Common Chinese Materia Medica [10] 9789811659232, 9789811659249

Table of contents :
Participating Units
Preface
Abstract
Contents
Chapter 1: Medicinal Angiosperms of Hamamelidaceae, Burseraceae, and Guttiferae
1.1 Resins
1.1.1 Family: Hamamelidaceae
1.1.1.1 Liquidambar orientalis [1]
1.1.2 Family: Burseraceae
1.1.2.1 Commiphora myrrha [2] and Balsamodendron ehrenbergianum
1.1.3 Family: Burseraceae
1.1.3.1 Boswellia carterii [3]
1.1.4 Family: Guttiferae
1.1.4.1 Garcinia hanburyi
References
Chapter 2: Medicinal Angiosperms of Hominidae, Pentatomidae, Bufonidae, Calliphoridae, Petauristidae, Arcidae, Hirudinidae, and Mustelidae
2.1 Animals
2.1.1 Family: Hominidae
2.1.1.1 Depositum Urinae Hominis
2.1.2 Family: Hominidae
2.1.2.1 Placenta Hominis
2.1.3 Family: Hominidae
2.1.3.1 Carbonized Hair [1]
2.1.4 Family: Pentatomidae
2.1.4.1 Aspongopus chinensis
2.1.5 Family: Bufonidae
2.1.5.1 Bufo melanostictus
2.1.6 Family: Calliphoridae
2.1.6.1 Chrysomya megacephala
2.1.7 Family: Petauristidae
2.1.7.1 Trogopterus xanthipes
2.1.8 Family: Arcidae
2.1.8.1 Arca granosa
2.1.9 Family: Hirudinidae
2.1.9.1 Whitmania pigra [2]
2.1.10 Family: Mustelidae
2.1.10.1 Lutra lutra [3]
References
Chapter 3: Medicinal Angiosperms of Bovidae, Colubridae, Haliotidae, Physeteridae, and Cypraeidae
3.1 Family: Bovidae
3.1.1 Bos taurus domesticus Grass Lumps
3.2 Family: Bovidae
3.2.1 Calculus Bovis [1]
3.3 Family: Bovidae
3.3.1 Cornu Bubali
3.4 Family: Bovidae
3.4.1 Cornu Antelopis
3.5 Family: Colubridae
3.5.1 Elaphe moellendorffi
3.6 Family: Colubridae
3.6.1 Pillis Ophidiae [2]
3.7 Family: Colubridae
3.7.1 Zaocys dhummades [3]
3.8 Family: Haliotidae
3.8.1 Haliotis diversicolor Shell
3.9 Family: Physeteridae
3.9.1 Ambergris
3.10 Family: Cypraeidae
3.10.1 Mauritia arabica Shell
3.11 Family: Cypraeidae
3.11.1 Monetaria annulus Shell
References
Chapter 4: Medicinal Angiosperms of Columbidae, Megascolecidae, Apidae, Buthidae, Cicadidae, Ostreae, Geoemydidae, Phasianidae, and Blattellidae
4.1 Family: Columbidae
4.1.1 Columba domesticus Feces
4.2 Family: Megascolecidae
4.2.1 Pheretima aspergillum
4.3 Family: Apidae
4.3.1 Xylocopa dissimilis
4.4 Family: Buthidae
4.4.1 Buthus martensii
4.5 Family: Cicadidae
4.5.1 Huechys sanguinea
4.6 Family: Ostreae
4.6.1 Ostrea rivularis Shell
4.7 Family: Geoemydidae
4.7.1 Chinemys reevesii Shell
4.8 Family: Phasianidae
4.8.1 Endothelium Corneum
4.9 Family: Erinaceinae
4.9.1 Erinaceus europaeus Skin
4.10 Family: Blattellidae
4.10.1 Opisthoplatia orientalis
Chapter 5: Medicinal Angiosperms of Myrmeleontidae, Elapidae, Sciaenidae, Canidae, Vespertilionidae, Cheloniidae, Pteriidae, Tabanidae, Manidae, and Gekkonidae
5.1 Family: Myrmeleontidae
5.1.1 Myrmeleon formicarius
5.2 Elapidae
5.2.1 Bungarus multicinctus
5.3 Sciaenidae
5.3.1 Pseudosciaena crocea
5.4 Canidae
5.4.1 Penis et Testis Canis
5.5 Vespertilionidae
5.5.1 Bat Dung
5.6 Cheloniidae
5.6.1 Eretmochelys imbricata Shell
5.7 Pteriidae
5.7.1 Pearl
5.8 Tabanidae
5.8.1 Tabanus signatipennis
5.9 Manidae
5.9.1 Manis pentadactyla Scale
5.10 Gekkonidae
5.10.1 Gekko gecko
5.11 Gekkonidae
5.11.1 Gekko subpalmatus
Chapter 6: Medicinal Angiosperms of Felidae, Syngnathidae, Melitaeidae, Goniasteridae, Pegasidae, Sepiidae, Turbinidae, Mantidae, and Cervidae
6.1 Felidae
6.1.1 Panthera pardus None
6.2 Syngnathidae
6.2.1 Hippocampus kelloggi
6.3 Syngnathidae
6.3.1 Solenognathus hardwickii
6.4 Melitaeidae
6.4.1 Melitodes squamata Nutting
6.5 Goniasteridae
6.5.1 Stellaster equestris
6.6 Pegasidae
6.6.1 Pegasus laternarius
6.7 Sepiidae
6.7.1 Sepiella maindroni Internal Shell
6.8 Turbinidae
6.8.1 Turbo cornutus Operculum
6.9 Mantidae
6.9.1 Tenodera sinensis Ootheca
6.10 Cervidae
6.10.1 Cervus nippon Antlers
6.11 Cervidae
6.11.1 Moschus Secreta
Chapter 7: Medicinal Angiosperms of Leporidae, Meloidae, Veneridae, Ranidae, Dendrophylliidae, Cercopithecidae, Blattidae, Scolopendridae, and Vespidae
7.1 Leporidae
7.1.1 Lepus sinensis
7.2 Meloidae
7.2.1 Mylabris phalerata
7.3 Veneridae
7.3.1 Meretrix meretrix Shell
7.4 Ranidae
7.4.1 Rana temporaria chensinensis Oviduct
7.5 Dendrophylliidae
7.5.1 Coral Skeleton
7.6 Cercopithecidae
7.6.1 Macaca mulatta Lithiasis
7.7 Cercopithecidae
7.7.1 Macaca mulatta Bone
7.8 Blattidae
7.8.1 Periplaneta australasiae Excrement
7.9 Scolopendridae
7.9.1 Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans
7.10 Vespidae
7.10.1 Polistes olivaceus Nests
Chapter 8: Medicinal Angiosperms of Limulidae, Cicadidae, Ursidae, Viperidae, Bombycidae, Apodidae, Bufonidae, Trionychidae, Mobulidae, and Equidae
8.1 Limulidae
8.1.1 Tachypleus tridentatus Carapace
8.2 Cicadidae
8.2.1 Cryptotympana pustulata
8.3 Ursidae
8.3.1 Selenactos thibetanus Bile
8.4 Viperidae
8.4.1 Agkistrodon acutus
8.5 Bombycidae
8.5.1 Bombyx mori
8.6 Family: Apodidae
8.6.1 Collocalia esculenta Nest
8.7 Family: Bufonidae
8.7.1 Bufo
8.8 Family: Trionychidae
8.8.1 Trionyx sinensis Shell
8.9 Family: Mobulidae
8.9.1 Mabula japonica Gill and Mobula birostris Gill
8.10 Family: Equidae
8.10.1 Donkey-Hide Gelatin
Chapter 9: Medicinal Minerals and Fossils
9.1 Minerals and Fossils
9.1.1 Pyrolusitum
9.1.2 Mica Stone
9.1.3 Mercury
9.1.4 Hydrargyrum Oxydatum Crudum
9.1.5 Gypsum
9.1.6 Fossil Shell of Spirifer
9.1.7 Fossil Telphusa
9.1.8 Dens Draconis
9.1.9 Fossil Fragments
9.1.10 Quartz Album
9.1.11 Alum
9.1.12 Crystallus Hydrargyrum Bichlortum
9.1.13 Compound of Mirabilite and Liquorice
9.1.14 Selenitum Glanberitum
9.1.15 Mirabilite
9.1.16 Zinnober
9.1.17 Native Copper
9.1.18 Actinolite
9.1.19 Agate
9.1.20 Halloysitum Rubrum
Chapter 10: Medicinal Minerals and Fossils
10.1 Ophicalcite
10.2 Cinnabar
10.3 Copperas
10.4 Phlogopite
10.5 Calamine
10.6 Calcitum
10.7 Arsenolite
10.8 Calomel
10.9 Stalactite
10.10 Prepared Salt
10.11 Limonitum
10.12 Sulfate of Copper
10.13 Pumice
10.14 Lithargite
10.15 Amber
10.16 Sulfur
10.17 Realgar
10.18 Amethyst
10.19 Talc
10.20 Magnetite
10.21 Ochre
Suggested Reading

Citation preview

Common Chinese Materia Medica Volume 10 Huagu Ye Chuyuan Li Wencai Ye Feiyan Zeng Editors

123

Common Chinese Materia Medica

Huagu Ye • Chuyuan Li • Wencai Ye Feiyan Zeng Editors

Common Chinese Materia Medica Volume 10

Editors Huagu Ye South China Botanical Garden Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

Chuyuan Li Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited Guangzhou, China

Wencai Ye Coll Pharm Jinan Univ Guangzhou, China

Feiyan Zeng South China Botanical Garden Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

ISBN 978-981-16-5923-2    ISBN 978-981-16-5924-9 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5924-9 Jointly published with Chemical Industry Press The print edition is not for sale in China (Mainland). Customers from China (Mainland) please order the print book from: Chemical Industry Press. © Chemical Industry Press 2022 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publishers, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publishers nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publishers remain neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore

Participating Units

SOUTH CHINA BOTANICAL GARDEN, THE CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES GUANGZHOU PHARMACEUTICAL HOLDINGS LIMITED JINAN UNIVERSITY Honorary Editor-in-Chief: Changxiao Liu Associate Honorary Editor-in-Chief: Hai Ren Editor-in-Chief: Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng Associate Editor-in-Chief: Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, Jianrong Li Editorial Board Members: Ling Ma, Faguo Wang, Guoping Wang, Jun Wang, Xiyong Wang, Linke Yin, Ye Lu, Wencai Ye, Huagu Ye, Yushi Ye, Yun Ye, Mingliang Shen, Shaozhi Fu, Lin Fu, Guohua Bai, Jibin Zhu, Qiang Zhu, Jian Quan, Fangfang Liu, Xiaofeng Liu, Mei Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Shangchuan Sun, Shiquan Ling, Xiaojie Li, Shuyuan Li, Shiyu Li, Ruliang Li, Chengwen Li, Zexian Li, Jianrong Li, Haitao Li, Cehong Li, Chuyuan Li, Yi Yang, Xiaoling Yu, Bo Xiao, Haiyan Gu, Bin Zou, Fengqiu Zhang, Shupeng Zhang, Qiuying Zhang, Xiaoqi Zhang, Huiye Zhang, Yushun Chen, Hongyuan Chen, Haishan Chen, Xiaojing Fan, Chunlin Fan, Sirong Yi, Shimin Duan, Xinsheng Qin, Han Jia, Lei Xu, Jing Xia, Zhihai Huang, Ya Huang, Xiujuan Tang, Ning Kang, Song Lu, Feiyan Zeng, Jingjin Cai, Kaiyun Guan, Wenbo Liao, Xueying Wei, Yujie Liao, Liyun Nie, Xueying Wei, Minghui Cai

v

Preface

Traditional Chinese medicine, a generic term for all medicines used by Chinese ethnic groups, including Han and minority races, reflects the Chinese nation’s understanding of life, health, and diseases. Also, it is a pharmaceutical system that has a long tradition of unique theories and technical methods. Traditional Chinese medicine is the cream of the crop of the Chinese culture, which has played a very important role in the reproduction and prosperity of the Chinese nation for thousands of years. With the research and development of traditional Chinese medical resources, many folk drugs are also added into the inventory of traditional Chinese medicine, making it encompass microbes, plants, animals, and minerals used for the prevention and treatment of diseases on the basis of Chinese traditional medical theories as well as other substances processed from them. Either produced in China or foreign lands, medications commonly used in traditional medical therapies and circulated in the market of medicinal materials are collectively called traditional Chinese medicine, but those folk medicines which are not expansively acknowledged are commonly referred to as herbal medicines. In recent years, owing to the changes in health concepts and medical models, the effects of traditional Chinese medicine in the prevention and treatment of common, frequent, chronic, and major diseases have been progressively acknowledged and accepted by the international community. At present, Chinese medicines have spread to 183 countries and regions. The discovery of artemisinin by Professor TuYouyou, winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, is a good indicator of the outstanding contribution made by traditional Chinese medicine to human health. Traditional Chinese medications are time-honored, widely distributed, tremendously diverse, and complex in origins. These factors, coupled with the uneven quality of medical works in history, as well as different conventions in drug use contributed to the common phenomena that several drugs are namesakes and the same drug is given many names. What adds to the complication is that novel drug varieties are emerging, resulting in contentions among professionals and unassured qualities of traditional Chinese medications.

vii

viii

Preface

In an effort to fully demonstrate the growing environment and attributes of the original plants and animals contained in this series of books, systematically introduce their origins, and clarify main differences between approximate species and the easily confused species, compilers visited places throughout China, against unimaginable hardships. A large number of unedited color pictures were taken in plant habitats, which vividly reflected the original appearance of the plants in different growing periods. Thousands of high-resolution pictures of commonly used traditional Chinese medications were taken, which remarkably and scientifically presented distinguishing features of medicinal materials. Experts in the application of Chinese herbal medicines have scoured a colossal number of materials to carefully codify exhaustive information related to the medicines, including the alias, sources, morphologies, habitats, distributions, acquisition and processing methods, medicinal properties, tastes, functions, use and dosages, cautions in use, and prescription examples and notes. This series of books is arranged in a systematic way—from algae, fungi, ferns, gymnosperms, angiosperms, resins, and animals to minerals. For the convenience of readers, the book will be published in 10 volumes. This book series seeks to describe the habitat distributions and historical evolution of traditional Chinese medicine from a global perspective. In combination with contemporary scientific research results, this book series provides reference for the protection and scientific use of traditional Chinese medical resources. Due to reasons like the large assortment of traditional Chinese medications and the editors’ knowledge limitations, errors and incompleteness are inevitable. We welcome critical remarks from readers in the medical arena both at home and abroad. Editorial committee of Common Chinese Materia Medica (I–X). Guangzhou, China  August 2019  

Huagu Ye Chuyuan Li Wencai Ye Feiyan Zeng

Abstract

This volume records 5 species of resin, 74 species of animals, and 41 species of minerals and fossils. There are resins such as Liquidambar orientalis, Commiphora myrrha, Boswellia carterii, Garcinia hanburyi; animals such as Solenognathus hardwickii, , Cervus nippon, Scolopendra subspinipes, Cryptotympana pustulata, Agkistrodon acutus, Bombyx mori, Collocalia esculenta, Moschus moschiferus, Hippocampus kelloggi, Gekko gecko; minerals and fossils such as mercury, gypsum, alum, mirabilite, cinnabar, actinolite, calomel, keel, dens draconis, lithodes, and fossilia spiriferis.

ix

Contents

1 Medicinal Angiosperms of Hamamelidaceae, Burseraceae, and Guttiferae������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������    1 Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li 2 Medicinal Angiosperms of Hominidae, Pentatomidae, Bufonidae, Calliphoridae, Petauristidae, Arcidae, Hirudinidae, and Mustelidae������������������������������������������������������������������   11 Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li 3 Medicinal Angiosperms of Bovidae, Colubridae, Haliotidae, Physeteridae, and Cypraeidae����������������������������������������������������������������   27 Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li 4 Medicinal Angiosperms of Columbidae, Megascolecidae, Apidae, Buthidae, Cicadidae, Ostreae, Geoemydidae, Phasianidae, and Blattellidae������������������������������������������������������������������   47 Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li 5 Medicinal Angiosperms of Myrmeleontidae, Elapidae, Sciaenidae, Canidae, Vespertilionidae, Cheloniidae, Pteriidae, Tabanidae, Manidae, and Gekkonidae ��������������������������������   65 Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li 6 Medicinal Angiosperms of Felidae, Syngnathidae, Melitaeidae, Goniasteridae, Pegasidae, Sepiidae, Turbinidae, Mantidae, and Cervidae ����������������������������������������������������   85 Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li xi

xii

Contents

7 Medicinal Angiosperms of Leporidae, Meloidae, Veneridae, Ranidae, Dendrophylliidae, Cercopithecidae, Blattidae, Scolopendridae, and Vespidae����������������������������������������������������������������  109 Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li 8 Medicinal Angiosperms of Limulidae, Cicadidae, Ursidae, Viperidae, Bombycidae, Apodidae, Bufonidae, Trionychidae, Mobulidae, and Equidae ������������������������������������������������������������������������  127 Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li 9 Medicinal Minerals and Fossils��������������������������������������������������������������  149 Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li 10 Medicinal Minerals and Fossils��������������������������������������������������������������  183 Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

Chapter 1

Medicinal Angiosperms of Hamamelidaceae, Burseraceae, and Guttiferae Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

Contents 1.1  Resins 1.1.1  Family: Hamamelidaceae 1.1.2  Family: Burseraceae 1.1.3  Family: Burseraceae 1.1.4  Family: Guttiferae References

 2  2  4  6  8  9

This chapter introduces five species of medicinal plants in three families, mainly including Liquidambar orientalis of Hamamelidaceae, Commiphora myrrha, Balsamodendron ehrenbergianum, Boswellia carterii of Burseraceae, and Garcinia hanburyi of Guttiferae. This chapter introduces the scientific names, medicinal names, morphologies, habitats, distributions, acquisition and processing methods, medicinal properties, H. Ye (*) · F. Zeng · F. Wang · Y. Ye · L. Fu · J. Li South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] C. Li Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected] W. Ye Jinan University, Guangzhou, China F. Liu Huizhou Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Huizhou, China Y. Liu Faculty of Military Language Education, University of Defense Technology, Changsha, China © Chemical Industry Press 2022 H. Ye et al. (eds.), Common Chinese Materia Medica, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5924-9_1

1

2

H. Ye et al.

tastes, functions, use, and dosages of these medicinal plants, with clear original plant photos and part photos of herbal medicines of each plant.

