and can include small amounts of calcium, chromium, manganese, cobalt, aluminum, and nickel.

Magnesium affects the Middle Burner and helps regulate mineral balance, especially as it relates to calcium.

Key Characteristics

Serpentine slows the progression of external pathogenic factors and brings them into latency. At the same time, it aids the body in building sufficient Qi to eventually eliminate the pathogenic factor.

Serpentine and Parasites

An internal environment of Dampness is conducive to parasites, or gu. Such an environment can be the result of eating too many foods that create Dampness, such as starchy carbohydrates or sugar. It can also be the result of habitual patterns.

Some of our life lessons are inherited. We learn them from our parents or have them embedded in our DNA through our ancestry. The lessons from which we must graduate may have been going on for generations.

The word gu means “grain,” and also “worm,” or “parasite.” A similar word is gui, “ghost.” Until recently these terms were interchangeable in Chinese medical terminology. Gui does not necessarily refer to some supernatural entity, but it can refer to the parasitic environment we create through our lifestyle choices, or other influences to which we are vulnerable. We may continually allow other people to take our energy by prioritizing their desires over our own needs. The other people are not “ghosts,” but they latch onto and draw energy away from us.

Serpentine is an important stone when we decide that we will “exorcise” our demons, our habitual patterns. It helps with the emotional upheaval that comes from radical change. Even though we may be very determined to make these changes, our resolve may be shaken by the healing crisis that commonly occurs during such transitions. The symptoms we may encounter include digestive symptoms of diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting, as we rid ourselves of pathology, or perhaps alternating chills and fever that occur as residual infections are resolved.

When we make a commitment to change, we have to become a different person. Part of healing is being able to release our habitual thoughts and behaviors. We refuse to continue doing the same things, because doing the same things will perpetuate our state of illness. We must become a different person. Once we have decided to change, we must cleanse the “parasitic infestation” that perpetuates the pattern. Serpentine supports our resolve to change.

The Chinese see serpentine as evolving to become jade. It understands how to make the evolutionary shift.

It is useful for a person who cannot gain weight, or who has poor growth due to inefficient digestion.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Ascending: serpentine brings its cooling quality upward to clear Heat in the upper region and slow the process of infection.

Accesses the Source/Yuan and Defensive/Wei levels to bring pathology into latency.

Functions and Uses

Secures the exterior; protects the Defensive/Wei level (that is, the skin); clears Pestilent Qi. Indicated for:

– insect bites, infection, parasites

– radiation poisoning

– candidiasis, parasites

Harmonizing and cooling for the Middle Burner; promotes the Spleen’s transformation and transportation of nutrients; regulates the digestive system. Indicated for:

– Liver invading Spleen signs and symptoms: indigestion, bloating

– Sudden Turmoil disorder: simultaneous vomiting and diarrhea

– wasting and thirsting syndrome/Xiao Ke, as with diabetes

– excessive Stomach Fire: ulcers, burning diarrhea

– constipation

– hypoglycemia

Generates Fluids and cools Heat. Indicated for:

– palpitations, tachycardia

– hypertension, eye infections, conjunctivitis

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– warding off Pestilent Qi and parasites/gu—it is often used in stone carvings for altars

– creativity palace

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Powder serpentine and combine with egg white to make a poultice. It is soothing as a powder or poultice over insect bites (for one day) or snake bites (three to five days).

Place powder or poultice over wounds with pus or on areas of Hot Bi/Obstruction syndrome, such as a swollen, painful knee or hip joint.

Internal Application

Drink as an elixir (made with a potentiated quartz crystal) for radiation poisoning, to regulate the calcium-magnesium balance, or for gu/parasites.

Intentional Application

Wear a serpentine pendant as a talisman to protect against Pestilent Qi or parasites/gu.

Place a specimen or sculpture in the northwest corner of the home or room to attract inspiration, creativity, or children.

