Ray von Wandruszka (Author)
Mark S. Warner (Author)
Historical Archaeology
Volume: 55
Issue: 4
Pages: 597-605
Historically, mineral medicines (“stone drugs”) have been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine. In archaeological excavations of Chinese sites in North America containers with remnants of stone drugs are often recovered, but not always recognized and identified. Distinguishing these medicines from soil-derived contaminants can be challenging because of overlapping chemical features, and it is essential that the investigator has access to lists compiled for minerals that have been used for medicinal purposes through the ages. Most stone drugs are of geological origin, but some, such as “dragon’s bone” and charcoal, are usually included among this suite of materials, although they are not minerals. Chemically speaking, stone drugs can be analyzed through a series of common experimental techniques, including spectroscopy (infrared, ultraviolet-visible, atomic absorption, X-ray, plasma), microscopy, spot tests, solubility tests, and examination of sundry colligative properties. Ever-present contamination issues with archaeological samples, however, rarely allow conclusions to be reached that do not include the word “probably.”
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