1.1  Resins 1.1.1  Family: Hamamelidaceae 1.1.1.1  Liquidambar orientalis [1] Chinese Name(s): Su he xiang Source: This medicine is made of the fragrant resin exuded from the trunk of Liquidambar orientalis (Liquidambar orientalis Mill.), processed and refined into oily liquid. Distribution: It’s distributed in countries of Iran, Turkey, Somalia, India, etc. Acquisition and Processing: In summer, the bark is scratched or cut to make the resin penetrate into the bark. In autumn, the bark is peeled off, and the resin is extracted to form natural Liquidambar orientalis. The products are further processed for refined Liquidambar orientalis. Medicinal Properties: The product is semiliquid and viscous, brown or dark brown, and translucent. It is colloidal when raised and can be lifted to one third of a meter but with the viscid lining still unbroken. It’s heavy and can sink in water but not soluble, only soluble in alcohol. When ignited by fire, it produces a slight crackling sound. It’s especially aromatic and bland and slightly pungent in taste. The products better in quality are viscous, oily, translucent, and fragrant. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart and stomach. Functions: Unblocking orifices, dispelling filth, expelling phlegm, and relieving pain, it’s often used for treatment of stroke, phlegm, convulsion, chest and abdominal pain, angina pectoris, scabies, and chilblain. Use and Dosage: 0.3–1 g per dose, made into pills and powder to take. Use suitable amount externally.

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hamamelidaceae, Burseraceae, and Guttiferae

3

4

H. Ye et al.

1.1.2  Family: Burseraceae 1.1.2.1  Commiphora myrrha [2] and Balsamodendron ehrenbergianum Chinese Name(s): mo yao, ming mo yao Source: This medicine is made of the dried resin exuded from the bark of Commiphora myrrha (Commiphora myrrha Engl.) and Balsamodendron ehrenbergianum (Balsamodendron ehrenbergianum Berg.). Distribution: It’s distributed in Somalia of northeastern Africa, Ethiopia, and the southern Arabian Peninsula. The products from Somalia are of high quality. Acquisition and Processing: The products are harvested in summer and autumn. The newly exuding resin is a yellowish white liquid and gradually coagulates into reddish brown lumps after contacting with air; after harvesting, the bark and other impurities are removed. Medicinal Properties: The products are irregular lumps, sometimes mixed with bark debris or sand; the surfaces are yellowish brown or reddish brown, purple black, and rough. They are hard and slightly tough, with uneven broken surfaces, slightly granular, and slightly lustrous. They are especially aromatic and bitter and slightly pungent in taste. The products better in quality are reddish brown, strong aromatic, and with few impurities. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridian of the liver. Functions: Dispersing blood stasis and relieving swelling and pain, it’s often used for treatment of carbuncle, abdominal mass, amenorrhea, hemorrhoids, and blurred eyesight. Use and Dosage: 3–5 g per dose, made into pills and powder to take. For external treatment, suitable amounts of products are ground into powder and applied to the affected areas.

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hamamelidaceae, Burseraceae, and Guttiferae

5

6

H. Ye et al.

1.1.3  Family: Burseraceae 1.1.3.1  Boswellia carterii [3] Chinese Name(s): Ru xiang, ru tou xiang, and di ru xiang Source: This medicine is made of the dried resin exuded from the trunk cut of Boswellia carterii (Boswellia carterii Birdw.). Distribution: It’s distributed on both sides of the Red Sea in Africa, especially in Somalia, Ethiopia, and the southern Arabian Peninsula, as well as in Turkey, Libya, Sudan, Egypt, etc. Acquisition and Processing: It can be harvested all year round except from May to August. The resin exudate from the wound of trees and can be collected after being dried naturally for a few days and becoming consolidated. Medicinal Properties: The products are ovate oblong and have dropsy or subrounded particles in different sizes, often mixed with bark debris or sand; it’s yellowish white or light yellowish white, translucent, and glossy, often with white dust on surfaces. It is hard and brittle in texture; the broken surface is wax-like or glass-­ like lustrous. It is slightly fragrant and slightly bitter in taste. The products better in quality are papillary, light yellow, translucent, pure, and aromatic. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and bitter in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart, liver, and spleen. Functions: Activating blood circulation, relieving swelling, and promoting granulation, it’s often used for treatment of Qi and blood stagnation, abdominal pain, dysmenorrhea, tingling of postpartum blood stasis, carbuncle, as well as injuries caused by falls. Use and Dosage: 3–5 g per dose, made into pills and powder to take.

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hamamelidaceae, Burseraceae, and Guttiferae

7

8

H. Ye et al.

1.1.4  Family: Guttiferae 1.1.4.1  Garcinia hanburyi Chinese Name(s): Teng huang, yu huang, and yue huang Source: This medicine is made of the resin exuded from the trunk of Garcinia hanburyi (Garcinia hanburyi Hook. f.). Distribution: It’s mainly produced in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Cambodia, etc. Acquisition and Processing: The products are harvested in autumn. Collect the emulsion from the wound of trees, heat it in a pot, boil it until it dissolves, pour it into a bamboo tube, condense it into a tube, and take it out to dry. Medicinal Properties: The products are cylinders or irregular blocks, with diameters of 2.5–4 cm and lengths up to 16 cm. The surface is red yellow or orange yellow, with longitudinal stripes; some are yellowish green pruinose. It’s hard and brittle, easily broken, smooth on the cross sections, and yellow to yellowish brown, with the luster of wax. If ground with water, it turns into a yellow emulsion; if put into fire, it burns. It’s slightly odored and pungent in taste. The products cylindrical or large, waxy, translucent, or reddish yellow are better in quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sour and astringent in taste, cool in property, and extremely toxic and belongs to the meridians of the stomach and large intestines. Functions: Relieving swelling and eliminating pus, dispersing blood stasis and detoxicating, stop bleeding, and killing parasites, it is used for treatment of carbuncle, traumatic bleeding, sore of incised wound, and stubborn dermatitis. Use and Dosage: 0.03–0.06 g per dose, made into pills and powder to take. For external treatment, proper amounts of products are ground to powder or juice and applied to the affected areas.

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hamamelidaceae, Burseraceae, and Guttiferae

9

References 1. Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China (Part 1: 153) [S], The Medicine Science and Technology Press of China, 2015. 2. Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China (Part 1: 173) [S], The Medicine Science and Technology Press of China, 2015. 3. Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China (Part 1: 207) [S], The Medicine Science and Technology Press of China, 2015.

Chapter 2

Medicinal Angiosperms of Hominidae, Pentatomidae, Bufonidae, Calliphoridae, Petauristidae, Arcidae, Hirudinidae, and Mustelidae Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

Contents 2.1  Animals 2.1.1 Family: Hominidae 2.1.2 Family: Hominidae 2.1.3 Family: Hominidae 2.1.4 Family: Pentatomidae 2.1.5 Family: Bufonidae 2.1.6 Family: Calliphoridae 2.1.7 Family: Petauristidae 2.1.8 Family: Arcidae 2.1.9 Family: Hirudinidae 2.1.10 Family: Mustelidae References

 12  12  13  15  17  18  20  21  22  24  25  26

H. Ye (*) · F. Zeng · F. Wang · Y. Ye · L. Fu · J. Li South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] C. Li Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected] W. Ye Jinan University, Guangzhou, China F. Liu Huizhou Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Huizhou, China Y. Liu Faculty of Military Language Education, University of Defense Technology, Changsha, China © Chemical Industry Press 2022 H. Ye et al. (eds.), Common Chinese Materia Medica, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5924-9_2

11

12

H. Ye et al.

This chapter introduces ten species of medicinal animals in eight families, mainly including depositum urinae hominis, placenta hominis, carbonized hair of Hominidae, Aspongopus chinensis of Pentatomidae, Bufo melanostictus of Bufonidae, Chrysomya megacephala of Calliphoridae, Trogopterus xanthipes of Petauristidae, Arca granosa, Whitmania pigra of Hirudinidae, and Lutra lutra of Mustelidae. This chapter introduces the scientific names, medicinal names, morphologies, habitats, distributions, acquisition and processing methods, medicinal properties, tastes, functions, use, and dosages of these medicinal plants, with clear original plant photos and part photos of herbal medicines of each plant.

2.1  Animals 2.1.1  Family: Hominidae 2.1.1.1  Depositum Urinae Hominis Chinese Name(s): Ren zhong bai, qian nian bing Source: This medicine is made of the substance formed by the natural deposition of human urine. Distribution: It’s mainly produced all over the country and mostly in Jiangsu Province. Acquisition and Processing: The thick sediment in the urinator is stripped and leached in clean water for 7 days. The water is changed one to two times a day. Then it is taken out and put in open places to be exposed to the sun and dew for about 7 days until the urine odor is weakened and substance is dried. Medicinal Properties: The products are mostly irregular pieces, different in thickness, uneven on the surface, unevenly sized, and particulate, while smooth on the other side. The texture is fragile; the cross section is striated and grayish white or light yellow and has a slight urine odor. It tastes salty. The products better in quality are thick, clear in lamination, gray- or light yellowish-colored, light-weighted, and light in urine odor. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the liver, lungs, and bladder. Functions: Clearing heat and purging fire, removing phlegm, detoxicating, removing blood stasis, and stopping bleeding, it’s often used for treatment of hematemesis, epistaxis, and sore throat, as well as for external treatment of chancre. Use and Dosage: 3–5 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. It can be used only after processing. Notes: Fake depositum urinae hominis is often made of cement, which is not granular, heavy, but without lamination in the cross sections, hard rather than fragile in texture, so it is easy to identify.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hominidae, Pentatomidae, Bufonidae, Calliphoridae…

13

2.1.2  Family: Hominidae 2.1.2.1  Placenta Hominis Chinese Name(s): Zi he che Source: This medicine is made of dry placenta from healthy pregnant women. Distribution: It’s mainly produced all over the country. Acquisition and Processing: Wash the fresh placenta, remove the fascia, tear off the blood vessels around the umbilical cord, and wash repeatedly until the water is clear. Bind well, cook in boiling water until the placenta floats, take it out, put it on the wire mesh, and bake it with low fire until it foams and becomes brittle. Medicinal Properties: The products are irregular disc-shaped, about 6  cm in diameter, different in thickness, yellowish brown or yellowish white. It’s rugged and wrinkled on one side and smooth on the other, often with residual umbilical cord, around where small blood vessels can be seen. It is hard, brittle, and loose. It has a fishy odor and sweet in taste. The products better in quality are complete, yellow, and clean. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and salty in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart, lungs, and kidneys. Functions: Tonifying Qi and blood, warming the kidneys, and supplementing essence, it’s often used for treatment of asthenia, fatigue, emaciation, night sweating, cough, asthma, impotence, and spermatorrhea. Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

14

H. Ye et al.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hominidae, Pentatomidae, Bufonidae, Calliphoridae…

15

2.1.3  Family: Hominidae 2.1.3.1  Carbonized Hair [1] Chinese Name(s): Xue yu tan Source: This medicine is a carbonized product made from human hair. Distribution: It’s mainly produced all over the country. Acquisition and Processing: Collect the hair of healthy people, remove the impurities, wash the oil with alkaline water repeatedly, rinse it with clean water, dry it in the sun, and then calcine the outside to black and the inside yellow. Medicinal Properties: The products are irregular blocks, different in sizes, all black, and shiny, with many irregular holes on the surface. It is light and brittle; the cross section is uneven and sponge like. Burnt with fire, it’s scorched. It’s bitter in taste. The products better in quality are light-weighted, dark in color, and blocky in shape. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and salty in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart, lungs, and kidneys. Functions: Stopping bleeding and removing blood stasis, it is often used for treatment of hematemesis, hemoptysis, hemorrhagia, hematuria, metrorrhagia, and traumatic bleeding. Use and Dosage: 4.5–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

16

H. Ye et al.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hominidae, Pentatomidae, Bufonidae, Calliphoridae…

17

2.1.4  Family: Pentatomidae 2.1.4.1  Aspongopus chinensis Chinese Name(s): Jiu xiang chong and chou pi chong Source: This medicine is made from the dried bodies of Aspongopus chinensis Dallas. Distribution: It’s produced in provinces and regions of Sichuan, Hubei, Yunnan, Guizhou, Anhui, and Hunan, in addition, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Jiangxi. Acquisition and Processing: Catch the adult insects in winter, spring, or early summer, scald them or add alcohol to suffocate them, and then dry them with low fire or stir-fry them with low fire until dry. Medicinal Properties: The product is hexagonal oblong, 1.5–2  cm long and 1 cm wide; the head is small, nearly triangular, with a pair of prominent eyelets, a pair of antennae and five segments, mostly fallen off; the back is brown or black brown, with two pairs of membranous and translucent wings; there are three pairs feet on the chest, and the hind foot is the longest, mostly fallen off; and there are brown black fine wrinkles on the abdomen, with five joints, and protruding dots near the edge of the joints. It’s brittle, easily broken, and with oily powder in the abdomen. It has a peculiar smell. The products better in quality are intact, oily, brown, shiny, and no mildew. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the liver, spleen, and kidneys. Functions: Regulating Qi, relieving pain, warming the middle, and invigorating Yang, it’s often used for treatment of stomach cold pain, liver and stomach pain, impotence due to deficiency of the kidneys, and aching lumbus and knees. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

18

H. Ye et al.

2.1.5  Family: Bufonidae 2.1.5.1  Bufo melanostictus Chinese Name(s): Gan chan, qin qu gan, chan chu gan, and ha ma gan Source: This medicine is made of the dry whole body of Bufo melanostictus (Bufo melanostictus Schneider) with or without skin. Distribution: It’s produced in provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guizhou, Shandong, and other places.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hominidae, Pentatomidae, Bufonidae, Calliphoridae…

19

Acquisition and Processing: Most of them are caught in late spring and autumn. The abdomen is cut open to remove the internal organs, or the skin is peeled off. Soak it in clear water for 1 h, rinse it to remove the blood stains, then spread it with two pieces of thin bamboo, and dry it in the sun. Medicinal Properties: This product is frog-shaped, shriveled and stiff, 13–17 cm long, and 4–6 cm wide, with complete limbs; its head is blunt and triangular, and its eye sockets are large and sunken; its body muscle is thin and transparent; its backbone is exposed, and its spine and six pairs of ribs are clearly visible; its limbs are symmetrical and straight, fingers and toes are evenly spread, webbed, and its joints are gray white; and the ones with the skin peeled off are yellow white, and the ones with skin are black brown, covered with wart spots. It is slightly fishy, and the taste is slightly sweet and astringent. The products better in quality are big, intact, peeled, fresh, and odorless. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and cool in property and belongs to the meridians of the liver, spleen, and lungs. Functions: Removing lumps and nodules, detoxicating and dispelling dampness killing parasites, and reducing pain, it’s often used for treatment of abdominal mass, swelling, toxin, malnutrition, etc. Use and Dosage: 0.5–2 g per dose, made into pills or powder to take, or calcined. Use suitable amount externally. Notes: The dried toad without skin is called “guaigan” in Guangdong Province. Ten toads are stacked and tied into a small bundle for export.