Cautions and Contraindications

It is a relatively soft stone, with the potential of uncertain chemical composition. Use a potentiated quartz crystal for elixirs.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Serpentine and tourmaline both help rid the body of toxicity. Serpentine helps stabilize the body during the process by slowing down the progression of an external pathogenic factor and preparing the body to ultimately expel it. Tourmaline encourages a full release of the pathology.

Similar to gypsum in its ascending effect, serpentine brings its cooling quality upward to clear Heat in the upper region and slow the process of infection.

Serpentine is seen as a step in the evolutionary process of the creation of jade. It is lighter and softer than jade and has more specks and “impurities.”

Combinations

Combine a serpentine-potentiated quartz crystal with red garnet in an elixir to release habituated patterns.

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse in running water. Recharge for two hours in the sun to support its spicy quality. Too long in the hot sun can destroy its sweet nourishing nature. It can also be recharged with quartz.

Do not recharge with hematite. Hematite draws energy downward, instead of supporting the ascending nature of the stone.

Stone History

Serpentine is considered a precious stone in Chinese culture. It was commonly worn as a doughnut-shaped pi by scholars to break up the stagnation of judgmental attitudes. It represents the Confucian concept of peace and harmony, because it wards off evil spirits.

Common Locations

Serpentine has its origins in the metamorphic alterations of the major constituents of the mantle of the Earth, as does peridot. It is found in abundance worldwide. Common localities include England, Italy, and Mount Olympus in Cyprus. Large amounts also come from the United States (California, Arizona, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Vermont).

• Sodalite •
(See color insert plate 68)
		Taste	Spicy, bitter, sweet
		Nature	Slightly cooling
		Affinities	LU/LR/ST/KI
		Hardness	5.5–6
		Crystal structure	Cubic
		Stone group	Framework silicate
		Level of formation	Igneous/Yuan, metamorphic/Ying

Chinese Name

Qing ling shi, “clear soul stone”

Ling refers to the Soul. Sodalite helps clear the Soul of guilt and remorse. It helps bring clarity in order to bring about renewal, new beginnings, or graduation.

Color/Appearance/Light

Royal blue, denim blue, white, light yellow, green, gray, pink violet, and colorless. White veining, usually of calcite, is common. The cause of the color is the molecular relationship between aluminum and oxygen or silica.^*32 It is a rock-forming mineral, usually in massive form, ranging from opaque to translucent with a vitreous, greasy luster. Crystals are rare.

The deep blue color can represent a reflection of the past from which we need to move away—to fathom the depth of the ocean and move on.

Chemical Composition

Sodium aluminum silicate with chloride

(Na₈Al₆Si₆O₂₄Cl₂)

Sodalite also contains impurities of iron, manganese, potassium, calcium, water, and sometimes traces of sulfur.

The name sodalite acknowledges its salt content.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

The Lung/Liver affinity gives a strong association to Wei Qi, and the Stomach affinity to Fluids. Its bitter taste gives it a descending quality. The spicy taste moves Fluids and releases to the exterior.

Key Characteristics

Sodalite has a very important role for the Fluids in the body—to generate and regulate in order to nourish our barrenness, and to drain in order to get rid of our accumulations.

It is a useful stone to be included in a beginner’s kit.

Functions and Uses

Generates and regulates Fluids to drain Dampness and flush the lymphatic system; stimulates hormonal growth to cool the body. Indicated for:

– constipation, diarrhea, edema, phlegm

– dry throat

– muscular tension, tremors, spasms, cramping, when there is a lack of moisture going into the muscles

– renal hypertension

– diabetes

Expels Phlegm, especially difficult-to-expectorate phlegm; softens hardness. Indicated for:

– Yin stasis: glandular swellings, tumors, sluggish lymphatic system

Resolves Phlegm misting the Mind. Indicated for:

– Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, feeblemindedness, forgetfulness

– mental distractions, attention deficit disorder

– guilt for events of the past

Tonifies Defensive/Wei Qi; boosts the immune system for greater resilience to external pathogenic factors. Indicated for:

– electromagnetic radiation

Regulates Qi through descension. Indicated for:

– high blood pressure, headaches, insomnia, angry outbursts

– Running Piglet Qi, such as with panic attacks

– hyperthyroidism due to Stomach Fire

– plum pit throat, the sensation of something stuck in the throat, the inability to speak what needs to be said

Clears any type of Internal Heat. Indicated for:

– high blood pressure, headaches, high fevers

– dermatological outbreaks from stress (as opposed to an external pathogenic factor)

Clears Fire and extinguishes Wind. Indicated for:

– seizures, convulsions (especially for children)

Clears pestilent factors; detoxifying. Indicated for:

– toxins held in the constitution, such as from vaccinations

Emotional use. Indicated for:

– helping recover from the loss of Will/Zhi, the soul of the Kidneys—give it as a gift for someone who needs a period of reflection before letting go of an attachment, for example after a loved one’s death

– enabling us to find comfort in the world by releasing accumulation

– helping the person who has difficulty expressing emotions or expressing the self; improves communication and social rapport

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– strengthening the throat and third eye chakras (by color)

– strengthening the solar plexus chakra (by function)

– engendering creativity by helping the Liver move its

Blood to the Heart

– health palace

– wealth palace

Methods of Application

Topical Application

In a stone layout, sodalite is effective for the solar plexus chakra, based on its function, or for the throat or third eye chakras, based on its color.

Massage, place, or tape:

· on the medial aspect of the lower leg, about three fingers’ width up from the depression behind the high point of the anklebone/KI-8, to help promote faith, trust, and self-acceptance.

· on the center of the sternum, in line with the nipples/CV-17, for high blood pressure, insomnia, or panic attacks.

· at the notch in the occiput where the skull meets the spine/GV-16 to resolve confusion, paranoia, or phobias or to help access Divine Truth.

· at nodules close to Luo points to break up Fluid/Phlegm stagnation.

Internal Application

Use as an elixir for:

· difficult-to-expectorate phlegm.

· parasites, or painful remnants of our histories (drink all through the day).

· diabetes and to regulate the pancreas (balances the antagonistic relationship between the pancreas and thyroid gland)—drink the elixir in the morning.

· hyperthyroidism—drink at night.

Intentional Application

Spray the elixir to purify/exorcise the environment.

Use with pets who have been subjected to abuse, for posttraumatic stress disorder.

Helpful for artists to hold while working, to manifest their visions through their work (or tape a small stone to the bottom of the foot and walk for ten minutes).

Place a specimen in the southeast corner of the home to attract abundance (wealth palace). Traditionally, it was carved as a sculpture of a calming feminine image to treat mental illness manifesting with anger and resentment (health palace).

Cautions and Contraindications

Sodalite is contraindicated for low blood pressure and for diabetics with high blood pressure.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Both sodalite and kyanite treat Rising Liver Yang.

· Sodalite treats it when the ascension of Yang results from an underlying deficiency of Fluids, causing high blood pressure or convulsions.

· Kyanite treats Rising Liver Yang when it results from excess, or an excess Liver, though for children sodalite is better.

One of the most popular blue stones, it is sometimes confused with lapis lazuli, which is heavier and usually has a more brilliant blue with gold flecks.

Combinations

Sodalite is potentiated by sapphire.

Combine sodalite with:

· obsidian for children with acute conditions of excess Wood and Fire. If the condition involves seizures, use mahogany obsidian.

· lapis lazuli to nourish the Blood.

Sodalite does not combine well with metals. It is highly reactive, and if it is reacting to the metal it will not react with the body for healing. If set for jewelry, gold is the only metal to use.

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse sodalite in running water for thirty minutes once a week. Recharge in quartz crystal.

Sodalite tends to get cloudy with use. It loses its shine as it gives us its creativity. Water will not change the cloudiness. Use quartz to draw out the cloudiness, or let it rest in a bed of sea salt to help revive its color. (If the water of an elixir containing sodalite becomes cloudy, the stone needs to be cleansed.)

Sodalite prefers to be kept in a dark area and will fade in the sun. Store it in a box or pouch.

Stone History

In Li Shizhen’s writings, sodalite was described as being helpful to exorcise gui—lingering influences, or ghosts. It was also used as an antiparasitic to treat the gu, the things that gnaw at us because we can’t let them go or because we are a susceptible, vulnerable host.

