市售礦物性中藥材名稱大多以當時（古人）所見之外形加以命名，與現行之礦物學名相去甚遠，實有待進一步確認礦物性中藥材之礦物學名稱，本研究對於市售10 種礦物性中藥材（1.石硫磺、2.石灰、3.雲母石、4.白石脂、5.寒水石、6.白石英、7.瑪瑙、8.禹餘糧、9.自然銅、10.花蕊石）作顯微鏡岩相及X-光鑑定後之礦物學名稱依序為：1.硫磺、2.石灰、3.牡蠣殼、4.高嶺石、5.方解石、6.石英、7.瑪瑙、8.含矽鐵礦、9.黃鐵礦、10.紅藻球等，其中有六種礦物性中藥材名稱與礦物學名不相同，另有商家誤將螢石當石英，雲母石則以二枚貝化石（placuna placenta）替代，其與文獻中之白雲母相去甚遠，由此可知商家對於礦物性藥材的認知有限。從元素分析得知，10 種礦物性中藥材中所含之鉛元素含量約在15ppm~45ppm 之間，遠高過目前衛生署所公告七種植物性中藥材之鉛含量5ppm以下。另檢測出7種藥材（瑪瑙、寒水石、雲母石、自然銅、禹餘糧、花蕊石及石灰）中含有微量之鎘元素，最高者為自然銅樣品達0.213ppm，與衛生署公告之七種植物性中藥材中之鎘含量0.6ppm要來的低。
Chinese medicine was known as early as old times. In Taiwan, people have already paid attention to the importance of Chinese drugs for quite a long time. Most of Chinese medicine can be made of and extracted from natural plants, animals and minerals. The lesser but important use of mineral ingredient in drugs has been already known in Asian areas, especially Mainland China. Minerals and rocks, such as cinnabar, realgar, talc, actinolite, mica, quartz, pyrite, hematite….or pumice, stalactite….etc. can be processed to produce medical ingredients for use in Chinese drugs. So the purpose of this study is to preliminary understand the mineral species and its accepted content of medical ingredients from minerals or materials in Chinese medicine market. Ten ingredient sample including Hanshuishi（寒水石）、Shihui（石灰）、Huaruishi（花蕊石）、Baishizhi（白石脂）、Yunmu（雲母）、Baishiying（白石英）、Manao（瑪瑙）、Zirantong（自然銅）、Yuyuliang（禹余糧） and Liuhuang（硫磺）etc. collected from domestic Chinese drugstore have been identified with both polarizing microscope and X-ray powder diffraction, and chemically analyzed by atomic absorption method. The results of the present study show that Pb content from 10 different mineral ingredients in Chinese medicine markets ranged in 15~45ppm which is much higher than that of accepted content of medical ingredients regulated by the government. Also, trace amount of Cd is detected in 7 different ingredient samples, but Cd cotent is lower as compared with accepted limit of 0.6ppm from botanical ingredients of Chinese medicine.