20

H. Ye et al.

2.1.6  Family: Calliphoridae 2.1.6.1  Chrysomya megacephala Chinese Name(s): Wu gu chong and luo xian zi Source: This medicine is made of the dried larva of Chrysomya megacephala (Chrysomya megacephala (Fab.)). Distribution: It’s produced in provinces of Guangdong, Anhui, Zhejiang, and Hubei. The products from Boluo and Longmen counties in Guangdong are of high quality. Acquisition and Processing: In summer and autumn, pick up the maggots, rinse them, and sprinkle sugar ash on them to make them discharge dirt. After scalding and drying, stir-fry them with river sand in a pot until they are very hot. Pour the dried maggots into the pot, stir-fry them until they swell and bulge, and remove the river sand and debris. Medicinal Properties: This product is slightly flat conical, hollow, slightly pointed at both ends, about 1 cm long, yellowish white, and slightly transparent; it is composed of 14 links, including 1 head, 3 chests, and 10 abdomens; the head is slightly smaller, attenuate from the middle abdomen down, and the tail is small, without feet. The body is light and brittle, and the odor is slightly smelly. The product better in quality are complete, light-weighted, swelling, golden-colored, odorless, and pure. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of spleen and stomach. Functions: Clearing heat, detoxicating, and eliminating stagnation, it is often used for treatment of dizziness, delirium, infantile malnutrition, etc. Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hominidae, Pentatomidae, Bufonidae, Calliphoridae…

21

2.1.7  Family: Petauristidae 2.1.7.1  Trogopterus xanthipes Chinese Name(s): Wu ling zhi Source: This medicine is made of the dried dung of Trogopterus xanthipes (Trogopterus xanthipes Milne-Edwards). Distribution: It’s produced in northern China and southwestern China. Acquisition and Processing: It can be collected all year round, with high production in spring and autumn. It is often collected in caves or on relatively flat stone surfaces and dried in the sun after removing the impurities. Medicinal Properties: This product is in irregular lumps formed by feces and urine, with different sizes and uneven surface, dark brown or reddish brown, slightly glossy, hard in texture, and uneven on the cross sections. The pure dry feces are long ovate, 0.5–1.5 cm in length, 3–6 mm in diameter, rough in surface, dark brown, or grayish brown, with light yellow spots; It is light and loose, easily broken, with yellowish brown fibers on the cross sections. It’s slightly smelly and slightly bitter in taste. The products better in quality are black brown and oily lustrous. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter and salty in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridian of the liver. Functions: Promoting blood circulation, dispersing blood stasis, and relieving pain, it is often used to treat stinging pain of chest and epigastria, pain of the heart and abdomen caused by stagnation of Qi and blood, menstrual pain, amenorrhea, postpartum blood stasis, swelling and pain of injury, and snakebite. Use and Dosage: 5–10  g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Pregnant women should use it with caution.

22

H. Ye et al.

2.1.8  Family: Arcidae 2.1.8.1  Arca granosa Chinese Name(s): Wa leng zi, han ke, and wa long zi Source: This medicine is made of the shell of Arca granosa (Arca granosa Linnaeus). Distribution: It is distributed in coastal areas of Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang, Shandong, Hebei and other provinces. Acquisition and Processing: It can be collected all year round, with high production in spring and autumn. It is often collected in caves or on relatively flat stone surface to remove impurities and dry in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are triangular, nearly fan-shaped, 2.5–4 cm long, and 2–3 cm high. There are 18–21 corrugated radial ribs on the surface and granular protrusions on the ribs. The inner surface is smooth and white; there are depressions corresponding to the shell radiating rib on the edges and a row of small teeth in the hinge part. It is hard in quality and the cross section is white. It’s odorless and bland in taste. The products better in quality are big, complete, clean, and fresh.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hominidae, Pentatomidae, Bufonidae, Calliphoridae…

23

Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and salty in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs, stomach, liver, and spleen. Functions: Resolving phlegm and blood stasis, softening hardness, dissipating nodules, reducing gastric acid, and relieving pain, it’s often used for treatment of obstinate phlegm accumulation, coughing due to viscous phlegm, gall, scrofula, abdominal mass, swelling, and stomach pain with acid. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. As a medicine, it should be calcined. Notes: According to the Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China, the shells of Arca subcrenata Lischke and Arca inflata Reeve are used as Arca granosa for medicine.

24

H. Ye et al.

2.1.9  Family: Hirudinidae 2.1.9.1  Whitmania pigra [2] Chinese Name(s): Shui zhi Source: This medicine is made of the dried body of Whitmania pigra (Whitmania pigra Whitman). Distribution: It is produced in eastern China and southern China. Acquisition and Processing: In spring and summer, the Whitmania pigra are caught, scald to death in boiling water, and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: This product is compressed fusiform or oblong clavate, 5–13 cm long, and 1.2–3 cm wide, composed of most links; the back is slightly high and brownish black, with five lines of black and light yellowish spots, and there is a thick yellowish brown longitudinal line on both sides; the abdomen is slightly light and flat; the back sucker is larger than that in the front. It is brittle and easily broken and has colloidal luster. It has an earthy odor. The products better in quality are big, dry, dark brown, and odorless. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty and bitter in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Breaking blood stasis and unblocking meridians, it is often used for treatment of swelling, blood stasis, amenorrhea, and injuries caused by knocks and falls. Use and Dosage: 1.5–3 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Notes: According to the Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China, the dried bodies of Hirudo nipponica Whitman and Whitmania acranulata Whitman are used as medicines of the same kind.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hominidae, Pentatomidae, Bufonidae, Calliphoridae…

25

2.1.10  Family: Mustelidae 2.1.10.1  Lutra lutra [3] Chinese Name(s): Shui ta gan Source: This medicine is made of the liver of Lutra lutra (Lutra lutra Linnaeus). Distribution: It is produced all over the country, mostly in provinces south of the Yangtze River. Acquisition and Processing: It can be caught all year round and mostly in summer and autumn. After killing, take the liver, wash it, scald it with boiling water, and dry it in the sun.

26

H. Ye et al.

Medicinal Properties: This product is in the form of pieces or lumps of different sizes, sometimes with lungs and connected with blood vessels. Each piece is ovate, very flat, 4–6 cm long, and 3–5 cm wide, with thin edges and a thick upper part. The surface is purplish brown or dark brown, with irregular wrinkles. The left and right sections are slightly larger, nearly symmetrical, and the other two sections are smaller. The cardiovascular system is located in them. There is a pair of orange petal-like tumor in the upper part of the vascular system, which is composed of more than ten small warts. It is hard to break. The cross section is dark brown and colloidal. It’s fishy. The products better in quality are large, complete, purple brown, and free from mold. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and salty in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the liver and kidneys. Functions: Nourish Yin and the liver, clearing heat, tonifying the lungs, and stopping coughing and bleeding, it’s often used for treatment of pain caused by Qi stagnation of the liver and stomach, fatigue, hectic fever, night sweating, cough, asthma, hemoptysis, night blindness, and hemorrhoid. Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

References 1. Xie ZW, et al. Compilation of The National Chinese Herbal Medicine, Vol. 1: 386 [M]. Beijing: People’s Medical Publishing House, 1975. 2. Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China (Part 1: 77) [S], The Medicine Science and Technology Press of China, 2015. 3. Xie ZW, et  al. Compilation of The National Chinese Herbal Medicine, Vol. 2: 1228 [M]. Beijing: People’s Medical Publishing House, 1975.

Chapter 3

Medicinal Angiosperms of Bovidae, Colubridae, Haliotidae, Physeteridae, and Cypraeidae Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

Contents 3.1  F  amily: Bovidae 3.1.1 Bos taurus domesticus Grass Lumps 3.2  Family: Bovidae 3.2.1 Calculus Bovis 3.3  Family: Bovidae 3.3.1 Cornu Bubali 3.4  Family: Bovidae 3.4.1 Cornu Antelopis 3.5  Family: Colubridae 3.5.1 Elaphe moellendorffi 3.6  Family: Colubridae 3.6.1 Pillis Ophidiae 3.7  Family: Colubridae 3.7.1 Zaocys dhummades

 28  28  29  29  31  31  33  33  36  36  37  37  38  38

H. Ye (*) · F. Zeng · F. Wang · Y. Ye · L. Fu · J. Li South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] C. Li Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected] W. Ye Jinan University, Guangzhou, China F. Liu Huizhou Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Huizhou, China Y. Liu Faculty of Military Language Education, University of Defense Technology, Changsha, China © Chemical Industry Press 2022 H. Ye et al. (eds.), Common Chinese Materia Medica, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5924-9_3

27

28 3.8  F  amily: Haliotidae 3.8.1 Haliotis diversicolor Shell 3.9  Family: Physeteridae 3.9.1 Ambergris 3.10  Family: Cypraeidae 3.10.1 Mauritia arabica Shell 3.11  Family: Cypraeidae 3.11.1 Monetaria annulus Shell References

H. Ye et al.  41  41  42  42  42  43  44  45  45

This chapter introduces 11 species of medicinal animals in 5 families, mainly including, Bos taurus domesticus grass lumps, calculus bovis, cornu bubali, cornu antelopis of Bovidae, Elaphe moellendorffi, pillis ophidiae, Zaocys dhumnades of Colubridae, Haliotis diversicolor shell of Haliotidae, ambergris of Physeteridae, Mauritia arabica shell, and Monetaria annulus shell of Cypraeidae. This chapter introduces the scientific names, medicinal names, morphologies, habitats, distributions, acquisition and processing methods, medicinal properties, tastes, functions, use, and dosages of these medicinal plants, with clear original plant photos and part photos of herbal medicines of each plant.

3.1  Family: Bovidae 3.1.1  Bos taurus domesticus Grass Lumps Chinese Name(s): Niu cao jie Source: This medicine is made of the lump of grass in the stomach of Bos taurus domesticus (Bos taurus domesticus Gmelin). Distribution: It is produced in northern China and northwestern China, as well as in southern China and southwestern China, mostly in old cattle in cattle-­ producing areas. Acquisition and Processing: When slaughtering cattle, if there is a lump of grass in the stomach, take it out, wipe it clean, and dry it in a ventilated place. Medicinal Properties: The complete product is spherical, oval, or oblate, with a diameter of 3–16  cm. The surface is slightly smooth, yellowish brown or cyan brown, and slightly glossy; the epidermis is thin and hard. It is light-weighted; there is brownish black or black fibrous Tricholoma on the cross sections, varying in length and thickness. It’s smelly and tasteless. The products better in quality are large, complete, thin, and with soft fibrous structure. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bland in taste and slightly warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart and liver.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Bovidae, Colubridae, Haliotidae, Physeteridae…

29

Functions: Removing phlegm, reducing adverse reactions, calming the mind, and stopping vomiting, it is used to treat choking, nausea, carsickness, seasickness, vomiting, acid regurgitation, gastric ulcer, and heartache. Use and Dosage: 5–20 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

3.2  Family: Bovidae 3.2.1  Calculus Bovis [1] Chinese Name(s): Niu huang Source: This medicine is made of the dry gallstones of Bos taurus domesticus (Bos taurus domesticus Gmelin). Distribution: It is produced in northern China, northwestern China, southwestern China, and eastern China. Acquisition and Processing: When slaughtering cattle, if hard lumps are found in the gallbladder, bile duct, and hepatic duct, the bile should be filtered immediately, the stones should be removed, the blood stains should be washed away, and the attached meat membrane should be removed. It should be stored in the shade with Juncus, grass or absorbent with strong hygroscopicity. Do not dry on fire, in the sun, or in the wind to prevent cracking and deterioration.

30

H. Ye et al.

Medicinal Properties: This product is spherical, oval, irregular square or triangle, sometimes granular or broken into pieces, and 0.8–2.5  cm in diameter; the surface is yellowish brown, varying in depth, and sometimes covered with a layer of black glossy film on the surfaces, which is commonly known as black-gold coat; some are with rough cracks and slightly glossy. It is delicate in quality and light-­ weighted; the cross sections are slightly lighter-colored, and there are grayish white particles and irregular concentric rings like laminations. It doesn’t stick teeth and can slowly melt. It is fresh and fragrant, and the taste is bitter first and then sweet and cool. Duct bezoar is rough tubular or fragmentary in different sizes, slightly brownish yellow to brownish black, with faint and slightly fishy aroma. The intact products are better in quality, and the quality of the flake and tube is inferior, and the ones mixed with blood can’t be used as medicine. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and cool in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart and liver. Functions: Clearing the heart, removing phlegm, unblocking orifices, cooling the liver, calming the pathogenic wind, and detoxicating, it is often used for the treatment of fever, dizziness, apoplexy, mania, convulsion, epilepsy, sore throat, sore tongue, boil, and furuncle. Use and Dosage: 0.15–0.35 g per dose, made into pills or powder to take.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Bovidae, Colubridae, Haliotidae, Physeteridae…

31

3.3  Family: Bovidae 3.3.1  Cornu Bubali Chinese Name(s): Shui niu jiao and chou jiao Source: This medicine is made of the dry angles of Bubalus bubalis Linnaeus (Bubalus bubalis Linnaeus) removed of the angle plug. Distribution: It is produced in southern China, eastern China, and southwestern China. Acquisition and Processing: When slaughtering cattle, take the horns, remove the horn plug and the residual meat, and clean and dry them. Medicinal Properties: This product is slightly arc-shaped curved flat cones, slightly rounded on the tip. The old horn shows longitudinal cracks and is slightly triangular at base, hollow, and different in length and size; it is brownish black or grayish black on surfaces; there are several horizontal grooves on one side and dense horizontal concave stripes on the other side; the inner surface of the horn is dark black; the cross section of the horn tip is shuttle-shaped; the grain patterns are parallel, and there are several ovate light brown concentric rings. It’s horny, hard, and slightly fishy in odor. The products better in quality are with no cracks and not aging. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter and salty in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart and liver. Functions: Clearing heat, detoxicating, cooling blood, and calming the mind, it is often used for the treatment of febrile diseases, high fever, delirium, rash, hematemesis, epistaxis, convulsion, and mania.

32

H. Ye et al.

Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use, or made into tablets or concentrated powder to take. Notes: The taste and function of this product are similar to those of rhinoceros horn but far inferior in efficacy; therefore its dosage is often eight to ten times the dosage of rhinoceros horn or even more.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Bovidae, Colubridae, Haliotidae, Physeteridae…

33

3.4  Family: Bovidae 3.4.1  Cornu Antelopis Chinese Name(s): Ling yang jiao Source: This medicine is made of the horns of male Saiga tatarica (Saiga tatarica Linnaeus). Distribution: It is produced in the border area of northwestern Xinjiang. It is also produced in Russia.

34

H. Ye et al.

Acquisition and Processing: It can be hunted all year round, and the ones caught in autumn have the best color and quality. Medicinal Properties: This product is long conical, slightly curved, 15–30 cm long, and smooth as jade, especially on the tip, with 10–18 wavy annular ridges in the middle and lower parts. The cross section of the base is round, and there is a hard and heavy horn column, commonly known as bone plug, which accounts for about 1/2–1/3 of the total length. The cross section of the bone plug is toothed all around. After removing the bone plug, the lower part of the horn becomes a cavity, and there is a small channel in the middle of the upper part, which leads to the angle tip known as “the eye of the sky.” There are red stripes on the tip of tender angular branches and cracks on the old ones. It’s hard, odorless, and bland in taste. The products better in quality are tender, white, and smooth, with blood and no cracks. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart and liver. Functions: Calming the liver wind, clearing the liver heat, improving eyesight, dispersing blood stasis, and detoxicating, it is often used for treatment of fever, dizziness, convulsion, delirium, dysphoria, convulsion, conjunctivitis, headache, vertigo, toxic spots, carbuncle, swelling, and sore. Use and Dosage: 1–3 g per dose, decocted in water singly for more than 2 h, or ground to juice or powder, 0.3–0.6 g each time.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Bovidae, Colubridae, Haliotidae, Physeteridae…

35

36

H. Ye et al.

3.5  Family: Colubridae 3.5.1  Elaphe moellendorffi Chinese Name(s): Guang xi bai hua she Source: This medicine is made of the dried body of Elaphe moellendorffi (Elaphe moellendorffi (Boettger)) with the viscera removed. Distribution: It is produced in provinces of Guangxi, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hunan, and Yunnan in China, as well as in Vietnam. Acquisition and Processing: The main catching seasons are from the end of spring to summer and autumn. After the capture, the viscera are removed by laparotomy, the blood stains are wiped clean, and the head is taken as the center to coil the body around into a round cake shape, fixed with bamboo sticks, placed on the iron wire frame, and dried with charcoal fire. Medicinal Properties: The product is in the shape of a round cake. The head is in the center, slightly tilted, in long pyriform, with fine teeth in the mouth; the frontal part of the back and head is ochre red, and the back part is gradually paler; the body is grayish green, which is deep on the back, and slightly paler bilateral; there are three rows of dark gray patches which are slightly hexagonal; the middle row is larger, about 29–32 patches, the edges of the two sides are blue black or grass green, and the back of the tail is light ochre red; there are 11–13 brown black patches, and the abdomen is gray. It’s slightly fishy in odor and sweet and salty in taste. The products better in quality are big, entire, fresh-colored, and free from mold and bug. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and salty in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the liver and kidneys. Functions: Dispersing wind and dampness, unblocking meridians and collaterals, resting convulsions, and strengthening the waist and knees, it is often used for treatment of sequelae of apoplexy, numbness due to dampness, arthralgia, tetanus, leprosy, and scabies. Use and Dosage: 3–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. The head and scales must be removed when used as medicine.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Bovidae, Colubridae, Haliotidae, Physeteridae…

37

3.6  Family: Colubridae 3.6.1  Pillis Ophidiae [2] Chinese Name(s): She tui Source: This medicine is made of the dried natural skin shed by Elaphe taeniura (Elaphe taeniura Cope), Elaphe carinata (Elaphe carinata (Guenther)), and Zaocys dhumnades (Zaocys dhumnades (Cantor)). Distribution: It is mainly produced in provinces of Zhejiang and Guangxi, as well as in Jiangsu, Sichuan, Guangdong, and Fujian. Acquisition and Processing: It can be collected all year round, especially in spring and summer. After collection, the skin is dried in the sun after removing sand and impurities. Medicinal Properties: This product is a cylindrical, translucent film, usually flat or shrunken, with different lengths; the entire ones are often 50–100 cm. There are scaly pattern on surfaces and silver gray or light brown ones on the back; the abdomen is milky white or light yellowish white, and the scales are nearly rectangular and imbricate. It is light and slightly tough and feels of lubricant and elastic in hand. It is slightly fishy and bland or salty in taste. The products better in quality are complete, silvery white, glossy, and unbroken. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty and sweet in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridian of the liver. Functions: Dispelling wind, calming shock, detoxicating, and removing nebula, it’s often used for treatment of infantile convulsions, convulsions, corneal pannus, laryngitis, emphysema, and skin itching.