Common Locations

Deposits are found in the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia, and in the United States. Smaller deposits are found in South America (Brazil and Bolivia), Portugal, Romania, Burma, and Russia.

Sodalite’s chemical composition combines sodium and silica, a somewhat rare occurrence. Sodalite is therefore relatively rare, although some of its locations produce large amounts.

• Staurolite •
(See color insert plate 69)
		Taste	Bitter
		Nature	Cooling
		Affinities	SP/ST/LR
		Hardness	7–7.5
		Crystal structure	Monoclinic
		Stone group	Island silicate
		Level of formation	Metamorphic/Ying

Color/Appearance/Light

Brownish yellow, brownish black, yellow brown, dark brown, or reddish brown. Translucent to opaque, with a vitreous, dull luster. It sometimes forms as a penetrating “twinned” crystal in the shape of an X, and less frequently as a ninety-degree cross.

Chemical Composition

Iron aluminum silicate hydroxide (Fe₂Al₉Si₄O₂₂(OH)₂)

Magnesium and zinc also occur with the iron in variable ratios.

Traces of other materials may occur, such as titanium, chromium, manganese, cobalt, zinc, lithium, and water.

Key Characteristics

Staurolite works well for infants with digestive difficulties, especially those born prematurely.

It is a constitutional stone that works with conditions that run in the family, such as mental illness. It is, however, most effective for infants who are more spontaneously expressing their DNA.

The name derives from the Greek stauros, meaning “cross.” It is popularly called “fairy cross.”

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

The growth pattern demonstrates an interference that occurred during its formation, which makes it useful for Counterflow, or Rebellious, Qi.

Functions and Uses

Harmonizes the Middle Burner; resolves Counterflow Qi and Luo Channel issues. Indicated for:

– vomiting, belching

– long-standing emotional conditions, especially when there is rebelliousness toward life and the world

Clears Heat. Indicated for:

– infantile seizures

– fevers, infections

– nervousness

– addictions due to nervousness

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Use staurolite to massage the cuticles of the fingers and toes to clear Heat causing seizures.

Place the stone on the midline of the abdomen, midway between the navel and the “V” where the ribs meet the base of the sternum/CV-12, for Rebellious Qi.

Internal Application

Adults can drink as an elixir for functions and uses. (For infants, topical application is preferable.)

Intentional Application

Carry as an amulet for good luck and protection.

Cautions and Contraindications

Although relatively hard, it contains aluminum. Use caution as an elixir.

Imitations are often carved from finely grained clay rock and then dyed. Obtain only from a reputable vendor.

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse and recharge on hematite

Common Locations

Brazil, Scotland, Italy, France, the United States (especially Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia, and Montana)

A dark blue variety from Zambia contains cobalt.

Lighter colors, which contain higher amounts of zinc and are usable as gemstones, come from Switzerland and Brazil.

• Turquoise •
(See color insert plate 70)
		Taste	Bitter, sweet, spicy
		Nature	Warming
		Affinities	LU/LR/ST/KI
		Hardness	5–6
		Crystal structure	Triclinic
		Stone group	Hydrated phosphate
		Level of formation	Sedimentary/Wei, metamorphic/Ying

Chinese Name

Xuan qing, “mysterious gate”

Color/Appearance/Light

Sky blue, greenish blue, or yellowish green. Most rough turquoise contains patches or veins of the matrix rock in which it formed, such as chalcedony or opal, brown limonite, black chert, or white kaolinite.

The most prized is a robin’s egg, or celestial blue color, associated with new beginnings. The greenish color relates to the renewal of self.

Turquoise will get darker when it takes on the stagnation of the Liver.

Chemical Composition

Hydrated copper aluminum phosphate

(CuAl₆(PO₄)₄(OH)₈·4(H₂O))

The water content increases conductivity. The copper content expels Wind and mends bone. Phosphorus brings energy to the Kidneys, to promote latency, and gives the stone its luster.

