What are the effects of turtle shell?

As we all know, turtle shell is a relatively precious Chinese medicinal material, and is deeply favored by people for its effects of nourishing yin and suppressing yang. Not only does it have a strong repairing effect on the body when recovering from a serious illness or healing wounds, but it also has important effects on disease prevention and physical fitness. Therefore, turtle shell has always been one of people's preferred supplements.

The best season for catching turtle shells is between March and June each year. After catching it, chop off the head of the turtle and put the turtle body in boiling water for about 2 hours until the hard shell falls off automatically. After taking it out, gently peel off the carapace, scrape off the remaining meat and dry it.

Meridians: Liver and kidney meridians. Functions and indications: Nourishes Yin and suppresses Yang, softens and disperses lumps, reduces fever and eliminates steaminess. It is used for fever due to yin deficiency, fatigue-induced heat and bone steaming, internal movement of wind due to deficiency, amenorrhea, leukorrhea, and chronic malaria. Dosage and administration: 9-24g, crush and fry first. Storage: Store in a dry place to prevent moth damage.

【Nature, flavor and efficacy】

The taste is mature and the nature is neutral. Efficacy: Nourishes Yin and suppresses Yang, softens and disperses lumps.

【Traditional applications】

It is mainly used to treat kidney yin deficiency, hot flashes and night sweats, yin deficiency and yang hyperactivity, dizziness due to rising fire, yin damage due to febrile disease, yin deficiency and wind movement, malaria, lumps, chest and flank pain, vitiligo and mass accumulation, and menstrual disorders.

This medicine is commonly used in the following traditional prescriptions:

① Biejia Jianwan (Golden Chamber Essentials): Biejia, black fan, scutellaria, bupleurum, woodlice, dried ginger, rhubarb, peony, cinnamon twig, scutellaria, pyrrosia, magnolia bark, moutan bark, superbus, bignonia, pinellia, human fist, donkey hide gelatin, beehive, red scutellaria, dung beetle, peach kernel, for the treatment of scars and malaria.

② Shengma Biejia Decoction (Golden Chamber Synopsis): Shengma, Biejia, Angelica, Sichuan pepper, Licorice, Realgar, for treating Yin-Yang poisonous diseases;

③ Biejia Powder (Shen's Book of Life) : Biejia, Bupleurum, Anemarrhena, Gentiana macrophylla, Angelica, Artemisia annua, Prunus mume, Radix Lycii, for the treatment of bone steaming;

④ Qinghao Biejia Decoction (from Treatise on Warm Diseases): Qinghao, Biejia, Shengdi, Zhimu, and Moutan Root, for treating febrile diseases with evening fever and morning coolness, sweating and thirst, and Shaoyang malaria with a heavier heat tendency;

⑤ Biejia Pills (Taiping Shenghui Fang): Turtle shell, rhubarb, and amber. They are used to treat women with irregular menstruation. The famous prescriptions Qinjiao Biejia Powder and Qinggu Powder both contain turtle shell, and are used to treat pulmonary tuberculosis, deficiency-heat, and bone steaming. In Treatise on Febrile Diseases, turtle shell is also used in Erjia Fumai Decoction and Sanjia Fumai Decoction for treating febrile diseases in the lower abdomen with deep heat and severe coldness.

When we have a deeper understanding of the properties and functions of turtle shell, we find that its benefits far exceed what we usually know and are very extensive. Only by deeply understanding the many functions and effects of turtle shell can we better and correctly use this precious traditional Chinese medicine, prescribe the right medicine to better exert the role of turtle shell itself, and thus better maintain people's health.