38

H. Ye et al.

Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Pregnant women shouldn’t take it.

3.7  Family: Colubridae 3.7.1  Zaocys dhummades [3] Chinese Name(s): Wu shao she Source: This medicine is made of the dried body of Zaocys dhummades (Zaocys dhummades (Cantor)) with the viscera removed. Distribution: It is mainly produced in provinces of Hunan, Hubei, Zhejiang, Guizhou, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Jiangsu, Anhui, Fujian, Taiwan, etc. Acquisition and Processing: The snakes are caught from the end of spring to the beginning of autumn. After removing their internal organs, they are rolled into a disc shape with their heads in the middle, smoked with firewood until scorched, and then taken out and dried in the sun.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Bovidae, Colubridae, Haliotidae, Physeteridae…

39

Medicinal Properties: The product is round in shape, with the head in the middle, and diameter of 10–20 cm; the head is compressed ovate; eyes are large and not invaginated; the body is slender, up to 100–200  cm when stretched, attenuated toward the tail; it’s dark brown or greenish ink on surfaces; the spine is high, with two lines of yellow or yellowish brown scales in the middle of the back, which are prismatic, outer two row of scales forming two black lines; the abdominal edge rolls inward; and the spine muscle is thick, yellowish white- or light brown-colored, with arranged ribs visible. It’s tough, slightly fishy in odor and slightly salty in taste. The products better in quality are entire, large, with skin, dark brown, yellowish white meat, solid, and mildew-free. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and salty in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridian of the liver. Functions: Dispelling wind, unblocking collateral, and resting convulsion, it’s often used for treatment of persistent rheumatic arthritis, stroke sequelae, tetanus, leprosy, scabies, rash, and sores. Use and Dosage: 9–12 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. The head and scales must be removed when used as medicine.

40

H. Ye et al.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Bovidae, Colubridae, Haliotidae, Physeteridae…

41

3.8  Family: Haliotidae 3.8.1  Haliotis diversicolor Shell Chinese Name(s): Shi jue ming and bao yu ke Source: This medicine is made of the shell of Haliotis diversicolor (Haliotis diversicolor Reeve). Distribution: It is mainly produced in the East China Sea and South China Sea, mainly in coastal areas of Guangdong, Fujian, and Hainan provinces. Acquisition and Processing: In summer and autumn, they are collected by shoveling from the low tide line or diving into the deepwater subtidal reef. The abalones are taken out, washed, and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The product is oval in shape with different sizes, usually 5–7 cm in length, 3–5 cm in width, and 1.5–2 cm in height; the outer surface is grayish brown with pink brown cloud spots, with left-handed thread and right-handed fine growth lines are interwoven; the top of the shell is obtuse and slightly protruding, with more than 20 verrucous protrusions arranged from the top to the right, with 8–9 small holes at the end, and the orifice is flat with the shell surface; the inner surface is smooth with pearl-like luster. It is hard and not easily broken, odorless, and slightly salty. The product better in quality are large, complete, clean, and with pearl-like luster. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridian of the liver. Functions: Calming the liver and suppressing Yang, clearing liver, and improving eyesight, it is often used for treatment of headache, dizziness, red eyes, ocula, blurred vision, glaucoma, and night blindness. Use and Dosage: 3–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Notes: According to the Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China, the dried shells of Haliotis discus hannai Ino, Haliotis ovina Gmelin, Haliotis ruber (Leach), Haliotis asinina Linnaeus, and Haliotis laevigata (Donovan) are also used as medicine with equal functions.

42

H. Ye et al.

3.9  Family: Physeteridae 3.9.1  Ambergris Chinese Name(s): Long xian xiang Source: This medicine is made of the dried product of intestinal pathological exudates of the Physeter catodon (Physeter catodon Linnaeus). Distribution: It is distributed in all oceans. In China, it is produced in the East China Sea and the South China Sea. Acquisition and Processing: When sperm whales are killed, the extract is taken from their intestines. Sperm whales sometimes discharge their intestinal contents out to the sea, or they can be fished in the sea after the death of old whales. Medicinal Properties: The product is an opaque wax-like lump of different sizes, up to 60 kg. The appearance is grayish black, rough, and covered with particles. It is light and brittle. The outer layer of the cross section is black gray, and the inner layer is black, grayish white, and grayish yellow. It chews like wax, sticks the teeth, and smells slightly fishy. The products better in quality are grayish black, light, and fragrant. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and sour in taste and warm in property. Functions: Promoting Qi and blood circulation, opening orifices, and relieving pain, it is often used for treatment of cough, dyspnea, pneumatosis, dizziness, and abdominal pain. Use and Dosage: 0.3–1 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Bovidae, Colubridae, Haliotidae, Physeteridae…

43

3.10  Family: Cypraeidae 3.10.1  Mauritia arabica Shell Chinese Name(s): Zi bei chi Source: This medicine is made of the shells of Mauritia arabica (Mauritia arabica (Linnaeus)). Distribution: It is distributed in the South China Sea, mainly produced in the coastal areas of Hainan, Guangdong, Fujian, and Taiwan. Acquisition and Processing: They are caught or picked in summer and autumn, washed, and dried in the sun, with the meat removed. Medicinal Properties: The product is ovate, 3–6  cm in length, 1.5–3  cm in width and 2 cm in height. It has a convex and round back covered with crisscross discontinuous brown stripes and white spots. The abdomen is flat. If the mouth of the shell is open, there are 22–26 pairs of teeth, which are brown, with 1 round hole

44

H. Ye et al.

at the end of each, and the inside of the shell is blue purple. It’s odorless and tasteless. The products better in quality are thick and glossy. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridian of the liver. Functions: Clearing the heart and resting the mind, calming the liver, and improving eyesight, it’s often used for treatment of palpitation, vexation, red eyes, dizziness, and rash. Use and Dosage: 6–12 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Bovidae, Colubridae, Haliotidae, Physeteridae…

45

3.11  Family: Cypraeidae 3.11.1  Monetaria annulus Shell Chinese Name(s): Bai bei chi Source: This medicine is made of the shells of Monetaria annulus (Monetaria annulus Linnaeus). Distribution: It is distributed in the South China Sea, mainly in Hainan Island and Paracel Islands. Acquisition and Processing: They are caught or picked up all year round, collected, and suffocated to make its meat rotten. Then they are washed with water to remove the residual meat and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: This product is ovate in shape, 1.2–2.5  cm in length, 2 cm in width, and 1.5 cm in height. The back is raised in the center, and the surrounding is low and flat. The surface is porcelain-like, yellow white, or gray white. There is an orange yellow oval ring on the back. Both sides of the shell are rolled inward. If the mouth of the shell is cracked, there are 10–14 pairs of teeth. It is odorless and tasteless. The white, bright, and small products are better in quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridian of the liver. Functions: Clearing the heart and resting the mind, calming the liver, and improving the eyesight, it’s often used for treatment of palpitation, vexation, infantile macular rash, and conjunctivitis. Use and Dosage: 6–12 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

46

H. Ye et al.

References 1. Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China (Part 1: 65) [S], The Medicine Science and Technology Press of China, 2015. 2. Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China (Part 1: 296) [S], The Medicine Science and Technology Press of China, 2015. 3. Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China (Part 1: 72) [S], The Medicine Science and Technology Press of China, 2015.

Chapter 4

Medicinal Angiosperms of Columbidae, Megascolecidae, Apidae, Buthidae, Cicadidae, Ostreae, Geoemydidae, Phasianidae, and Blattellidae Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

Contents 4.1  F  amily: Columbidae 4.1.1 Columba domesticus Feces 4.2  Family: Megascolecidae 4.2.1 Pheretima aspergillum 4.3  Family: Apidae 4.3.1 Xylocopa dissimilis 4.4  Family: Buthidae 4.4.1 Buthus martensii 4.5  Family: Cicadidae 4.5.1 Huechys sanguinea 4.6  Family: Ostreae 4.6.1 Ostrea rivularis Shell

 48  48  49  49  51  51  52  52  54  54  56  56

H. Ye (*) · F. Zeng · F. Wang · Y. Ye · L. Fu · J. Li South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] C. Li Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected] W. Ye Jinan University, Guangzhou, China F. Liu Huizhou Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Huizhou, China Y. Liu Faculty of Military Language Education, University of Defense Technology, Changsha, China © Chemical Industry Press 2022 H. Ye et al. (eds.), Common Chinese Materia Medica, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5924-9_4

47

48 4.7  F  amily: Geoemydidae 4.7.1 Chinemys reevesii Shell 4.8  Family: Phasianidae 4.8.1 Endothelium Corneum 4.9  Family: Erinaceinae 4.9.1 Erinaceus europaeus Skin 4.10  Family: Blattellidae 4.10.1 Opisthoplatia orientalis

H. Ye et al.  58  58  59  59  61  61  62  62

This chapter introduces ten species of medicinal animals in ten families, mainly including Columba domesticus feces of Columbidae, Pheretima aspergillum of Megascolecidae, Xylocopa dissimilis of Apidae, Buthus martensii of Buthidae, Huechys sanguinea of Cicadidae, Ostrea rivularis shell of Ostreae, Chinemys reevesii shell of Geoemydidae, endothelium corneum of Phasianidae, Erinaceus europaeus skin of Erinaceinae, Opisthoplatia orientalis of Blattellidae. This chapter introduces the scientific names, medicinal names, morphologies, habitats, distributions, acquisition and processing methods, medicinal properties, tastes, functions, use, and dosages of these medicinal plants, with clear original plant photos and part photos of herbal medicines of each plant.

4.1  Family: Columbidae 4.1.1  Columba domesticus Feces Chinese Name(s): Bai ge shi and zuo pan long Source: This medicine is made of the dried raw feces of Columba livia domestica (Columba livia domestica Linnaeus). Distribution: They are raised in most parts of the country. Acquisition and Processing: Pick up the raw feces of adult pigeons in the pigeonry on a sunny day, remove the impurities, and dry the feces in the sun. Medicinal Properties: This product is discoid or granular, 1.2–2 cm in diameter. If the feces are intact, they can be seen in a round strip shape, winding to the left, so they are called “zuo pan long”; the surface is gray white and gray green with feathers or millet. It’s brittle, smelly, and salty in taste. The products better in quality are large and with few broken pieces. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty and sweet in taste, slightly warm in property. Functions: Expelling wind, relieving swelling, producing fluid, and killing parasites, it is often used for treatment of abdominal mass, sores and carbuncle, and postpartum thirst. Use and Dosage: 10–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. It must be fried when used.

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Columbidae, Megascolecidae, Apidae, Buthidae…

49

Notes: This product is commonly used for women with postpartum dizziness, thirst, and poor appetite. Put it in an earthen pot, fry it until it is yellow and fragrant, add about 150 g water to the pot, and simmer for a while. The effect is remarkable.

4.2  Family: Megascolecidae 4.2.1  Pheretima aspergillum Chinese Name(s): Di long and guang di long Source: This medicine is made of the dried body of Pheretima aspergillum (Pheretima aspergillum (Perrier)), with the coelomic substance removed. Distribution: Guangdong, Guangxi, and Fujian. Acquisition and Processing: Qingming to Chushu is the peak season of capture. After catching, wash and fix the earthworms on the board with a cone, cut them lengthways to remove the contents, and spread them on the stony ground to dry quickly. Medicinal Properties: The product is long and thin, slightly curved, 13–25 cm long, 0.8–2 cm wide, slightly pointed on the head, obtuse in the tail, slightly curled inward on the edge, dark brown or brown on the back, and grayish brown on the inner surface; it is composed of more than 100 body segments, with dense segments at both ends, and a gray reproductive ring on one end; the body tube is thick and flexible, and the cross section is yellowish white. It is slightly fishy and slightly salty in taste. The products better in quality are big, fresh, and odorless. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the liver, spleen, and gallbladder. Functions: Clearing heat and calming convulsion, unblocking collaterals and relieving spasm, relieving asthma, and promoting diuresis, it’s often used for

50

H. Ye et al.

treatment of high fever, dizziness, convulsion, arthralgia, numbness of limbs, hemiplegia, cough and asthma due to lung heat, oliguria, edema, and hypertension. Use and Dosage: 5–10 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Notes: The product should be soaked in water with licorice before used. The dried body of Allolobophora caliginosa (Allolobophora caliginosa (Savigny) trapezoides (Ant. Duges)) is also used as medicine with the same efficacy, and its commercial name is “tu di long.”

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Columbidae, Megascolecidae, Apidae, Buthidae…

51

4.3  Family: Apidae 4.3.1  Xylocopa dissimilis Chinese Name(s): Zhu feng Source: This medicine is made of the dried body of Xylocopa dissimilis (Xylocopa dissimilis (Lep.)). Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, etc. Acquisition and Processing: In the morning and at noon of summer and autumn, when the bamboo bees fly out, they are trapped. Or in winter, when the bamboo bees hibernate in the bamboo tube, cut the bamboo and bake it to kill the bees and dry them. Medicinal Properties: The product is obtuse, round and fat, and 2–3 cm long, all covered with black pubescence; the back of the abdomen and chest is yellowish pubescent; the head is triangular; the base of wing is purplish blue, membranous, and glossy; and it has three pairs of feet, which are short, black, and hairy. The products better in quality are big, entire, and black. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and sour in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the stomach and large intestines. Functions: Clearing heat and resolving phlegm, relieving pain, dispelling wind, and calming shock, it’s often used for treatment of orifices blocking due to wind-­ phlegm, sore throat, mouth sores, and infantile convulsions. Use and Dosage: 2–4, or 2–3 g per dose, added with a little salt, mashed, held in the mouth, or dried and ground to powder and taken with water.

52

H. Ye et al.

4.4  Family: Buthidae 4.4.1  Buthus martensii Chinese Name(s): Quan xie Source: This medicine is made of the dried body of Buthus martensii (Buthus martensii Karsch). Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Henan, Anhui, Shandong, Hebei, Hubei, Hunan, and northern Guangdong. Acquisition and Processing: From spring to autumn, the scorpion is attracted by light and trapped. Put them in clear water to make them spit out the soil, take them out, put them in a pot with boiling water, add a small amount of salt, cook them until the scorpion tails are erect and the back is up, then rinse off the salt, and dry it in the sun or in shade. Medicinal Properties: The head, chest, and front abdomen of the product are compressed oblong, and the back abdomen is narrow cordate, with a body length of about 5–6 cm; the head and chest are greenish brown, with a pair of short claws and a pair of long clamps in the front, which are similar to crab claws; the back is covered with trapezoidal dorsal carapace; there are four pairs of abdominal feet, all of which are composed of seven segments, with two claw hooks on each end. The anterior abdomen consists of seven segments. There are five ridges on the dorsal carapace; the back is green brown, and the posterior abdomen is brown, composed of six segments with longitudinal grooves, and sharp hook-shaped stings on the distal segments. It is brittle and easily broken. There is black or brownish yellow residue after breaking. It’s slightly fishy and salty in taste. The products better in quality are large, entire, greenish brown colored, with less salt frost, light body, and less residue in abdomen.

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Columbidae, Megascolecidae, Apidae, Buthidae…

53

Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty and pungent in taste, neutral in property, and toxic and belongs to the meridian of the liver. Functions: Relieving wind and spasm, relieving poisoning and dispersing lumps, unblocking collaterals, and relieving pain, it’s often used for treatment of infantile convulsions, spasm, stroke, facial paralysis, hemiplegia, tetanus, headache, rash, sore, and boil. Use and Dosage: 3–5 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

54

H. Ye et al.

4.5  Family: Cicadidae 4.5.1  Huechys sanguinea Chinese Name(s): Hong niang zi, hong niang chong, hong nv, hong gu niang, and hong chan Source: This medicine is made of the dried body of Huechys sanguinea (Huechys sanguinea De Geer). Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces and regions of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, eastern China, and southwestern China. Acquisition and Processing: In summer and autumn, catch the bugs before the dew is dry in the morning. After catching, scald or steam them to death and take them out to dry. Medicinal Properties: The product looks like cicada but is much smaller. It is oblong in shape, slightly thinner on both ends, 1.6–2.5 cm long, and 0.4–0.7 cm wide in the middle. Its head, neck, and chest are dark brown; its compound eyes are large and slightly protruding; its mouth, shoulders, and abdomen are scarlet; its

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Columbidae, Megascolecidae, Apidae, Buthidae…

55

abdomen is composed of eight segments; its forewings are grayish black; its hind wings are light brown; the wings are longer than the abdomen; and there are three pairs of black feet on the chest, most of which are exfoliated. It’s light and fragile in quality and slightly smelly. The products better in quality are big, entire, with black wings, red belly, and fresh color. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter in taste, neutral in property, and extremely toxic. Functions: Promoting blood circulation and dispersing blood stasis, unblocking collaterals, and detoxifying, it’s often used for treatment of blood stasis, amenorrhea, abdominal mass, rabies bite, as well as for external treatment of scabies, sores, and scrofula. Use and Dosage: 0.15–0.3 g per dose. Use proper amount externally. Notes: This product is highly toxic and should not be taken by weak or pregnant people. To be used orally, it should be fried at first. Remove the head, feet, and wings, stir-fry them with rice until the rice is dark yellow, remove the rice by sieving, cool them, and set aside.