Trace minerals can include chromium or vanadium, which cause a greener stone, or iron, which adds yellow to the color. The color is affected by the amount of water contained in the stone; with dehydration, it becomes greener.

Key Characteristics

It has an overall anti-inflammatory affect, because it both nourishes and moves Fluids to help break up stagnation and inflammation. It is not, however, cooling in nature.

The Lung/Liver affinity affects the skin. The spicy taste and warming nature are invigorating to move stagnation and inflammation, but it does not cool it off.

Turquoise is a porous stone commonly found in hot, dry regions, but it nevertheless holds on to water.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Turquoise adds communication of the Liver to the Lung– Kidney relationship. It has a strong relationship to the Hun, the soul of the Liver, which holds our memories of the past and anticipations for the future.

Functions and Uses

Regulates the waterways; promotes diuresis. Indicated for:

– retention of fluids and mucus, renal hypertension (as differentiated from hypertension due to stress)

– dryness of the skin, eyes, or mouth

– incontinence

Tonifies, invigorates, and regulates Qi; gives stability at the Defensive/Wei level for physical pain; unblocks the chest to allow for improved circulation to the extremities. Indicated for:

– Cold Bi/Obstruction syndrome, especially affecting the sense organs: eye pain, sinus pain

– menstrual cramping

Invigorates and nourishes Blood. Indicated for:

– headaches, sensory organ signs and symptoms

Breaks up Food Stagnation. Indicated for:

– abdominal cramping, pain, or fullness

Anchors Wind. Indicated for:

– panic attacks

– unpredictable behavior

– difficulty accommodating to change

Clears Heat. Indicated for:

– red eyes, tinnitus, flushing in the face

– irritability

Regenerates tissue.

Promotes latency.

Emotional use. Indicated for:

– the person who has a hard time making change

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– conducting Qi—it is effective for Reiki and intentional work

– health palace—for general health

– travel palace

– strengthening crown chakra function (opening the pineal gland)

– people born in the month of December, as a birthstone

By connecting the Liver to the Kidney and Lungs, it allows us to be present and comfortable with our self. It links the Hun, the soul of the Liver, and Po, the soul of the Lungs, with the Essence/Jing. It helps in the context of soul retrieval, remembering past incarnations, and, with that information, understanding present-day lessons.

Methods of Application

Turquoise likes to be worn or held.

Topical Application

Massage, place, or tape:

· on the midline of the abdomen, slightly below the “V” where the ribs meet the base of the sternum/CV-14, for a calming effect.

· on the sensory orifices for Heat, such as with red eyes or yellow phlegm.

For a stone layout to nourish Yin and promote the release of Dampness, place or tape:

· on the lateral torso, just below and in front of the tip of the eleventh rib, usually on a level slightly higher than the navel/LR-13;

· on the medial ankle, a hand’s width up from the high point of the anklebone/SP-6;

· on the midline of the lower abdomen, a thumb’s width above the upper border of the pubic bone/CV-3; and

· on the midline of the lower abdomen, approximately midway between the pubic bone and the navel/CV-4.

Hold in the hands for food stasis.

For people who cannot lose weight, hold to encourage movement of cellulite stagnation.

Pulverize and mix with clay as a poultice for a broken bone.

Internal Application

Use with caution as an elixir. Let an untreated stone sit in water for twenty minutes, and then drink it right away. Alternatively, use a potentiated quartz crystal.

Intentional Application

Place a sculpture in the west corner of the house to attract travel opportunities.

Cautions and Contraindications

Almost all turquoise has been treated to enhance its color or make it more durable. It is best used topically.

Several stones (commonly howlite and magnesite) are dyed to appear as turquoise. These stones will not have the same therapeutic applications as true turquoise.

Its copper content requires great caution when using in an elixir. Use a potentiated quartz crystal for elixir.

Turquoise is not a stone for beginners. A practitioner needs experience and sophistication to use it safely.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Turquoise is similar to the herb dang gui (Angelica sinensis) in its ability to nourish and invigorate Blood.

