Two External Antiperspirant Formulas
The Waitai Miyao (Arcane Essentials from the Imperial Library) records a formula called "Zhihan Fenyao" (Antiperspirant Powder). Its composition is: oyster shell (muli) 60g (dry-fried), prepared aconite (fuzi, paojing) 15g, ephedra root (mahuang gen) 60g. The herbs are ground together into a fine powder, then mixed evenly with 100g of white powder (rice flour or wheat flour both work) to finish. To use, dust the fine powder directly onto the body. It stops sweating and treats uncontrollable perspiration; pork should be avoided while using it.
In addition, the Shiyi Dexiao Fang (Effective Formulas from Generous Physicians) contains a similar formula named "Zhihan Wenfen" (Warming Antiperspirant Powder). It consists of equal parts Sichuan lovage rhizome (chuanxiong), angelica dahurica root (baizhi), and Chinese lovage root (gaoben), mixed with three times the amount of rice flour and ground together into a fine powder. Dusting the body with this powder expels wind and stops sweating, treating profuse perspiration.
Persistent sweating has many and relatively complex causes, and there are dedicated oral formulas for it. These two are among the relatively rare external formulas; external formulas are more readily accepted by patients than oral ones. In practice, made into powders and dusted on the skin, they are much like modern talcum or prickly-heat powders.
In the first formula, oyster shell and ephedra root are both clinically common antiperspirant herbs, while aconite is a yang-warming herb. Traditional TCM holds that persistent sweating is a yang-deficiency pattern: the exterior is deficient and unsecure, the interstices are loose, and so sweating will not stop. Treatment therefore supports yang and secures the exterior to achieve antiperspiration; the composition addresses both root and manifestation.
In the second formula, angelica dahurica root and Chinese lovage root both disperse wind-cold, while Sichuan lovage rhizome is acrid, warm, and moves blood and qi. Used together, the three expel wind and invigorate blood. TCM holds that when fever subsides but sweating continues, or sweating continues while fever does not recede, the cause is always wind or dampness; treatment should therefore expel wind and eliminate dampness, which is how the formula was constructed.
The rice flour used in these two formulas has an antiperspirant and skin-nourishing effect and should not be replaced with talcum powder; applied to the body in large amounts, talcum powder is carcinogenic. The two formulas may also be used to treat eczema.