56

H. Ye et al.

4.6  Family: Ostreae 4.6.1  Ostrea rivularis Shell Chinese Name(s): Mu li Source: This medicine is made of the shell of Ostrea rivularis (Ostrea rivularis Gould). Distribution: It is distributed in the coastal areas of China, mainly in Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan provinces. Acquisition and Processing: It is produced throughout the year, especially in winter and spring. The shells of oysters are collected, washed, and dried. Medicinal Properties: The product is oblong, triangular, or irregular in shape, with different sizes and thicknesses, usually 10–20 cm long; the layer is clear on the surface, imbricate, grayish brown, or grayish white to dark gray; the inner surface is white and glossy; the shell is flat and thin on the right, concave, and thick on the left; the edges of the two sides are wavy, and the cross section is layered. It’s hard, odorless, and slightly salty in taste. The left side of shell is generally considered better than the right. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty and pungent in taste and slightly cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the liver, gallbladder, and kidneys. Functions: Tranquilizing the mind, subduing Yang and tonifying Yin, astringing, softening hardness, and dispersing lumps, it is often used for treatment of palpitation, insomnia, vertigo, tinnitus, scrofula, tuberculosis due to phlegm and fire, symptomatic mass, spontaneous perspiration, night sweat, spermatorrhea, stomach pain, and sour regurgitation. Use and Dosage: 9–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. It can be used raw or calcined. Calcination can enhance the efficacy of astringency. Notes: According to the Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China, the shells of Ostrea gigas Thunberg and Ostrea talienwhanensis Crosse can be used as medicine with the same efficacy.

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Columbidae, Megascolecidae, Apidae, Buthidae…

57

58

H. Ye et al.

4.7  Family: Geoemydidae 4.7.1  Chinemys reevesii Shell Chinese Name(s): Gui jia, xuan wu jia, and gui ban Source: This medicine is made of the plastron and carapace of Chinemys reevesii (Chinemys reevesii (Gray)). Distribution: It is distributed in provinces of Hubei, Anhui, Hunan, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, as well as in Sichuan, Shandong, Henan, Guangxi, Guangdong, etc. Acquisition and Processing: It is produced throughout the year, especially in summer and autumn. The Chinemys reevesii are caught, killed, or scalded to death with boiling water. Their plastrons and carapaces are peeled off, and the muscles are removed, before they are dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: This product is a rectangular ovate plate, usually 7–20 cm long, with a width of about half the length in the middle, 3–6 mm thick; the front end is slightly broad, with two semicircles or nearly truncated at the top; the back end sinks into a A-shape; the outer surface of the abdomen is yellowish brown to brown, sometimes purplish, and the inner surface is yellowish white to grayish white; the abdominal carapace consists of 12 symmetrical scales, and the scales are serrated, with wings on both sides which incline upward forming a bridge. It is hard in quality, the outer edge of the cross section is ivory white, and the inner part is milky white or fleshy red, with pores. It is slightly fishy in odor and slightly salty in taste. The products better in quality are large, entire, clean, and with no residual meat. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty and sweet in taste and slightly cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the liver, kidneys, and heart. Functions: Nourishing Yin and suppressing Yang, tonifying the kidneys, and strengthening the bone, it’s often used for treatment of febrile fever due to Yin deficiency, night sweating, dizziness, vacuity wind stirring internally, weakness of muscles and bones, and forgetfulness due to heart deficiency. Use and Dosage: 9–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Columbidae, Megascolecidae, Apidae, Buthidae…

59

4.8  Family: Phasianidae 4.8.1  Endothelium Corneum Chinese Name(s): Ji nei jin Source: This medicine is made of the intines of the gizzard of Gallus gallus domesticus (Gallus gallus domesticus Brisson). Distribution: It is distributed all over China. Acquisition and Processing: It’s produced all year round. Cut open the gizzard, peel off the intine while it is hot, wash, and dry it in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The product is irregular or a rolled sheet, 3.5–5 cm long, 3–5 cm wide, 2–3 mm thick, golden yellow, yellow, or green yellow, with many longitudinal wavy wrinkles. It is light and brittle, horny on the cross sections, and lustrous. It is slightly fishy in odor and slightly bitter in taste. The products large, complete, clean, and fresh-colored are better in quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen, stomach, small intestines, and bladder. Functions: Strengthening the stomach, promoting digestion, astringing, and arresting seminal emission, it’s often used for treatment of food stagnation, epigastric distension, infantile malnutrition, vomiting, diarrhea, enuresis, spermatorrhea, urolithiasis, etc. Use and Dosage: 6–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Notes: Occasionally, the intine of duck gizzard is used as a fraudulent substitute instead of that of the chicken. The intine of duck gizzard is thicker, with less strip

60

H. Ye et al.

wrinkles, purple green or purple black on the surface, mostly broken, and fishy, which makes it different from the intines of chicken gizzard.

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Columbidae, Megascolecidae, Apidae, Buthidae…

61

4.9  Family: Erinaceinae 4.9.1  Erinaceus europaeus Skin Chinese Name(s): Ci wei pi Source: This medicine is made of dry spiny hide of Erinaceus europaeus (Erinaceus europaeus Linnaeus). Distribution: It is distributed in northern China, northeastern China, central China, and northern Guangdong. Acquisition and Processing: In autumn and early winter, hedgehogs are caught before hibernation, peeled and the hide turned over, then lime powder is sprinkled with on the endothelium, and the hide is dried in cold wind. Medicinal Properties: This product is in the shape of irregular polygonal spiny brush, strip, tube or block, 10–30  cm long, and densely covered with yellowish brown or grayish white hard quills on the surface; the basal quills are protruding; the inner surface is grayish brown, with muscle residue. It has a special fishy smell. The products better in quality are large, free of muscle residue, with clean and odorless spines. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter in taste and neutral in property, and belongs to meridians of the stomach, large intestines, and kidneys. Functions: Astringing and stopping bleeding, detoxicating, and relieving pain, it’s often used for treatment of nausea, abdominal pain, hemorrhoids, hemafecia, and frequent urination. Use and Dosage: 10–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. The medicine should be stir-fried before used as medicine. Notes: The skin of the Hemiechinus dauricus (Hemiechnus dauricus Sundevall) and Hemiechinus auritus (Hemiechnus auritus Gmelin) are also used as medicine with the same efficacy.

62

H. Ye et al.

4.10  Family: Blattellidae 4.10.1  Opisthoplatia orientalis Chinese Name(s): Jin bian tu bie Source: This medicine is made of dried body of female Opisthoplatia orientalis (Opisthoplatia orientalis Burm.). Distribution: It is distributed in provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Hainan, etc., especially in the eastern coastal areas of Guangdong. Acquisition and Processing: In summer and autumn, the females are caught when they are plump. After catching, the insects are scalded to death with hot water, dried in the sun or over fire. Medicinal Properties: The product is ovate, slightly inward curved, and 3–4 cm long and looks like a Trionyx sinensis. Its back is brown, glossy, and crustacean in shape; the head is located under the front chest backplane; the eyes are not obvious, with a pair of wired antennae, which mostly fall off. The whole body is composed of ten transverse, imbricate segments; the first segment is wide, the edge is light yellowish green, and the edge of the following nine segments is reddish brown; each segment has serrations, and there are two pairs of wings on each side the second and third segments; there are three pairs of feet on the chest and spines on the lower edge of the leg. The egg sheath is usually bean-shaped in the abdomen. It is light weighted and fishy in taste. The products better in quality are large and complete, with black brown luster, light weighted, and odorless. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty in taste and cold in property and a little toxic and belongs to meridian of the liver.

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Columbidae, Megascolecidae, Apidae, Buthidae…

63

Functions: Drastically removing blood stasis and joining sinew and bones it’s often used for treatment of amenorrhea due to blood stasis and muscle and bone fracture. Use and Dosage: 3–10  g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Pregnant women and patients without blood stasis should not use it. Notes: This product is habitually used in some parts of Guangdong, and it is different from the original animal in the Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China. The latter is the dry body of Eupolyphaga sinensis Walker or Steleophaga plancy I (Boleny). The two insects are similar in property and efficacy.

Chapter 5

Medicinal Angiosperms of Myrmeleontidae, Elapidae, Sciaenidae, Canidae, Vespertilionidae, Cheloniidae, Pteriidae, Tabanidae, Manidae, and Gekkonidae Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li Contents 5.1  Family: Myrmeleontidae 5.1.1 Myrmeleon formicarius 5.2  Elapidae 5.2.1 Bungarus multicinctus  5.3  Sciaenidae 5.3.1 Pseudosciaena crocea 5.4  Canidae 5.4.1 Penis et Testis Canis 5.5  Vespertilionidae 5.5.1 Bat Dung  5.6  Cheloniidae 5.6.1 Eretmochelys imbricata Shell

 66  66  67  67  69  69  70  70  72  72  73  73

H. Ye (*) · F. Zeng · F. Wang · Y. Ye · L. Fu · J. Li South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] C. Li Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected] W. Ye Jinan University, Guangzhou, China F. Liu Huizhou Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Huizhou, China Y. Liu Faculty of Military Language Education, University of Defense Technology, Changsha, China © Chemical Industry Press 2022 H. Ye et al. (eds.), Common Chinese Materia Medica, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5924-9_5

65

66 5.7  P  teriidae 5.7.1 Pearl 5.8  Tabanidae 5.8.1 Tabanus signatipennis 5.9  Manidae 5.9.1 Manis pentadactyla Scale 5.10  Gekkonidae 5.10.1 Gekko gecko 5.11  Gekkonidae 5.11.1 Gekko subpalmatus

H. Ye et al.  74  74  76  76  78  78  80  80  83  83

This chapter introduces 11 species of medicinal animals in 10 families, mainly including Myrmeleon formicarius of Myrmeleontidae, Bungarus multicinctus of Elapidae, Pseudosciaena crocea of Sciaenidae, penis et testis canis of Canidae, bat Dung of Vespertilionidae, Eretmochelys imbricata shell of Cheloniidae, pearl of Pteriidae, Tabanus signatipennis of Tabanidae, Manis pentadactyla scale of Manidae, Gekko gecko, and Gekko subpalmatus of Gekkonidae. This chapter introduces the scientific names, medicinal names, morphologies, habitats, distributions, acquisition and processing methods, medicinal properties, tastes, functions, use, and dosages of these medicinal plants, with clear original plant photos and part photos of herbal medicines of each plant.

5.1  Family: Myrmeleontidae 5.1.1  Myrmeleon formicarius Chinese Name(s): Jin sha niu and yi shi Source: This medicine is made of dried body of Myrmeleon formicarius (Myrmeleon formicarius Linnaeus) larva. Distribution: It is distributed in provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Shandong, Sichuan, Zhejiang, Hunan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Hainan, etc. Acquisition and Processing: The larvae are caught all year round. In summer and autumn, the sand in their habitats is shoveled up, and the larvae are sifted out and then sautéed on slow fire until they are swollen. Medicinal Properties: This product is grain-shaped, 7–15 mm long, and yellowish brown with dark brown spots; the head is flat and large; the mouth is wellgrown, with one pair of upper jaws, which is flat and long, curved like a claw; the chest is large; there are ten segments on the abdomen; the chest and abdomen are swollen or slightly expanded, shortly hairy on both sides, and with stings on the end; and there are three pairs of feet, the middle foot of which is the longest, and most of them are fallen off during capture and processing. It is light and brittle, slightly fishy in odor, and slightly salty in taste. The products better in quality are big, in full-­ length, yellowish brown, slight expanded, and sand-free.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Myrmeleontidae, Elapidae, Sciaenidae, Canidae…

67

Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and salty in taste and warm in property and belongs to meridians of the kidneys and bladder. Functions: Bringing down fever, relieving spasm, dispersing lump, promoting diuresis, curing strangury, and healing sore, it’s often used for treatment of children with high fever, urolithiasis, dysuria, scrofula, and sores. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use or ground to powder and taken with water.

5.2  Elapidae 5.2.1  Bungarus multicinctus Chinese Name(s): Jin qian bai hua she and Guangdong bai hua she Source: This medicine is made of the dried body of the Bungarus multicinctus(Bungarus multicinctus Blyth) snakelet, with the internal organs removed. Distribution: It is mainly distributed in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Hunan, Guizhou, Hainan, and Yunnan provinces in China, with Shantou and Mei County in Guangdong Province being the major areas of production. It can be wild or domesticated. Acquisition and Processing: After the snakelets are caught in summer and autumn, their venomous fangs are removed and abdomens cut open. The bodies are hollowed out before soaked in 75% ethanol, with the blood smears cleaned up. The bodies are curled around the heads, with the tips of the tails inserted in the mouths. After fixing the shape with thin bamboo sticks, the snakelets are roasted at low temperature or dried. Medicinal Properties: It curls in the shape of a disk and 3 cm in diameter, with the head in the center and tail in the mouth. The head is elliptical and black or greyish black, with many white circles. The back ridge is protrusive and glossy, with fine and dense scales. The abdomen is yellowish white, with slightly bigger scales and

68

H. Ye et al.

scattered dark specks. It smells fishy and tastes a bit salty. Products better in quality are with intact heads and tails, look shiny, and shaped like coin-size disks. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is sweet and salty in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridian of the liver. Functions: Dispelling wind, dredging collaterals, and stopping spasms, it is used to treat rheumatism, numbness, slanting of mouth and eyes due to stroke, hemiplegia, convulsions, tetanus, leprosy, scabies, and scrofulous bores. Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use, with the head and scales removed. The head is venomous.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Myrmeleontidae, Elapidae, Sciaenidae, Canidae…

69

5.3  Sciaenidae 5.3.1  Pseudosciaena crocea Chinese Name(s): Yu nao shi Source: This medicine is made of the otolith in the head bone of Pseudosciaena crocea (Pseudosciaena crocea (Richardson)). Distribution: It is distributed along the coastline of the south Yellow Sea of China, all the way down to the South Sea. The main producers are the Zhoushan Islands and coastal areas in Shandong, Guangdong, and Hainan. Acquisition and Processing: The fish is caught in the flood season during summer and autumn. Their heads are opened to retrieve the otolith which is then cleaned and dried. The medicine is a by-product of dried fish processing. Medicinal Properties: The medicine is ellipsoid, with three ridges, porcelain white, 1.5–2 cm long, 0.8–1.8 cm wide, broadly circular on one end, and slender on the other. The inner rim and outer rim are arc-shaped, with a convex at the back and transverse arc-shaped marks. The ventral side is flat, with an imprinting like a tadpole. One tip slightly rises until the frontal edge. There is a round protrusion on the broadly circular section. The border furrow is wide and short, conspicuous, on the inner side edge of the ventral side. The medicine is solid, with light smell and slightly astringent. The big, white, and clean ones are good in quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is salty and neutral in property. It belongs to the spleen meridian. Functions: Dissolving stone, dredging lymph, and reducing swelling, it is used for the treatment of urolithiasis, adverse urination, earache with purulence, nasosinusitis, and cerebrospinal leak. Use and Dosage: 5–12 g per dose, used raw or roasted.

70

H. Ye et al.

Prescription example(s): It is used in the same way as the otolith of Pseudosciaena polyactis Bleeker, with identical medicinal efficacy.

5.4  Canidae 5.4.1  Penis et Testis Canis Chinese Name(s): Gou bian Source: This medicine is made of the dried penis of Canis familiaris Linnaeus with testicles. Distribution: It is produced all over the country, especially in Guangdong and Guangxi. The dogs are all raised. Acquisition and Processing: The penis with the testicles is cut off, when slaughtering male dogs. The fats and residual flesh are removed and the penis and testicles cleaned and dried. Medicinal Properties: This medicine is stick-shaped, 10–15 cm long, 1.5–2.5 cm in girth, brownish red, and glossy. The tip is lightly slender, with corrugated prepuce. Near the lower section are two elliptical testicles, with irregular creases. The

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Myrmeleontidae, Elapidae, Sciaenidae, Canidae…

71

penis is stiff and hard to break, smelling like raw meat. The big colored ones with testicles are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is sweet, salty in taste, and warm in property. It belongs to the kidneys’ meridian. Functions: Warming and tonifying kidney Yang and nourishing essence and strengthening Yang, it is used for the treatment of kidney Yang weakness, impotence, spermatorrhea, waist and knee weakness, and leukorrhagia. Use and Dosage: 3–10 g per dose or a whole one, decocted in water for oral use.

