What are the effects and functions of mother of pearl?

In traditional Chinese medicine, many Chinese medicinal herbs are actually made from a kind of living organisms. Take the mother of pearl that lives in coastal areas as an example. It is actually a kind of creature in the sea. It is only after being captured that it is transformed into a Chinese medicinal material through drying and other processing techniques. Since such a medicinal material exists, mother-of-pearl must have its unique side. So what are the effects and functions of mother-of-pearl?

Main Ingredients

Various mother-of-pearls contain calcium carbonate, with a content of more than 80% to 90%; they also contain magnesium carbonate, calcium phosphate, keratin and various elements. The keratin of the pearl oyster contains more than 20 kinds of amino acids such as glycine, alanine, phenylalanine, leucine, serine, valine, cystine, methionine, arginine, histidine, tyrosine, etc. The trace elements contained in pearl oysters are basically the same as those in pearls.

Both the nacre and the pearl are formed by the nacre secreted by the epidermal cells of the mother oyster's mantle and pearl sac, and their luster, color and composition are basically the same.

Pharmacological Action

1. Effect on the liver: Pearl layer injection of pearl oysters such as Martensii and folded crown oysters has a protective effect on carbon tetrachloride-induced liver damage, can reduce liver cell damage, and accelerate the recovery of alanine aminotransferase.

2. Anti-allergic effect The hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid hydrolysis products of Martensii pearl layer can inhibit the contraction of guinea pig isolated intestine caused by histamine. Its ether extract can inhibit the contraction of the intestine caused by histamine, prevent histamine-induced shock and death of guinea pigs; it has a tendency to inhibit the allergic contraction of the isolated intestine and uterus of guinea pigs.

3. Other effects The 30% sulfuric acid hydrolyzate of the pearl oyster contains a variety of amino acids (such as methionine, alanine, etc.). It has no effect on the ear shell blood vessels and blood pressure of rabbits, but can increase the heartbeat amplitude of isolated toads, reduce the tension of isolated rabbit intestines, and have a short-term diuretic effect on rabbits. Pearl shell powder has an inhibitory effect on mouse sarcoma 180. Pearl layer injection has a certain antagonistic effect on the annular opacity of the guinea pig binocular lens caused by retro-ocular injection of galactose saline. This product contains a large amount of calcium carbonate, and the oral powder has a neutralizing effect on gastric acid and astringency. Pearl layer powder is often used for gastric acid hyperacidity and ulcer disease.

Gavage of pearl powder to mice can significantly reduce their autonomous activities and has a significant synergistic effect on the central nervous system inhibition of sodium pentobarbital; the sulfate hydrolysis product of mother-of-pearl can increase the heartbeat amplitude of the isolated heart; mother-of-pearl injection has a protective effect on liver damage caused by carbon tetrachloride; gavage of pearl layer powder has a significant inhibitory effect on stress-induced gastric ulcers in rats.