Turquoise and dioptase are both useful for post-traumatic stress disorder, but turquoise is more effective.

Turquoise clears Heat in the upper region. Chrysocolla clears Heat throughout the body.

Combinations

During an asthma attack, hold turquoise in the gender hand (right for women, left for men) and green garnet in the other hand.

Turquoise is a good associate stone in a combination with sapphire, especially for overactive adrenals or thyroid.

Cleansing and Charging

It likes balance. Wash it in running water and place it for a short time in the sun to dry. Then place the stone in a bowl of water out in the light of the moon.

Alternatively, cleanse and recharge in hematite, or cleanse in running water for a short time and charge overnight with quartz crystal.

Some say not to wash the stone because of its copper content.

Stone History

Turquoise has been recognized by traditional cultures for thousands of years as a stone of the ancestors, which associates it with the Liver’s soul, the Hun, and its access to the past and future and the collective consciousness.

It has been used for religious purposes by many cultures, including Tibetan, Native American, and Buddhist.

Common Locations

It is found in hot and dry regions, such as Iran, the southwest United States, and Mexico. In general, mines in the United States produce slightly greenish blue to green stones due to high iron and vanadium content.

• Variscite •
(See color insert plate 71)
		Taste	Sweet
		Nature	Cooling
		Affinities	LR/SP/ST/KI
		Hardness	3.5–4.5
		Crystal structure	Orthorhombic
		Stone group	Phosphate
		Level of formation	Sedimentary/Wei

Color/Appearance/Light

Pale to emerald green, bluish green, colorless to white, or pale shades of brown or yellow; rarely red. It is translucent to transparent, with a vitreous or waxy luster. It is most often found in fine-grained massive form or as encrustations in nodules, stalactites, or crusts on host rock. It is rarely found in crystals.

Chemical Composition

Hydrated aluminum phosphate (AlPO₄·2(H₂O))

Its water content helps move the Fluid system to drain Dampness. Aluminum clears Heat. As a phosphate, it brings resources inward.

It contains traces of chromium, which cause the green color. It can also contain arsenic.

Key Characteristics

Variscite is especially useful for male urogenital issues and is particularly appropriate when the person also has many broken vessels on the inner ankles.

It resuscitates Yang Qi.

The Kidney affinity emphasizes its relationship to the Lower Burner.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

The color gives association to the Curious Organs, especially the Uterus, which includes the male genitalia.

The orthorhombic crystal structure brings its cooling energy to the lower region—for example, where Fire is coming into the Lower Burner and burning Essence.

Luo Channels

Functions and Uses

Releases toxins originating as external pathogenic factors that have deposited in the Lower Burner. Indicated for:

– sexual trauma

Regulates Fluids and clears Heat in the Lower Burner. Indicated for:

– urogenital issues, especially for men

– testicular swelling, prostatitis, impotence, sexual aggression, incontinence

– Damp-Heat Bi/Obstruction syndrome, such as with hot, swollen, painful hip or knee joints

Clears Stomach Fire. Indicated for:

– epigastric burning or pain, ulcers

– poor digestion, especially related to sugar; diabetes

Breaks up stagnant Blood resulting from deficiency. Indicated for:

– urinary tract infection with blood in the urine; prostate problems

– varicose veins

– Running Piglet Qi: panic attacks

Emotional use. Indicated for:

– the person who feels shy or fearful, especially when confronting life changes—it offers the fortitude and capacity to manage change

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– conducting Qi and intention/Yi, the soul of the Spleen

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Place on the low back in the depression below the L2 spinous process, a little above waist level/GV-4/Mingmen, for fear and vulnerability when facing the unpredictability of life.

Use as a gua sha tool to scrape varicosities or broken blood vessels on the Liver channel, especially around the medial aspect of the lower leg, a little more than a hand’s width up from the high point of the anklebone on the border of the tibia/LR-5, or on the medial aspect of the ankle, in the hollow where the Achilles tendon attaches to the heel bone/KI-4.

Internal Application

Drink as an alkalizing and cooling elixir (use a potentiated quartz crystal) for Hot Bi/Obstruction syndrome, such as with swollen, painful joints.

