Traditional Chinese Medicine Healing Herbs(TCMHH)

Herbs for Toxin-Counteracting, Parasites-Killing and Itch-Relieving

Dried Alum: Chinese Herb Guide

Ku Fan 枯矾 煅白矾 煆白礬 枯礬
By the TCMHH editorial team Not medically reviewed How we work Updated 6 Oct 2026
Dried Alum: Chinese Herb Guide
Dried Alum: Chinese Herb Guide
Advertisement

枯矾

Name

Ku Fan (Dried Alum)

The Effect of Dried Alum

Property

Sour, astringent, cold, toxic; lung, spleen, stomach and large intestine meridians entered.

Actions

Eliminate phlegm, dry dampness, arrest diarrhea, stop bleeding, remove toxicity and kill parasites.

Indications

Epilepsy, jaundice, sores and boils, nose bleeding, diarrhea, aphtha, hepatitis, prolapse of uterus, pharyngitis, duodenal ulcer, gastric ulcer.

Dosage and Administrations

Made into pills or powder, 1~5 g. Proper dosage is for external application, pounded into powder for applying.

Contraindication

It is contraindicated in case of yin deficiency and weakness in stomach.

Advertisement

Sources and further reading

We cite classical materia medica and modern reference works. This article is health education, not medical advice.

  • Shennong Bencao Jing (The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica), Han dynasty.
  • Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica), Li Shizhen, 1578.
  • Chinese Pharmacopoeia, current edition — identity, quality and safety monographs.
  • NCCIH and WHO reference material on traditional medicine safety.

Spotted an error or a better source? Tell us — corrections are logged on our editorial policy page.

Did this article help you?

Your answer shapes what gets rewritten next.

Keep readingRelated entries

Something this article did not cover?

Ask us directly. We reply within two days, and good questions become public articles.

Ask a question →