Talc powder used for stranguria by promoting diuresis

What is talc powder(Talcum Powder, Hua Shi)?
This is a common silicate mineral with the chemical formula of Mg3Si4O10(OH)2. It is extremely soft and with a creamy texture. People ever picked out 10 minerals to represent 10 mineral hardness levels, namely the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. And the Mohs hardness scale of talc is 1. Its crystal is a tri-octahedral layered mineral. Single crystal in the shape of false six-party flake is rare and usually they are dense massive, leaf-like, fibrous or radial aggregates. They are white, yellow white or bluish gray, and with wax-like luster. It has no moisture absorption and won’t break up when placed in water. And it is odorless and tasteless. Medicinally it needs to remove the mud, sand, and other miscellaneous stones for better medical quality. It is usually found in metamorphic rocks, limestone, dolomite, magnesite, and shale. In China it is mainly produced in Jiangxi, Shandong, Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Fujian, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Guangxi, Liaoning and other places.

Talc powder benefits
As one of common Chinese herbs, it is mainly used for treating stranguria by promoting diuresis. That’s to say, it covers a variety of stranguria due to its mild property. It is called Hua Shi, literally translated as creamy stone, because it has a greasy feel after ground into fine powder. However, this is only associated with its physical traits rather than its medicinal uses. From the perspective of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), it is widely used for all stranguria as long as it is of heat-damp nature. And In this regard its pharmacology seems more persuasive than the experience.

Modern pharmacological actions of talcum powder
1. It has adsorption and astringency, which can protect the intestinal wall by taken orally;
2. It can form a protective film by spreading on the wound. Thus it can protect the surface of a wound, absorb secretions, and promote the growing of scab;
3. In vitro 10% talc powder has inhibition on Salmonella typhi and paratyphi.