• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.48 no.3
• /
• pp.187-197
• /
• 2015

Oriental mineral medicines are single or mixture of more than one mineral species or rock/fossil which are used to treat disease. Mineral medicines remove harmful or useless substances to decrease toxicity and secondary effects, and cause the manufacture of medical compounds with increased efficacy. The extraction test is an accepted in vitro system to predict the bioaccessibility of major and minor elements from mineral medicine. It incorporates gastrointerstinal tract parameters representative of a human body that including stomach and small intestinal pH which are the same as digestion condition. The bioaccessibility of a mineral medicine is the fraction that is soluble in the gastrointestinal environment and is available for absorption. Reaction path modeling in the human body can predict digestion with gastric fluid as well as absorption in the small intestine, existence in body fluids and reaction progress of the exhaust process according to pH conditions in body. Also reaction path modeling can predict bioavailability, which is equal to existence rate in the body and the form and amount of a medicine in the body after intake. The study results from predicating the existence form mineral medicines in the body, and proving the effective ingredient using bioaccessibitily and human risk assessment, suggest these that should be necessary data for new medicine development.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
• /
• v.29 no.7
• /
• pp.523-530
• /
• 2008

The phase changes and variations of elemental contents in hematite medicinal mineral were investigated by a traditional processing operation including heating and quenching in vinegar. Hematite was processed at $650^{\circ}C$ and $900^{\circ}C$ through at least 5 processing cycles. Metal extraction tests in water were carried out with the processed hematite. Heating and quenching in vinegar could not change the phase of hematite. The effect of this traditional method was not clear because there were no variational trends between extracted elements and the number of processing cycles at $650^{\circ}C$ and $900^{\circ}C$. However, the traditional processing operation of heating and quenching in vinegar was very effective to change the hematite mineral towards soft and easily crushing medicinal material.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.48 no.3
• /
• pp.231-240
• /
• 2015

A total of 93 mineral medicines are mentioned in the Chinese Bonchodogam(本草圖鑑). In Donguibogam(東醫寶鑑), 77 mineral medicines are listed, where 18 are from soil origin, 4 from gem origin, and 55 mineral medicines were originated from stone. In the Herblogy(本草學), which is the textbook used in most oriental medicine colleges in Korea, a total of 23 mineral medicines are listed. Of those, Cinnabaris, Alumen, Melanteritum, Realgar, Orpimentum, Sulfur, Lime from Donguibogam, additional eight which are Talcum, Calomelas, Minium, Calamina, Stannum, Hydrargyrum, Lithargyrum, Hydrargyrum Chloratum from Bonchodogam and Gypsum, Natrii Sulfas, Talcum, Cinnabaris, Sulfur, Arsenicum Sublimatum, Realgar, Calomelas, Minium, Calamina, Borax, Aurum, Glauberitum from Herblogy were selected as the mineral medicine applicable as external atopic dermatitis treatment. Most of the mineral medicines were generally regarded as toxic materials, and therefore, they were elaborately processed to remove toxicity before use. In accordance, it is necessary to discuss how to effectively remove toxicity from toxic mineral medicines. In addition, detoxification can be applied to those mineral medicines classified based on the index material or high content compounds, and if efficacy can be evaluated through various analytical methods, this can be applied to diverse inflammatory diseases as well as atopic dermatitis.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.36 no.6
• /
• pp.537-543
• /
• 2003

As pyrite is commonly associated with arsenopyrite, the use of pyrite including arsenopyrite for medicine requires close attention on arsenic toxicity. The toxicity was reduced by traditional processing operations include heating and quenching in vinegar. To verify the scientific effects of this process, pyrite containing many crystals of arsenopyrite was processed at temperatures from 45$0^{\circ}C$ to 85$0^{\circ}C$ and through as many as 5 processing cycles. Arsenopyrite completely disappeared when processed only once at $650^{\circ}C$ while it remained even after 5 processing cycles at 45$0^{\circ}C$. Arsenic was most abundant in medicinal mineral samples processed at 45$0^{\circ}C$ and sharply decreased when processed at $650^{\circ}C$ or 85$0^{\circ}C$ And arsenic extraction test in water was carried out from the processed pyrite medicine on the assumption that pyrite medicines with the lowest As metal content would be most desirable. Arsenic were most abundant in water extracted from medicinal mineral samples processed at 45$0^{\circ}C$ and sharply decreased when processed at $650^{\circ}C$ or 85$0^{\circ}C$. But the extracted As concentrations in water exceeded drinking water standards even when processed at 85$0^{\circ}C$. Increasing temperature promoted elimination of arsenopyrite and reduction of As in medicinal minerals and the extraction solutions. But the effects of processing cycles at the same processing temperature were not clear. Heating temperature is more important than number of processing cycles for the removal of arsenic, and it is necessary to heat pyrite to over $650^{\circ}C$ to remove it.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.56 no.3
• /
• pp.229-238
• /
• 2023

