TCM alum is gaining more popularity on body odor removal

What is alum(Ming Fan)?
Medicinally it is mainly processed and refined from alunite, one type of sulfate mineral. It contains mainly potassium aluminum sulfate [KAl(SO4)2?12H2O]. And other name of this mineral medicine include Alumen, Bai Fan, Ku Fan, Alumen mineral, alum herb, aluminum potassium sulfate, aluminum sulfate, alum powder, powdered alum, Alunite, white alum, and so on. In China, alunite is mainly produced in Anhui, Zhejiang, Shanxi, Hubei and other places. It can be mined all year round. After the mining, dissolve it in water, filter, heat and concentrate the filtrate, and let it cool down and crystalize. And the crystals are the desired alum. It is normally used raw or calcined. And the calcined one is called Ku Fan.

It is in the trigonal system. Crystal is in the shape of small rhomb or plate. It is colorless, white, and often tinted with yellow, pink and other colors. Streaks are white. It has glossy vitreous surface and cleavage plane is sometimes with light pearly luster. But the blocky one is with dark luster or slight waxy luster. It is from transparent to translucent. Hardness is from 3.5 to 4. Specific gravity is from 2.6 to 2.8. Melting point is 1,221°F (660.3°C).

Alum health benefits
Long gone are the days when alum was frequently used in cooking. But it is gaining more and more popularity on body odor removal. As a matter of fact, it was first used as antiperspirant by Romans. And later years of use has made it also a reliable deodorant in underarm odor remedies. The mechanism behind is that it can effectively prevent the propagation of bacteria and reduce perspiration by keeping the skin pH low. Similarly, it also works for fungal infection toes or extreme athlete’s foot. What’s more, clinically it is widely used for the treatment of a variety of diseases, such as Hemorrhoids, rectal prolapse, uterine prolapse, chronic otitis media, Tinea Capitis, hydrocele, infectious hepatitis, chronic dysentery, hemoptysis of pulmonary tuberculosis, the ulcer of stomach and duodenum, manic psychosis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in burn wounds, Epilepsy, canker sores, acne, cold sores, etc.