72

H. Ye et al.

5.5  Vespertilionidae 5.5.1  Bat Dung Chinese Name(s): Ye ming sha Source: This medicine is made of the dried feces of Vespertilio superans Thomas. Distribution: It is produced in northern, northeastern, eastern, and south-­ central China. Acquisition and Processing: They are collected throughout the year, preferably in summer and autumn. The moldless feces of the year are swept together. The impurities are removed before is the feces are dried up. Medicinal Properties: This medicine is an oblong granule with the two ends slightly pointy, 4–7 mm long, 1.5–2 mm in diameter, brown or greyish brown, with rough surface, and easily broken into irregular particles or powder. It is light and loose, slightly smelly, bitter, and hot in taste. The intact granules which are light, slightly glossy, and without impurities are good in quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is slightly bitter, hot in taste, and cold in property. It belongs to the meridian of the liver. Functions: Brightening eyes, reducing nebula, dispersing blood stasis, and removing food retention, it is used to eliminate scrofula and treat blind eyes and nebula, abdominal pain, food retention, palpitation, and malnutrition. Use and Dosage: 5–10 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Myrmeleontidae, Elapidae, Sciaenidae, Canidae…

73

5.6  Cheloniidae 5.6.1  Eretmochelys imbricata Shell Chinese Name(s): Dai mao Source: This medicine is made of the back shell of Eretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus). Distribution: It is produced in the seas near Shandong, Jiangsu, Fujian, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Hainan, and Taiwan provinces. Acquisition and Processing: The turtles are caught throughout the year. After being caught, they are hanged upside down, and boiling rice vinegar is poured on their back to peel off the back shells. The residual meat is removed and the shells cleaned up and dried. Medicinal Properties: The product is rectangular, scallop-shaped, lozenge, or rectangular-globular tablets which are 7–32 cm long, 9–36 cm wide, and 0.1–0.5 cm thick. The rims are thinner and the center thicker. The exterior is yellow-brown or brown, smooth and shiny, and semitransparent with black, brown-yellow, or creamy yellow patches or cloud patterns. The inner surface has many white stripes and spots. It is pliable but strong and hard to break. The incised surface is corneous. When burned, it is flameless but smells burnt. Otherwise, it smells fishy or has no

74

H. Ye et al.

smell. The taste of it is bland. The big, thick, and transparent ones with clear grains are good in quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is sweet, salty in taste, and cold in nature. It belongs to the heart and liver meridians. Functions: Clearing heat, detoxifying, and calming spirit and livers, the medicine is used to treat dizziness caused by fever, delirium, convulsion, seizures in children, and carbuncle-abscess. Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, made into pills for oral use. Note: With the back shell made up of 13 scutes, the Eretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus) is given the nickname of 13 scutes.

5.7  Pteriidae 5.7.1  Pearl Chinese Name(s): Zhen zhu Source: This medicine is made of the pearls formed by Pteria martensii (Dunker), Hyriopsis cumingii (Lea), or Cristaria plicata (Leach). Distribution: It is mainly produced in the coastal regions in Guangxi, Guangdong, Hainan, and provinces including Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui. Acquisition and Processing: Natural pearls can be harvested throughout the year, with the peak seasons in autumn and winter. The domesticated oysters older than 2 years are often harvested in winter to collect pearls. Medicinal Properties: The pearls are in two categories—natural and raised. Natural pearls are cylindrical, elliptical, subglobular or irregularly spherical, 0.1–0.5 cm in diameter, jade-white on the surface, glittering and translucent, and semitransparent, with beautiful luster. They are hard, unbreakable, the cross sections are lamellar. They have no smell and taste bland. The big, round, glittering, translucent, and jade-white ones are good in quality. The raised pearls are subglobular, rectangular-oblong, or rice grain-shaped, often slightly tabulate. There are luster

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Myrmeleontidae, Elapidae, Sciaenidae, Canidae…

75

or wrinkles on the surface, shimmering, colorful (silver white, yellowish white, pinkish, bluish, or yellowish), and occasionally with black specks. They are easily breakable, and the cross sections are lamellar. They have no smell and taste bland. The spherical, purely jade-white, smooth, and lustrous ones are good in quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is sweet, salty in taste, and cold in property. It belongs to the heart and liver meridians. Functions: Calming the spirit and palpitation, brightening eyes and reducing nebula, detoxifying and encouraging flesh growth, clearing heat, and dissipating phlegm, it is used to treat palpitation and insomnia, infantile convulsion, epilepsy, and long-lasting ulcers. Use and Dosage: 0.3–0.6 g per dose, made into pills. For external use, sprinkle proper amount on the affected area. Grind the pearls into fine powder while adding water. Prescription example(s): The shells of Pteria martensii Dunker can also be made into medicine, usually processed into fine powder called nacre powder.

76

H. Ye et al.

5.8  Tabanidae 5.8.1  Tabanus signatipennis Chinese Name(s): Mang chong Source: This medicine is made of the dried bodies of female adult Tabanus signatipennis Portsch. Distribution: It is distributed in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Shandong provinces. Acquisition and Processing: The insects are caught in summer and autumn. After killed in boiling water, they are dried in the sun or in shade. Beware, the blood sucked into the stomach by the insect should be kept in. Medicinal Properties: This medicine looks like large flies, 15–18  mm long, with broad head, big compound eyes, and stout antenna. The wings are transparent, longer than the abdomen. The thorax and the tergites are greyish black, with long white setae and five blackish longitudinal lines stretching to the rear of the metathorax. The abdomen is conical, with six segments, the 1–5 of which bear large and conspicuous triangular speckles in the center and rhombus white speckles on the sides. The downside of the abdomen is light gray, with a dark gray streak and yellowish platbands near the rear of the segments. It is light and fragile. It smells fishy and tastes slightly salty. The dry, big, and intact ones are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is bitter, cold, and poisonous. It belongs to the liver meridian. Functions: Purging blood stasis, reducing lump, and stimulating menstrual flow, it is used to treat blood stasis, stagnation of menstruation, hemoglobin in lower abdomen, abdominal mass, and lump. Use and Dosage: 1–1.5 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. The head, feet, and wings should be removed. Women during pregnancy should not use it.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Myrmeleontidae, Elapidae, Sciaenidae, Canidae…

77

Prescription example(s): The female Arylotus bivittateinus Takahasi, Tabanus yao Macquart, and Tabanus trigeminus Coquillett can all be made into this medicine.

78

H. Ye et al.

5.9  Manidae 5.9.1  Manis pentadactyla Scale Chinese Name(s): Chuan shan jia Source: This medicine is made of the scales of Manis pentadactyla Linnaeus. Distribution: It is distributed in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Hunan provinces. It is also produced in southeastern Asia and Africa. Acquisition and Processing: Manis pentadactyla Linnaeus can be caught all year round, especially in spring and autumn. After caught, they are boiled for a while before their scales are peeled of which are then dried. Medicinal Properties: This medicine is an arc-shaped, triangular, peltate or lozenge flake, or folded flake. The center is thicker than the edges. The shapes and sizes vary. The exterior is blackish brown or yellow-brown, and glossy, with tens of regular longitudinal streaks and several inconspicuous transverse ones. The narrower end is smooth. The interior surface is light brown, with a conspicuous protruding arcuate transverse ridge and fine grains parallel to the ridges at the bottom. It is corneous, semi-clear, firm, and hard to break. It smells slightly fishy and tastes bland. The evenly large, brown, odorless ones without residual flesh are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is salty in taste and cold in property. It belongs to the liver and stomach meridians. Functions: Stimulating menstrual flow and lactation, reducing swelling, encouraging apocenosis, expelling wind, and dredging collateral, it is used to treat amenorrhea, uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts, galactostasis, carbuncle, furuncle, arthralgia, numbness, and spasm. Use and Dosage: 5–12 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external use, grind it into powder and apply to the infected area. Sauté it with sand before taking it.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Myrmeleontidae, Elapidae, Sciaenidae, Canidae…

79

80

H. Ye et al.

5.10  Gekkonidae 5.10.1  Gekko gecko Chinese Name(s): Ge jie Source: This medicine is made of the dried body of Gekko gecko Linnaeus with the internal organs removed. Distribution: It is distributed in provinces including Guangxi, Yunnan, Guangdong, Guizhou, Fujian, and Jiangxi. It is also produced in southeastern Asia. Acquisition and Processing: Summer and autumn are the best seasons for catching Gekko gecko Linnaeus. After being caught, it is killed by hitting on the head, and the body is opened by a longitudinal cut from the anus to the throat. After the body is hollowed out, blood smears are wiped away (do not rinse) to make the body flat and straight and keep the tail and toes intact. It is dried with charcoal fire at low temperatures. Medicinal Properties: This medicine is a flat tablet, with rounded or polygon glossy fine scales all over the body. The body, including the head, neck, and torso, is 9–18 cm long and 6–11 cm wide, and the tail is 6–12 cm long. The head is slightly flat and triangular, and the eyes are concave, like two holes. Inside the mouth, there are toothlets along the endognath, but not irregular canine teeth. The mouth scales

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Myrmeleontidae, Elapidae, Sciaenidae, Canidae…

81

are connected to the nose scale, and the back is gray-black or silver gray, with yellowish white or grayish white spots and grains scattered on it. The vertebra and ribs are protruding. There are five toes on each of the four feet, with webs connecting them. There are adhesive pads at the bottom of the toes. The tail, in the same color as the back, is long and firm, with slightly conspicuous joints and seven silver bands. It smells fishy and tastes slightly salty. The big ones with intact tails are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is salty in taste and warm in property. It belongs to the meridians of the lungs and kidneys. Functions: Warming the lungs, nourishing the kidneys, absorbing Qi, calming panting, supporting Yang, and boosting sperm production, it is used to treat dyspnea of deficiency type, polypnea, internal lesion caused by overexertion, coughing up blood, and impotence nocturnal emission. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use, with head and scales removed.

82

H. Ye et al.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Myrmeleontidae, Elapidae, Sciaenidae, Canidae…

83

5.11  Gekkonidae 5.11.1  Gekko subpalmatus Chinese name(s): Yan she gan, Bi hu, Tian long, and Shou gong Source: This medicine is made of the dried body of Gekko subpalmatus Guenther and other species of the same genus. Distribution: It is distributed in southern provinces in China, especially in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi. Acquisition and Processing: Gekko subpalmatus Guenther can be caught throughout the year, with summer and autumn in particular. After being caught, it is killed with hot water or suffocated. It is then dried or roasted. Processing methods also include removing the internal organs and stretching the body with bamboo sticks before drying in the sun. Medicinal Properties: This medicine is the dried body of Gekko subpalmatus Guenther, flexed and stiff, slightly flat, and 11–13 cm long, with subtriangular wide and round mouth and thick tongue. There are dense fine toothlets along the jaw. The skull and the eye sockets are convex. There are dark gray or gray white spots on the back which is densely covered with beady scales and with no warts. The limbs are short, with five toes, with claws except on the first toe. The toes are interconnected with webs, and there are adhesive pads under them. It is smelly slightly fishy and tastes salty. The intact, big, dry, pure-colored ones with no smell are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is salty in taste, cold in property, and slightly poisonous. It belongs to the heart and liver meridians. Functions: Dispelling wind, resolving spasm, remove phlegm, and dissipating binds, it is used to treat paralysis due to stroke, inability to raise limbs, infantile malnutrition, tetanus, tumors, and scorpion stings. Use and Dosage: 3–5 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. The physically weak patients and pregnant women should use it with caution.

Chapter 6

Medicinal Angiosperms of Felidae, Syngnathidae, Melitaeidae, Goniasteridae, Pegasidae, Sepiidae, Turbinidae, Mantidae, and Cervidae Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

Contents 6.1  F  elidae 6.1.1  Panthera pardus None 6.2  Syngnathidae 6.2.1  Hippocampus kelloggi 6.3  Syngnathidae 6.3.1  Solenognathus hardwickii 6.4  Melitaeidae 6.4.1  Melitodes squamata Nutting 6.5  Goniasteridae 6.5.1  Stellaster equestris 6.6  Pegasidae 6.6.1  Pegasus laternarius 6.7  Sepiidae 6.7.1  Sepiella maindroni Internal Shell

 86  86  88  88  91  91  94  94  95  95  96  96  97  97

H. Ye (*) · F. Zeng · F. Wang · Y. Ye · L. Fu · J. Li South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] C. Li Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected] W. Ye Jinan University, Guangzhou, China F. Liu Huizhou Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Huizhou, China Y. Liu Faculty of Military Language Education, University of Defense Technology, Changsha, China © Chemical Industry Press 2022 H. Ye et al. (eds.), Common Chinese Materia Medica, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5924-9_6

85

86 6.8  Turbinidae 6.8.1  Turbo cornutus Operculum 6.9  Mantidae 6.9.1  Tenodera sinensis Ootheca 6.10  Cervidae 6.10.1  Cervus nippon Antlers 6.11  Cervidae 6.11.1  Moschus Secreta

H. Ye et al.  99  99  100  100  103  103  106  106

This chapter introduces 11 species of medicinal animals in 9 families, mainly including Panthera pardus bone of Felidae, Hippocampus kelloggi of Syngnathidae, Solenognathus hardwickii, Melitodes squamata Nutting of Melitaeidae, Stellaster equestris of Goniasteridae, Pegasus laternarius of Pegasidae, Sepiella maindroni internal shell of Sepiidae, Turbo cornutus operculum of Turbinidae, Tenodera sinensis ootheca of Mantidae, Cervus nippon antlers, and Moschus secreta of Cervidae. This chapter introduces the scientific names, medicinal names, morphologies, habitats, distributions, acquisition and processing methods, medicinal properties, tastes, functions, use, and dosages of these medicinal plants, with clear original plant photos and part photos of herbal medicines of each plant.

6.1  Felidae 6.1.1  Panthera pardus None Chinese name(s): Bao gu Source: This medicine is made of the dried skeleton of Panthera pardus Linnaeus. Distribution: It is produced in places including northeastern China, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangdong, Guangxi, Qinghai and Tibet. Acquisition and Processing: The Panthera pardus Linnaeus is hunted in mostly in winter. After it is killed, the skeleton is taken, with the remaining flesh and fascia completely removed, and dried in cold wind. Medicinal Properties: The skeleton is in segments, or 19 different types of bones, i.e., the head, the cervical vertebra, the thoracic vertebra, the costa, the sternum, the lumbar vertebra, the caudal vertebra, the scapulae, the fore-claws, the back claws, the fibula, the patella, the femur, the hip, the radius, the ulna, the humerus, the sacrum, and the tibia. The skull is oblong and the mouth is narrow. The sclerotin is thin, while the frontal bone is convex. The canine teeth are fine and small, in old rust color, and sharp. The molars are in a form of rolling hills. The limb bones are

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Felidae, Syngnathidae, Melitaeidae, Goniasteridae…

87

thin and long, with a fan-like half-circular scapula on either side of the fore legs. The lower sections of the foreleg bones are long and narrow, with a row of holes, known as the “phoenix’s eyes.” The keel bones are thin, slightly arc-shaped, and extremely flat in the middle. The patellas are flat and elliptical, slightly flexed. The frontal section is thick, while the other end is thin. The marrow is like loofah sponge. The caudal vertebra is thin, in as many as 36 discs. It smells fishy and tastes salty. The big heavy, stiff skeletons with flesh and tendon completely removed are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is pungent in taste and warm in property. It belongs to the liver and kidney meridians. Functions: Reinforcing the bones, dispersing rheumatism, and stopping pains, it is often used to treat tendon and bone pain and weak waist and legs. Use and Dosage: 10–15 g per dose, decocted in water or alcohol for oral use, or sautéed before taking. Prescription Examples: The bones of Neofelis nebulosa Griffith can also be made into this medicine whose efficacy is the same as that made from Panthera pardus Linnaeus.

