Cinnabar Research Paper

Mercury is a toxic heavy metal, listed in the CDC Toxic Substances List. Mercury content which is found in traditional medicines all over the world is alarming and many such medicines have been banned.
Mercury in ancient Chinese medicines comes from cinnabar. The allowable amounts of cinnabar in the traditional medicinal preparations have been decreased by 65%, from a allowable dose of 0.3 – 1.5 g per day. (Jie Liu; 2009)
Mercurials are grouped as elementary, inorganic, and organic . Mercury disposition and toxicity depends on the chemical forms and physical status. Mercury vapor (Hg0) is hazardous than the liquid form of elementary mercury (Quicksilver). These ores are often found as cinnabar which has mercuric sulfide,( HgS). Mercury binds

Ayurveda also utilizes Ras Sindoor ,which is a red sulfide salt of mercury, included in Rasa Shastra medicine. While cinnabar is the naturally occurring form of mercury, Ras Sindoor is the artificially prepared medicine (Singh et al., 2009).
Cinnabar has been used for over 2000 years in traditional Chinese medicines and in Indian Ayurvedic medicines. Cinnabar-gold has been used since long as an alchemical drug of longevity,which is called Makaradhwaja in India. It is used to colour paints and as one of various red coloring agents used in tattoo dyes. More than 40 traditional Chinese medicines contain some cinnabar according to Pharmacopeia of China and is the major source of mercury found in traditional medicines.
Cinnabar is a toxic mercury sulfide mineral having chemical composition HgS. It is the only important ore of mercury. It has a bright red color due to which it has been used as a pigment and have been carved into jewelry and various ornaments for thousands of years in many parts of the world. Because of its toxicity, its pigment and jewelry uses have almost been

Cinnabar

Occurrence :
Cinnabar is a hydrothermal mineral that precipitates through ascending hot waters as well vapours as they move through fractured rocks. It is formed at the shallow depths . The temperature of the area of occurrence is less than 200 degree Celsius. It is normally found near places where volcanic activity has occured or near the hot springs.
Properties of Cinnabar :
The most important property of cinnabar is its red colour. Mohs hardness is 2 - 2.5 and can be easily ground into a fine powder. The specific gravity is 8.1, extremely high for a non-metallic mineral.
The luster of cinnabar ranges from dull to adamantine. Specimens with a dull luster are usually massive, contain abundant impurities and do not have the brilliant red color of pure cinnabar.
When cinnabar is inappropriately overheated, mercury vapor can also be released, and therefore, heating cinnabar is never a part of preparation technique.
Thus, cinnabar is the only form of mercury used in traditional medicines .
Properties of Cinnabar
Chemical Classification - Sulfide
Color - Bright red to brownish red, sometimes gray
Luster - Adamantine to dull
Diaphaneity - Transparent, translucent, or