Drug induced dermatitis treated with TCM calamine powder

What is calamine powder(Lu Gan Shi)? Actually it refers to the powder form of smithsonite, which is one kind of carbonate minerals and contains mainly carbon zinc (ZnCO3). So, other names of this herb include Smithsonite, Calamina, Smithsonitum, hydrozincite, and so on. In China it is basically produced in Guangxi, Hunan, Sichuan, Yunnan and other places. It can be dug all through the year. After that, medicinally it needs to remove the soil and miscellaneous stones, wash, dry in the sun, and calcine. Besides, after the calcination it needs to be quenched with vinegar or San Huang Tang (The combination of Coptis, Phellodendron and rhubarb). And it is usually used levigated.

The crystal structure of smithsonite belongs to the trigonal system. Single crystal is rhombohedral or ditrigonal-scalenohedral, which however is extremely rare. And normally it is the aggregates of shapes of stalactite, lump, earth, and hull. The pure one is white but often dyed gray, yellow, light green or light brown. It is from transparent to translucent, and with gloss of glass or dull earthy luster. And sometimes there is soft luster of pearls on the crystal surface. Hardness is from 4.5 to 5. It is brittle and irregular-shaped fracture surface. Relative density is from 4 to 4.5.

Calamine powder benefits
Since calamine lotion is one of the most widely used calamine powder products, it makes sense to use it to illustrate how calamine works. So, what is calamine lotion? Actually this is a type of lotion made of powder with calamine, which is used clinically as a topical dermatological formulation. The so-called lotion refers to the suspension made of water-insoluble powder, water, and a small amount of glycerol. Main ingredients of calamina lotion are calamine and zinc oxide, which can astringe and protect skin. It is good for skin problems, such as Acne, chicken pox, diaper rash, Eczema, Impetigo, dermatitis rhus, drug-induced dermatitis, anal pruritus, blepharitis, dacryocystitis, and so on. In addition to the calamine lotion, you can also choose from other calamine products, such as calamine powder face masks, cream, spray, soap, and more.