88

H. Ye et al.

6.2  Syngnathidae 6.2.1  Hippocampus kelloggi Chinese name(s): Hai ma Source: This medicine is made of the dried body of Hippocampus kelloggi Jordan and Snyder. Distribution: It is mainly distributed in the East Sea and the South Sea of China. It is produced in southeastern Asian countries. Acquisition and Processing: Hippocampus kelloggi Jordan and Snyder can be caught all year round, especially in the flooding season in autumn. After it is caught, the membrana dermalis and the internal organs are removed and the tail curled up before it is dried. Medicinal Properties: It is flat, long, and curved, 15–30  cm long, yellowish white, or grayish brown. The head resembles that of a horse, with a coronal convex. The eyes are deeply concave. There is a long tubular proboscis in the front. The mouth is small and toothless. There are seven longitudinal ridges on the torso, intersecting with the transverse ridges to form some corrugated grids with short acanthae. There are four longitudinal ridges on the tail, curving toward the abdomen. The tail bears rectangular nodes, tapering toward the tail tip. It is light in weight and stiff. It smells fishy and tastes slightly salty. The big, yellow white ones with head and tail intact are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is sweet in taste and warm in property. It belongs to the liver and kidneys meridians. Functions: Warming the kidneys, nourishing Yang, dissipating binds, and subsiding swellings, it is often used to treat impotence, spermatorrhea, uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts, asthma of kidney deficiency, and injury of fall. When used externally, it treats carbuncles and furuncles. Use and Dosage: 3–12 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Note: Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China records a total of five species of seahorses. Apart from Hippocampus kelloggi Jordan and Snyder, there are also Hippocampus histrix Kaup, Hippocampus kuda Bleeker, Hippocampus trimaculatus Leach, and Hippocampus japonicus Kaup.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Felidae, Syngnathidae, Melitaeidae, Goniasteridae…

89

90

H. Ye et al.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Felidae, Syngnathidae, Melitaeidae, Goniasteridae…

91

6.3  Syngnathidae 6.3.1  Solenognathus hardwickii Chinese name(s): Hai long Source: This medicine is made of the dried body of Solenognathus hardwickii (Gray). Distribution: It is distributed in the South Sea of China, mainly in the coastal areas in Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Fujian, and Taiwan. It is also produced in Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, and Australia. Acquisition and Processing: Solenognathus hardwickii (Gray) can be caught all year round. After it is caught, the membrana dermalis and the internal organs are removed. The body is then cleaned and dried. Medicinal Properties: This medicine is in a long strip, slightly flat 30–50 cm long, yellowish white or gray white on the outside. There is a tubular proboscis in the front of the head. The mouth is small, with fine teeth on the up and down sides. The eyes are round and deeply concave. The gill covers are protruding. The head and the axis of the body form an obtuse angle. The torso is five-ridged. The front of the tail is six-ridged, tapering toward the tip which is four-ridged. The tail is curly. The whole body is covered with protruding circular patterns which are in alignment and slightly radial. There are two rows of gray black spots along the back ridge. The dorsal fin is in the front of the caudal back and long, bony, and stiff. There is no tail fin. The medicine is bony and stiff. It smells fishy and tastes salty. The big, white ones with intact head and tail are in good quality.

92

H. Ye et al.

Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is sweet, salty in taste, and warm in property. It belongs to the liver and kidney meridians. Functions: Nourishing the kidneys, strengthening Yang, dissipating binds, and subsiding swelling, it is often used to treat impotence, spermatorrhea, uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts, phlegm node from scrofula, and injury of fall. When used externally, it treats carbuncles and furuncles. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water or soak in alcohol for oral use. For external use, grind it into powder and apply to the affected areas. Note: According to Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China, the dried bodies of Syngnathoides biaculeatus (Bloch) and Syngnathus acus Linnaeus can also be made into the medicine.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Felidae, Syngnathidae, Melitaeidae, Goniasteridae…

93

94

H. Ye et al.

6.4  Melitaeidae 6.4.1  Melitodes squamata Nutting Chinese Name(s): Hai di bai Source: This medicine is made of the calcareous skeleton of Melitodes squamata Nutting. Distribution: It is distributed in the shallow seas in Guangdong and Hainan provinces. It is also produced in places like Indonesia. Acquisition and Processing: Melitodes squamata Nutting can be caught all year round with fishnet or by diving. After it is caught, it is rinsed with fresh water and dried.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Felidae, Syngnathidae, Melitaeidae, Goniasteridae…

95

Medicinal Properties: This medicine is cypress-like, ember, and rough. The trunk is cylindrical, 25–70 cm long, and 1–4 cm in diameter, with globular plates. The branches are alternate, often dichotomous. It is unevenly thick, tapering toward the far end. An intact branching system is fan-like. It is stiff and fragile, easily broken along the edges of the plates. The sectional surfaces are not smooth, with one convex the other concave and both having irregular pores. It smells fishy and tastes a little salty. The ones which are ember and evenly branched are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is salty, sweet in taste, and neutral in property. It belongs to the meridian of lungs. Functions: Curing lungs, stopping bleeding, and arresting convulsion, it is often used to treat tuberculosis, hematemesis, and children’s convulsion. Use and Dosage: 10–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Note: The calcareous skeleton of Melitodes ochracea (Linnaeus) can also be made into this medicine.

6.5  Goniasteridae 6.5.1  Stellaster equestris Chinese name(s): Hai xing Source: This medicine is made of the dried body of Stellaster equestris (Retzius). Distribution: It is distributed in coastal areas in provinces including Guangdong, Hainan, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Shandong. Acquisition and Processing: Stellaster equestris (Retzius) can be caught all year round, usually as by-products of fishing. After being caught, it is cleaned with fresh water and dried. Medicinal Properties: This medicine is a pentagram and yellowish white. The central disc is large and the rays are wide. The tips of the rays are sometimes upwardly curved and acuminate. One side of Stellaster equestris (Retzius) is flat, while the other side is slightly concave in the center. Five crevices stretch from the

96

H. Ye et al.

center to the tip of the rays, forming five unequilateral triangles. The body is densely covered in fine granular spines, with many transverse lines along the edges. It smells slightly fishy and tastes salty. The intact, yellow white ones with no salt efflorescence are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is salty in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Softening hard masses and dispersing goiters, it is often used to treat thyroid enlargement. Use and Dosage: 9–12 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

6.6  Pegasidae 6.6.1  Pegasus laternarius Chinese name(s): Hai ma que Source: This medicine is made of the dried body of Pegasus laternarius Cuvier. Distribution: It is distributed in coastal regions in Guangdong, especially Chaoyang and Huilai areas. Acquisition and Processing: Pegasus laternarius Cuvier often swim in large schools of fishes in the catching seasons in summer and autumn. After the fishes are caught in the net, the Pegasus laternarius Cuvier are picked out, cleaned, and dried. Medicinal Properties: This medicine looks like a sparrow, gray or grayish yellow, 5–8 cm in total length. The proboscis is pointy and the ocular skeleton is protruding. The torso is wide and flat and the abdomen flat. There are four back ridges, intersection with four to five transverse ridges to form corrugations. There are four longitudinal ridges on the tail which are nodular, rectangular columnar, tapering toward the tip. It smells fishy and tastes salty. The intact and big ones are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is salty in taste and warm in property. Functions: Dissipating binds, subsiding swelling, and detoxifying, it is often used to treat swelling lymph glands, sore throat, pustule, and pyogenic infections.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Felidae, Syngnathidae, Melitaeidae, Goniasteridae…

97

Use and Dosage: 10–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Note: The dried body of Pegasus volitans Cuvier resembles that of Pegasus laternarius Cuvier but is thin and long, with short head and extremely long proboscis. It can also be made into this medicine and the efficacy is the same.

6.7  Sepiidae 6.7.1  Sepiella maindroni Internal Shell Chinese name(s): Hai piao xiao Source: This medicine is made of the dried bony internal shell of Sepiella maindroni Rochebrune. Distribution: It is distributed in all the seas in China. Acquisition and Processing: It is produced all year round, especially in summer and autumn. The cuttlebones on the beaches or floating on water are gleaned, rinsed with fresh water, and dried. Medicinal Properties: This medicine is a flat ellipse, with the central part thicker than the edges. It is 8–16 cm long, 3–4 cm wide, and porcelain white on the back side with little warts. There is a convex longitudinal ridge in the center and translucent corneous eaves along the sides. The ventral side is gray white, with transverse ripple-like texture. It is friable. The cross sections bear parallel curvy microgrooves. It smells fishy and tastes slightly salty and astringent. The dry, big, white, and intact ones are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is salty in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridian of the kidneys.

98

H. Ye et al.

Functions: Astringing, stopping bleeding, arresting seminal emission, checking vaginal discharge, controlling acid, and closing sores, it is often used to treat ulcers, excessive gastric acid, blood ejection and spontaneous external bleeding, metrorrhagia and metrostaxis, hemafecia, seminal emission, spermatorrhea, and red and white vaginal discharge. Used externally, it treats bleeding from injuries and persistent ulcers. Use and Dosage: 5–10 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external use, grind an appropriate amount into powder and apply to the affected areas. Note: The Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China records two types of cuttlebones. Apart from that from Sepiella maindroni Rochebrune, the internal shell of Sepia esculenta Hoyle can also be made into this medicine.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Felidae, Syngnathidae, Melitaeidae, Goniasteridae…

99

6.8  Turbinidae 6.8.1  Turbo cornutus Operculum Chinese name(s): Hai luo yan Source: This medicine is made of the dried operculum of Turbo cornutus Solander. Distribution: It is distributed in in the East Sea and the South Sea of China, mainly in provinces including Zhejiang, Taiwan, Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, and Guangxi. Acquisition and Processing: It can be fished all year round. After the Turbo cornutus Solander is caught, the cat’s eye is peeled off, cleaned, and dried. Medicinal Properties: This medicine is suborbicular, with a diameter of 1–3 cm in the center and 0.2–1 cm in height. One side of it is thick, while the other side is downwardly tilted. There is a ring of concave whorls near the apex. The upper surface is gray, yellow, and white, with gray green clouding pattern in between and dense granular enations. The bottom surface is brown yellow, flat, and fairly glossy, with whorl patterns. It is heavy, hard, and brittle and not easily breakable. The cross sections are unsmooth, grayish white. It is slightly smelly and salty. The big, brightly colored, stiff, and thick ones are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is salty in taste and cold in property. It belongs to the stomach and large intestines meridians. Functions: Clearing damp heat, resolving sore toxin, and stopping diarrhea, it is often used to treat abdominal pain, intestinal wind, hemorrhoids, scabies, head sores, and dripping urination with stinging pain. Use and Dosage: 5–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

100

H. Ye et al.

6.9  Mantidae 6.9.1  Tenodera sinensis Ootheca Chinese name(s): Sang piao xiao, ruan sang piao xiao, and tuan piao xiao Source: This medicine is made of the dried ootheca of Tenodera sinensis Saussure. Distribution: It is distributed in provinces including Guangdong, Guangxi, Hubei, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Jiangsu. Acquisition and Processing: It is collected in autumn until the next spring. After being collected, the ootheca is steamed at high temperature for 3 min to kill the eggs. It is then dried. Medicinal Properties: This medicine is cylindrical or semicylindrical, 2.5–4.5 cm long, 2–3 cm wide, yellowish brown, and formed by layers of membranes. The upper surface bear inconspicuous rows of humps, and the lower surface is flat or with grooves. It is light, friable, and very elastic. There are radially arranged grids on the sectional surface, inside which are small yellow brown glossy oval eggs. It smells fishy and tastes bland or slightly salty. The big, light, soft, yellow ones are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is sweet, salty in taste, and neutral in property. It belongs to the liver and kidney meridians. Functions: Boosting the kidneys, securing essence, reducing urine, and stopping turbidity, it is often used to treat spermatorrhea, enuresis, frequent urination, and white turbidity of the urine. Use and Dosage: 5–10 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Note: The dried oothecae of Statilia maculata (Thunberg) and Hierodula patellifera (Serville) can also be made into this medicine. The former is called long piao xiao, while the latter is called black piao xiao.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Felidae, Syngnathidae, Melitaeidae, Goniasteridae…

101

102

H. Ye et al.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Felidae, Syngnathidae, Melitaeidae, Goniasteridae…

103

6.10  Cervidae 6.10.1  Cervus nippon Antlers Chinese name(s): Lu rong Source: This medicine is made of the undeveloped fuzzy antlers of Cervus nippon Temminck or Cervus elaphus Linnaeus before they are ossified. The former is called Cervus nippon Temminck antlers (hua lu rong), while the latter is called Cervus elaphus Linnaeus (ma lu rong). Distribution: It is distributed in the mountain ranges of northeastern China and also raised domestically all over China. Acquisition and Processing: It is harvested twice every year, the first time being 40–60 days after the Qingming Festival (April 4–6) and the second time being around the autumn equinox. The antlers are sawed. Those harvested in the first time are called tou zhuang (first harvest), while those harvested in the second time are called er cha (regrowth harvest). The processing procedures of the antlers are very complex, thus omitted in this book. Medicinal Properties: Antlers of Cervus nippon Temminck can be sawed or chopped off. 1. The sawed ones are two-forked or three-forked. The two-forked ones have a main beam and a tine. The main beam is thick and long, which is usually called da ting, while the tine is short and thin, usually known as Men Zhuang. Both are cylindrical and unevenly long, with a diameter of 3 cm where it is sawed. It is yellow white, with cellular pores, and velvet on the outside. The cuticle is red brown or dark brown, with adherent yellow or grayish fuzz which is dense at the apex and sparse at the bottom. There is a gray and black tendon at the fork and the velvet is appressed. The three-forked ones are thicker than the two-forked ones, with two tines, cylindrical, or slightly flat. The tines are pointy, with ridged tenon at the bottom. It is red brown or slightly yellow. The velvet is sparser than that on the two-forked antlers. It is heavier as well. Both antlers are slightly fishy in smell and salty in taste. The thick, round, plump, tender, brown red, oily, and glossy ones with fine hairs are in good quality. 2. The chopped antlers are those on the skull. It is the same as the sawed ones in morphology but with scalp which bears dense short hairs. The skull is white. It is slightly fishy in smell and salty in taste. Antlers from Cervus elaphus Linnaeus are thicker than those from Cervus nippon Temminck and with more tines. Antlers with one lateral tine are called dan men, two lian hua, three san cha, and four si cha. They are 30–50 cm long, red brown, or gray brown on the outside. The hairs are thick and sparse and gray or gray yellow. The exterior of the place where it is sawed is bony. Those with many tines are older. There are longitudinal ridges at the bottom. It is fishy in smell and slightly salty in taste.

104

H. Ye et al.

Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is sweet, salty in taste, and warm in property. It belongs to the kidney and liver meridians. Functions: Warming the kidneys, strengthening Yang, promoting the secretion of saliva or body fluid, nourishing the blood, engendering bone marrows, and reinforcing bones, it is often used to treat vacuity cold of the waist and kidneys, impotence and spermatorrhea, blood vacuity dizziness, deficiency cold flooding, uterine cold with infertility, persistent flat abscesses, and limp wilting lumbus and knees Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Note: Apart from antlers, the tail, horn glue, gelatinated deer antler, testis and penis, fetus, and sinew can also be made into this medicine. The natural taste and efficacy of them are similar to those of antlers.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Felidae, Syngnathidae, Melitaeidae, Goniasteridae…

105

106

H. Ye et al.

6.11  Cervidae 6.11.1  Moschus Secreta Chinese name(s): She xiang Source: This medicine is made of the secreta from the abdominal glands of mature male Moschus moschiferus Linnaeus, Moschus berezovskii Flerov or Moschus sifanicus Przewalski. Distribution: It is distributed in provinces including Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Qinghai, Tibet, and northeastern provinces, also in Xinjiang, Shaanxi, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi, and northern Guangdong. Acquisition and Processing: The deer are hunted in winter and spring. The glands on the abdomens of mature males are cut off, and the adherent flesh is removed, before the glands are dried in shade. Upon use, the musk kernel is taken out. If the deer are raised in summer, the musk can be taken in winter. After dried, the musk needs to be stored in sealed containers in time. Medicinal Properties: A whole gland with musk is called shelled musk. It is a depressed globose, ellipsis, or round bag which is 3–7 cm in diameter. The open side has leathery hide and flat, with a hole in the center which is the orifice of the musk gland. The orifice is surrounded by dense short gray white or brown, spiral hairs. The other side is dark brown or purplish cutaneous membrane, slightly creased, sometimes with visible muscle fibers. The musk gland is elastic; when cut open, the musk kernel can be seen which is a mixture of granules and powder. The granules are usually referred to as dang men zi, which are irregularly globose, black or black brown, oily and glossy, with smooth or wrinkled surface, and 2–5 mm in diameter. The musk powder is dark brown or brown yellow, mixed up with fallen cutaneous membrane and fine hairs. It is strongly fragrant. It tastes first bitter and then slightly pungent and sweet with saltiness. The big, well-stacked, elastic shelled

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Felidae, Syngnathidae, Melitaeidae, Goniasteridae…

107

musk with little hair is in good quality. The musk kernels which are granular, oily, and fragrant are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is pungent in taste and warm in property. It belongs to the heart and spleen meridians. Functions: Opening the orifices and free the spirit, activating the blood, freeing the channels, dissipating binds, and soothing pains, it is often used to treat febrile diseases, clouded spirit, phlegm reversal due to stroke, cold evil invading the stomach, menostasis, abdominal mass, dystocia and stillborn, pain in the heart [region] and abdomen, welling-abscess swelling, scrofula, swelling sore throat, injuries from falls, and impediment numbness. Use and Dosage: 0.03–0.1 g per dose, made into pills or powder for oral use. Apply appropriate amount for external use.