Bentonite is a type of rock that has been used as a traditional mineral medicine. It has a variety of pharmacological activities, and is used in traditional Korean medicine to treat jaundice, diarrhea, and hemostasis. In modern medicine, it is used as a raw material and additive for medicines such as antacids, gastrointestinal protective agents, and laxatives. Bentonite produced in Korea was produced through diagenesis or hydrothermal alteration of tertiary volcanic debris distributed in the Pohang and Gyeongju areas. It is mainly used for industrial purposes such as papermaking, paint, civil engineering, casting, and animal feed. Recently, technology is being developed to use it in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. In this study, the geochemical characteristics of bentonite were identified by analyzing the main components and trace elements of 40 and 21 types of bentonite produced in the Gampo Gyeongju and Yeonil Pohang area. Also it were classifed by formation envrionment of bentonite deposits in the Gampo and Yeonil. As a result of the study, bentonite from the reserch area may be cased by argillic alteraton that alkali elements are removed form basaltic rocks by hydrothermal fluids and AI-CCPI alteration indices wrere also indentified argillic alteraton. It was found that there is a correlation between the behavior characteristics of heavy metal elements (P b, Cr, As) and the hydrothermal alteration of bentonite in the reserch area.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.35 no.4
• /
• pp.317-323
• /
• 2002

Mineral medicines are single or mixtures of minerals and rocks which have been used to treat disease. Recently, their application has been increased by emphasizing the physical properies of the medicines, in addition to their chemical properies. In this study, mineralogical, chemical, spectroscopic and magnetic properties were measured using X-ray diffraction analysis, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, Ff-Infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, mass magnetic susceptibility. Experiments were done using these properties to evaluate application of traditional mineral medicines such as Yanggiseok, Yeonok and Eumgiseok. Mineralogical study proves that Yanggiseok, generally known as tremolite, consists of actinolite. Yeonok for medical usage mostly consists of fine grained tremolite. Eumgiseok is mainly composed of vermiculite and minor kaolinite and halloysite. Yeonok and Yanggiseok, belong to the amphibole group among inosilicates and both have similar emission power properties. The intensity of emission power, calculated from FT-IR measurements, follows in the order of Yeonok, Yanggiseok and Eumgiseok at 40$^{\circ}$C and Yanggiseok, Yeonok and Eumgiseok in such order at 150$^{\circ}$C. As a result of NMR analysis after 20 days in distilled water, the three mineral medicines decreased in the following order; Eumgiseok, Yanggiseok and Yeonok. However, the same minerals decreased in the order of Eumgiseok, Yeonok and Yanggiseok after 80 days. In response temperature, magnetic susceptibility of Yanggiseok and Eumgiseok systematically increased by heating to 25$^{\circ}$C, 100$^{\circ}$C and 700$^{\circ}$C. Magnetic susceptibility of Yeonok shows a decreasing pattern due to heating.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.159-177
• /
• 1999

In the study on the mineral substance used in Dong Eu Bo Gam(range of 'Sin') and the recent prescription of china, the results were as follows. 1. According to Dong Eu Bo Gam, Realgar was used for Sa-Su most often and Gold-leaf, Succinum, especially Cinnabaris were used for amnesia, epilepsy, a general term of manic-depressive psychosis too. The most kinds of mineral substance used for epilepsy. 2. According to recent prescription of china, Fossilia Ossis Mastodi got the most, and Succinum, Cinnabaris, Lapis Chloriti, Haematitum, Magnetitum, Gypsum Fibrosum, Fossilia Dentis Mastodi, iron powder were used frequently. For external application, Sulfur was too. And most kinds of mineral substance were used for epilepsy and schizophrenia. 3. Realgar, Gold-leaf, Succinum, Cinnabaris, Lapis Chloriti, Haematitum, Magnetitum, Gypsum Fibrosum, Fossilia Dentis Mastodi, iron powder have drug effect for mental disease, especially for epilepsy induced by terror. 4. For Application of mineral substance, it should be considered that the chemical elements of mineral substance act on human body. 5. For drug effect, it is important to make clear of original prescription.