Cautions and Contraindications

It is a soft stone with potential arsenic content. Use a potentiated quartz crystal for elixirs.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Variscite and rhodochrosite both address deficient Yang Qi, with the inability to make change. Variscite coaxes Bone Qi out of Mingmen and is more for the person who does not have the “backbone,” the will or courage to make change. Rhodochrosite summons Yang Qi to the upper region, to give the person more capacity to face the changes.

Combinations

Combine variscite with tanzanite for Damp-Heat causing chronic infections in the lower region.

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse for a short time in running water; charge in quartz crystal.

Common Locations

Variscite in found in the United States in Utah (it was once called utahite) and Nevada. It also occurs in Australia, Germany, Poland, Spain, Peru, and Brazil.

• Zincite •
(See color insert plate 72)
		Taste	Sweet
		Nature	Cooling
		Affinities	KI/LR/LU
		Hardness	4
		Crystal structure	Hexagonal
		Stone group	Oxide
		Level of formation	Metamorphic/Ying

Color/Appearance/Light

Yellow, dark yellow, dark red, or orange. Usually found in rounded irregular masses, but also compact and granular forms. Naturally occurring crystals are extremely rare and when found are often rounded and corroded. They range from transparent to translucent to opaque, with a sub-adamantine luster. Zincite from zinc smelting factories can be colorless or green, in addition to reds and oranges.

Chemical Composition

Zinc oxide (ZnO)

The color is caused by manganese and iron content.

Zinc affects the genitalia and the gonadal hormones.

Key Characteristics

Zincite targets the lower region.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

Descending

Curious Organs, especially the Uterus (which also includes the prostate)

Functions and Uses

Resolves genital infections or trauma of an external or internal nature. Indicated for:

– sexual abuse issues

Zincite and Male Genitourinary Conditions

From the Chinese medical point of view, prostate conditions relate not only to weak Kidney Qi but also to stagnant Defensive/Wei Qi. As the Lungs descend to the Kidneys, they bring with them Wei Qi and Fluids. Wei Qi is responsible for peristalsis, in this case to promote movement of urine from the Kidneys to the Urinary Bladder. The constant need to urinate associated with benign prostatic hypertrophy is caused by the stagnation of Wei Qi. When Fluids become stagnant along with the Wei Qi, the prostate gland becomes swollen, causing difficult urination. The condition is worse at night because that is when Wei Qi comes inward.

If the person takes a diuretic to urinate more easily, the Wei Qi is freed to move. It naturally travels upward in the body, possibly causing blood pressure to rise. As we release stagnant Fluids in the lower region, we must also regulate the Wei Qi to prevent its excessive upward movement.

Zincite directs energy downward to the Kidneys, black tourmaline regulates the Qi, and variscite drains stagnant Fluids.

Drains Dampness to promote genital health. Indicated for:

– candidiasis, prostatitis

Directs Lung Yin downward to the Kidney; supports the hormones; regulates insulin and the sexual hormones; promotes latency by drawing Heat back to the Kidneys. Indicated for:

–diabetes

– Essence/Jing disorders

Tonifies the Lungs; helps the Kidneys grasp the Qi; protects against external pathogenic factors. Indicated for:

– weak immunity

Soothes the Sinews; benefits the nerves. Indicated for:

– sciatica

Intentional use. Indicated for:

– relationship palace, especially for a relationship that involves an authority figure

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Massage, place, or tape zincite:

· on the lower abdomen for genital conditions.

· on the sacrum for sciatica.

Internal Application

Drink as an elixir to address functions and uses.

Cautions and Contraindications

It is a relatively soft stone. Use a potentiated quartz crystal for elixirs.

Compare/Contrast/Differentiate

Variscite and zincite are similar in their effect on male genitourinary conditions. Both target the lower region and drain Dampness. Zincite directs Lung Qi downward to support Qi circulation. Variscite has a relationship to Blood; zincite does not.

Combinations

Combine zincite with:

· Stones containing high amounts of water, such as topaz or aragonite, for an elixir to enhance its effect on the hormones.

