Is realgar poisonous? An inventory of the effects of realgar

Realgar is a common Chinese medicinal material in life. It is said among the people that realgar wine can drive away evil spirits and monsters. However, when using realgar, people are still very concerned about whether it is poisonous. The following article will introduce it to you.

Is realgar poisonous?

The main component of realgar is arsenic sulfide, which is the main raw material for extracting arsenic. Drinking realgar wine is equivalent to eating arsenic. Realgar contains strong carcinogens, which can cause damage to the liver even in small doses. Realgar is corrosive. Therefore, taking realgar can easily cause poisoning. In mild cases, people will experience symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and even central nervous system paralysis, confusion, coma, etc. In severe cases, it can even cause death.

The efficacy and function of realgar

1. It has anti-tumor effect, can inhibit the growth of transplanted mouse sarcoma S-180, and has a corrosive effect on cells.

2. After absorption, it has antispasmodic and analgesic effects on nerves; it has insecticidal effects both inside and outside the body. The water extract has different degrees of inhibitory effects on Staphylococcus aureus, human tuberculosis bacteria, Proteus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and various skin fungi.

3. After intestinal absorption, it can cause vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness and even convulsions. Chronic poisoning can damage the physiological functions of the liver and kidneys.

4. Realgar is poisonous. In vitro tests show that it has an inhibitory effect on common pathogenic skin fungi such as common pyogenic cocci, intestinal pathogens, human and bovine tuberculosis bacteria, Clostridium difficile and other common pathogenic skin fungi.

5. Realgar is a stomach poison, and snakes are very sensitive to it; however, realgar with alcohol added can drive snakes farther and more effectively, because ethanol can act as a "thinner" to enhance the volatilization of realgar.