· black tourmaline and variscite to regulate Wei Qi and clear stagnation in the prostate.

· dolomite to treat prostatitis resulting from deficient Kidney Yang or low libido.

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse and recharge in hematite.

Common Locations

Naturally occurring zincite crystals are rare but can be found in many locations. The exception is in New Jersey, where they are found in quantity.

Synthetic crystals of zincite are produced as a by-product of zinc smelting, most notably in Poland.

• Zoisite •
(See color insert plate 73)
		Taste	Sweet, spicy
		Nature	Neutral
		Affinities	LU/LR/KI
		Hardness	6–7
		Crystal structure	Orthorhombic
		Stone group	Group silicate
		Level of formation	Metamorphic/Ying

Color/Appearance/Light

Colorless, purple, grayish white, gray, yellowish brown, yellow, pink, or green. Usually opaque. Zoisite is a group that includes many minerals. In stone medicine, the ones most commonly used are thulite (a pink form including manganese) and tanzanite (a blue-violet translucent or transparent crystal; see the description in chapter 17). A green zoisite often provides a matrix for ruby and is sometimes called anyolite.

Chemical Composition

Calcium aluminum silicate hydroxide

(Ca₂Al₃Si₃O1₂(OH))

The calcium content helps build substance and mend bones. The aluminum clears Heat.

It can include traces of iron, manganese, magnesium, chromium, titanium, calcium, sodium, vanadium, strontium, and water.

Directionality/Energetic Mechanism/Channel System

As a group silicate (see “Silicates” in chapter 10,), zoisite relates to the Absolute Yin/Jueyin (Liver–Pericardium) stage of the Six Divisions (see chapter 4). Absolute Yin implies a deep, late-stage condition.

It is a Governor Vessel stone, enabling us to stand up and move on.

It strengthens the Liver’s capacity to store Blood to nourish the Essence/Kidneys, which in turn supports the Heart.

Key Characteristics

Zoisite is the choice for advanced conditions. When the Lungs and Heart are “giving up,” Qi and Blood are exhausted, and there is leakage of Fluid, or Blood loss, and potentially organ failure, zoisite can slowly bring back energy.

It is a strong, sturdy stone that works slowly.

Functions and Uses

Tonifies Kidney Qi. Indicated for:

– Lao/consumption, extreme exhaustion, severe debilitating disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome

– low-grade, intractable fever

– Steaming Bone syndrome

– Lower Burner issues: impotence, infertility

– poor growth in children

– postsurgical convalescence

– hospice care

– low back pain, weak knees

Breaks up and moves stagnation. Indicated for:

– Bi/Obstruction syndrome

– inflammation

Nourishes Liver Blood.

Emotional use. Indicated for:

– the person who is overly responsible and feels stuck, unable to break away from the pattern

Methods of Application

Topical Application

Massage, place, or tape:

· on the midline of the lower abdomen, approximately midway between the pubic bone and the navel/CV-4, for infertility.

· on the navel to tonify Kidney Qi.

· on the failing organ and its associated Mu point to gather energy—for example, with heart failure, place on the center of the sternum, in line with the nipples/CV-17, and on the midline of the abdomen, slightly below the “V” where the ribs meet the base of the sternum/CV-14; or for Liver failure, place directly on the liver and in the intercostal space below the breast tissue, in a line below the nipple/LR-14.

Wear a bracelet of ruby and zoisite; ruby invigorates Yang Qi to strengthen the person.

Internal Application

Drink zoisite as an elixir to address functions and uses.

Cautions and Contraindications

It contains aluminum. Use caution with elixirs.

Combinations

Combine with apatite to stabilize its effects to the Essence/Yuan level.

Add it to dolomite for symptoms of acute inflammation, neuropathy, or tremors that are worsening.

Zoisite often appears naturally in combination with ruby.

Cleansing and Charging

Cleanse in running water; charge in quartz crystal or hematite.

Common Locations

Norway, Germany, United States (Maryland, Connecticut, North Carolina, Washington State)