108

H. Ye et al.

Chapter 7

Medicinal Angiosperms of Leporidae, Meloidae, Veneridae, Ranidae, Dendrophylliidae, Cercopithecidae, Blattidae, Scolopendridae, and Vespidae Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

Contents 7.1  L  eporidae 7.1.1  Lepus sinensis 7.2  Meloidae 7.2.1  Mylabris phalerata 7.3  Veneridae 7.3.1  Meretrix meretrix Shell 7.4  Ranidae 7.4.1  Rana temporaria chensinensis Oviduct 7.5  Dendrophylliidae 7.5.1  Coral Skeleton 7.6  Cercopithecidae 7.6.1  Macaca mulatta Lithiasis 7.7  Cercopithecidae 7.7.1  Macaca mulatta Bone

 110  110  111  111  113  113  115  115  116  116  118  118  119  119

H. Ye (*) · F. Zeng · F. Wang · Y. Ye · L. Fu · J. Li South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]. cn; [email protected]; [email protected] C. Li Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected] W. Ye Jinan University, Guangzhou, China F. Liu Huizhou Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Huizhou, China Y. Liu Faculty of Military Language Education, University of Defense Technology, Changsha, China © Chemical Industry Press 2022 H. Ye et al. (eds.), Common Chinese Materia Medica, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5924-9_7

109

110 7.8  Blattidae 7.8.1  Periplaneta australasiae Excrement 7.9  Scolopendridae 7.9.1  Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans 7.10  Vespidae 7.10.1  Polistes olivaceus Nests

H. Ye et al.  120  120  122  122  124  124

This chapter introduces ten species of medicinal animals in nine families, mainly including Lepus sinensis of Leporidae, Mylabris phalerata of Meloidae, Meretrix meretrix shell of Veneridae, Rana temporaria chensinensis oviduct of Ranidae, coral skeleton of Dendrophylliidae, Macaca mulatta lithiasis, Macaca mulatta bone of Cercopithecidae, Periplaneta australasiae excrement of Blattidae, Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans of Scolopendridae, and Polistes olivaceus nests of Vespidae. This chapter introduces the scientific names, medicinal names, morphologies, habitats, distributions, acquisition and processing methods, medicinal properties, tastes, functions, use, and dosages of these medicinal plants, with clear original plant photos and part photos of herbal medicines of each plant.

7.1  Leporidae 7.1.1  Lepus sinensis Chinese Name(s): Wang yue sha Source: This medicine is made of the dried excrement of Lepus sinensis Gray. Distribution: It is distributed in provinces including Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangxi, Hunan, and Guizhou. Acquisition and Processing: It can be collected all year round, mostly in autumn and winter. After it is collected, the grass, mud, and sand mixed up with the excrement are removed, before the excrement is dried. Medicinal Properties: This medicine is spherosome, slightly flat, 0.6–1.5 cm long, 0.5–1 cm tall, rough on the surface, with grassy fibers, and light brown or gray yellow both internally and externally. It is light and loose and easily breakable and can be rubbed into pieces or broken bits by hand. It is smelless, tastes slightly bitter, and pungent. The intact, unbroken, yellow ones are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is pungent in taste and neutral in property. It belongs to the lung and liver meridians. Functions: Brightening the eyes, killing worms, and detoxifying, it is often used to treat blindness, eye screening, scabies, hemorrhoids, and fistula. Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Note: The dried excrement of hares like Lepus tolia Pallas and Lepus mandschuricus Radde can also be made into this medicine, but not that of Oryctolagus cuniculus, or domestic rabbit.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Leporidae, Meloidae, Veneridae, Ranidae…

111

7.2  Meloidae 7.2.1  Mylabris phalerata Chinese Name(s): Ban mao Source: This medicine is made of the dried body of Mylabris phalerata Pallas or Mylabris cichorii Linnaeus. Distribution: It is distributed in provinces including Henan, Guangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, Hunan, and Guangdong. Acquisition and Processing: It is surrounded and seized in summer and autumn in fields. When caught, it is suffocated or killed with boiling water, before dried or roasted. Medicinal Properties: This medicine is oblong. The Mylabris phalerata Pallas is 1.5–2.5  cm long and 0.5–1  cm wide, and the Mylabris cichorii Linnaeus is smaller, about half as long as the Mylabris phalerata Pallas. The head is triangular and black. The compound eyes are big, semi-spherical. There is a pair of antennas which often fall off and a pair of leathery elytra on the back which are black, with three yellow or brown transverse stripes. Under the elytra are two brown membrane transparent wings. The thorax is dark black, with three pairs of thoracic feet. It has a special odor. The intact ones with distinct patterns are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is pungent in taste, hot in property, and very poisonous. It belongs to the liver, stomach, and kidney meridians. Functions: Dispelling blood stasis, curing dispersion-thirst disease, and cancelling out toxin of phagedena, it is often used to treat uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts, stubborn dermatitis, and malignant sores.

112

H. Ye et al.

Use and Dosage: 0.03–0.06  g per dose, processed for oral use, or made into powder. For external use, grind appropriate amount into powder, dissolve it in alcohol or vinegar, or made into ointment and apply to the affected areas. Note: The medicine needs processing. The head, legs, and wings of the insects are removed and the bodies are sautéed with rice until they turn beige. After removing the rice, it is ready for use.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Leporidae, Meloidae, Veneridae, Ranidae…

113

7.3  Veneridae 7.3.1  Meretrix meretrix Shell Chinese name(s): Ge ke Source: This medicine is made of the shells of Meretrix meretrix Linnaeus. Distribution: It is distributed in coastal areas all over China, mainly in Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong provinces. Acquisition and Processing: It is collected throughout the year, especially in summer and autumn. After it the collected, the flesh is removed and the shell cleaned as well as dried. Medicinal Properties: This medicine is fan-shaped, with the dorsal margin being triangular. The ventral margin is a circular arc. The apex is rounded and tilted to one side. The shell is 5–12 cm in length, 4–10 cm in height, and smooth, with a layer of yellow brown or gray brown lacquer-like periostracum. The concentric growth rings are distinct, usually with jagged brown patterns on the back. The inside surface is porcelain white, with five teeth on the right shell and four on the left. It is heavy, stiff, and brittle. The cross sections bear laminated striation. It has no smell and tastes bland. The big and clean ones are in good quality.

114

H. Ye et al.

Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is salty in taste and cold in property. It belongs to the lung, kidney, and stomach meridians. Functions: Clearing heat, dissolving phlegm, softening hardness, dissipating binds, controlling acid, and relieving pains, it is often used to treat heat phlegm cough, chest and rib pain, phlegm containing blood, scrofula, goiter, gastralgia, and acid regurgitation. Used externally, it treats eczema and burns. Use and Dosage: 6–12 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Note: According to records in the Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China, the shells of Cyclina sinensis Gmelin can also be made into this medicine, with the same efficacy.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Leporidae, Meloidae, Veneridae, Ranidae…

115

7.4  Ranidae 7.4.1  Rana temporaria chensinensis Oviduct Chinese name(s): Ha ma you, tian ji you, xue ha you, and ha shi ma you Source: This medicine is made of the dried oviduct of female Rana temporaria chensinensis David. Distribution: It is distributed in provinces including Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning. Acquisition and Processing: The female Rana temporaria chensinensis David are caught in late autumn or early winter. Rinsed with warm water for 1–2 min, it is then dried in the sun or air dried. The abdomen is cut open to fetch the oviduct which is dried in well-ventilated place after the eggs are removed. Medicinal Properties: The medicine is in irregular chunks which are overlapping or curved, often with a raised side. It is 1.5–2  cm long, 0.15–0.3  cm thick, yellow white or brownish red, translucent, glossy like fat, and occasionally with adherent membrane dry skin. It feels oily and expands to 10–15 times of the original size when soaked in water. It smells and tastes fishy and has a sticky and smooth

116

H. Ye et al.

texture if chewed. The yellowish white, oily glossy, big, and thick pieces are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is sweet and salty in taste and neutral in property. It belongs to the liver and kidney meridians. Functions: Supplementing the kidneys, boosting essence, nourishing Ying, and moistening lungs, it is often used to treat physical weakness, vacuity following illness, lack of energy, insomnia due to palpitation, night sweating, and consumption cough with blood. Use and Dosage: 5–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

7.5  Dendrophylliidae 7.5.1  Coral Skeleton Chinese Name(s): E guan shi Source: This medicine is made of the calcareous skeleton of Balanophyllia sp. Distribution: It is distributed in Hainan Island, in Xisha Islands, and in seas along Guangdong and Guangxi. Acquisition and Processing: It can be collected all year round. After collection, the impurities are removed, and the Balanophyllia sp. is then cleaned and dried. Medicinal Properties: This medicine is cylindrical or conical, slightly flexed, 3–6  cm long, and 0.4–0.7  cm in diameter. The surface is rough, milky white, or grayish white, with protruding nodular rings or many longitudinal ridges which intersect with slender transverse ridges to form grids. It is hard and brittle and easily breakable. The cross sections have many lacunae and form chrysanthemum

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Leporidae, Meloidae, Veneridae, Ranidae…

117

patterns. It has no smell and tastes slightly salty. The evenly large and white ones are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is sweet in taste and warm in property. It belongs to the lung, stomach, and kidney meridians. Functions: Supplementing lungs, nourishing Yang, and promoting lactation, it is often used to treat pulmonary consumption with cough and panting, impotence, weakness of the waist and knees, as well as breast milk stoppage. Use and Dosage: 10–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

118

H. Ye et al.

7.6  Cercopithecidae 7.6.1  Macaca mulatta Lithiasis Chinese Name(s): Hou zao, shen zao, and hou zi zao Source: This medicine is made of the stones in the stomach, intestines, and cheek pouch of Macaca mulatta Zimmermann and other species of monkeys. Distribution: It is distributed in Calcutta in India, Malaysia, and Borneo. Acquisition and Processing: If stones are found in the stomach and intestines of killed Macaca mulatta Zimmermann, they are taken out. After the adherent membrane is removed, the stones are dried. Medicinal Properties: This medicine is irregularly elliptical or oblate. A few of them are short rod-like. It is unevenly large, bronze-colored or grayish green on the outside, smooth, glossy, hard, and brittle. It rattles when shaken and is easily breakable. The cross sections are grayish green or grayish yellow, with several layers of concentric rings and a core in the center. It is slightly smelly and astringent. It chews like sand grains. The big, smooth, glossy, unbroken ones with laminated striation are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is bitter and salty in taste and cold in property. It belongs to the heart, lung, liver, and gallbladder meridians. Functions: Clearing heat, settling fright, sweeping phlegm, stabilizing panting, detoxifying, and dispersing swelling, it is often used to treat heat phlegm panting and cough, child fright wind, carbuncle-abscess, and scrofula. Use and Dosage: 0.3–0.6 g per dose, grind into powder and take with water or used in pills.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Leporidae, Meloidae, Veneridae, Ranidae…

119

7.7  Cercopithecidae 7.7.1  Macaca mulatta Bone Chinese name(s): Hou gu, hou zi gu, and ma liu gu Source: This medicine is made of the dried skeleton of Macaca mulatta Zimmermann or Macaca speciosa F. Cuvier. Distribution: It is distributed in provinces including Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Sichuan, Guangdong, and Hainan. Acquisition and Processing: The Macaca mulatta Zimmermann can be hunted all year round. After being caught, it is killed. The hide and flesh are removed, leaving only the skeleton which is then dried or roasted. Medicinal Properties: The whole skeleton includes the skull, the vertebra, the ribs, the coccyx, and the limb bones which are yellowish white to light brown. The skull resembles that of a human. The vertebral column is thick, with 28 vertebrae. The ribs, in 13 pairs, are slender and curvy. The coccyx consists of 15 joints, gradually attenuated toward the end. The palms of the limb bones are furry. The forelimb bones are short. The humerus is 10–13  cm long, while the ulna and radius are 11–14 cm long. The hind limbs are longer. The femur is 15–17 cm long, slightly curved, while the tibia and fibula are 11–14 cm long. The bones are hard. The cross sections are white and hollow. The medicine smells slightly fishy and tastes slightly sour. The clean and glossy ones without adherent flesh are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is sour in taste and neutral in property. It belongs to the heart and liver meridians.

120

H. Ye et al.

Functions: Dispelling wind, eliminating dampness and stopping fright, it is often used to treat wind-cold-damp impediment, limb numbness, and fright epilepsy. Use and Dosage: 3–10  g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Stir-fry before use. Note: The dried muscles of Macaca mulatta Zimmermann can also be made into medicine. It is sour in taste and neutral in property. It supplements kidneys, nourishes Yang, astringes, secures essence, dispels wind, and eliminates dampness. It is often used to treat kidney vacuity, impotence, spermatorrhea, enuresis, neurosism, and wind-damp impediment pain. It is 15–20 g per dose. The folk use also includes treating infantile malnutrition, indigestion, and abdominal distention.

7.8  Blattidae 7.8.1  Periplaneta australasiae Excrement Chinese name(s): You chong zhu, zhang lang bian, and yue you shi Source: This medicine is made of the dried excrement of Periplaneta australasiae Fabricius. Distribution: It is distributed in provinces south of the Yangtze River. Acquisition and Processing: It is collected all year round, especially in summer and autumn. After collecting, the impurities are removed. Medicinal Properties: This medicine is in black or grayish black granules which are elongated cylinders, with the two ends obtuse or one end slightly pointy.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Leporidae, Meloidae, Veneridae, Ranidae…

121

There are several longitudinal ridges. The granules are 2–3 mm long, 1mm in diameter, lackluster, and easily breakable. It smells like cockroaches. The big, intact, black ones without impurities are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is salty and sweet in taste and cold in property. Functions: Dispersing accumulations and removing phlegm, it is often used to treat infantile malnutrition, heat cough, and exuberant phlegm and detoxify the venom of centipede or snake. Use and Dosage: 0.5  g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Stir-fry before use. Note: The folk use of Periplaneta australasiae Fabricius in Guangdong is to catch the grown ones; remove the head, legs, wings, and viscera; and make the rest into medicine. It is said to have the efficacy of activating the blood, dissipating stasis, detoxifying, dispersing accumulation, disinhibiting water, and dispersing swelling.

122

H. Ye et al.

7.9  Scolopendridae 7.9.1  Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans Chinese name(s): Wu gong Source: This medicine is made of the dried body of Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans L. Koch. Distribution: It is distributed in provinces including Zhejiang, Hubei, Jiangsu, Henan, Sichuan, Hunan, and north Guangdong. Daishan in Zhejiang province is famous for the large amount and high quality of its produces. Acquisition and Processing: The Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans L. Koch is caught in late spring and early summer. Those caught before Qingming (April 4–6) are the best. After being caught, the Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans L. Koch is straightened on a bamboo stick which is inserted from tail to head and dried. In the raining season, it is roasted on charcoal. Medicinal Properties: This medicine is a flat strip, 9–12 cm long, and 0.6–1 cm wide, consisting of 22 segments, with the last one being smaller than the others. The head and the first dorsal plate are reddish brown. There are a pair of venomous fangs and a pair of antennas but mostly fallen off. The back is dark green or brownish green, glossy, and with two ridges, while the ventral side is yellowish brown, creased. There is a pair of legs on each of the body segments which are yellowish red. The legs are five-sectioned, with black hooked claws at the end. The last pair of the legs is the longest which are caudate. The medicine is friable. There are cracks at the sectional surfaces. It smells fishy and tastes pungent as well as salty. It has a unique odor which is unpleasant to the nose. The big, brightly colored, intact ones with red head and legs are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is pungent in taste and warm in property. It belongs to the liver meridian. Functions: Extinguishing wind, resolving tetany, detoxifying, dissipating binds, freeing the network vessels, and relieving pain, it is often used to treat child fright wind, convulsion, wind strike (stroke) clenched jaw, hemiplegia, tetanus, rheumatism, sore, scrofula, and snake bite. Use and Dosage: 2–5 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Pregnant women should not use it. Note: As folk experience has it, applying smashed Clausena lansium kernel or fresh earthworm smashed with brown sugar to the area stung by Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans L. Koch can detoxify the venom and relieve the pain.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Leporidae, Meloidae, Veneridae, Ranidae…

123

124

H. Ye et al.

7.10  Vespidae 7.10.1  Polistes olivaceus Nests Chinese name(s): Feng fang and lu feng fang Source: This medicine is made of nests of Polistes olivaceus (DeGeer) or those of wasps of the same genus. Distribution: It is distributed in most places in China, especially southern China, mainly produced in provinces including Guizhou, Hubei, Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangxi, Fujian, Hainan, and Guangdong. Acquisition and Processing: It can be collected all year round, mostly in winter. After collected, the pupae are killed by steaming. The nest is then dried, after the dead Polistes olivaceus (DeGeer) and pupae are cleared out. Medicinal Properties: This medicine is like a disc or irregularly shaped tablet, while some are like lotus (receptaculum nelumbinis) seedpods. It is uneven in sizes, grayish white, or grayish brown, and the apex is darker in color. There are many well-aligned hexagonal holes on the downside which are 3–5 mm in diameter. Some orifices are covered with white protective membrane. There is one to several black spines on the upside. It is light, pliable but strong, and elastic. It is slightly odored and tastes pungent or bland. The big, intact, grayish white, light, elastic moldless ones with no dead pupae and eggs are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is sweet in taste and neutral in property. It belongs to the stomach meridian. Functions: Dispersing wind, detoxifying, killing worms, and relieving pain, it is often used to treat head wind, sore wind-fire toothache, toxin swelling, mammary welling-abscess, scrofula, stubborn skin lichen, and goose-foot wind. Use and Dosage: 6–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external use, grind appropriate amount into powder, mix it with oil or boil it in water, and apply to the affected areas. When made into medicine, it should first be soaked in licorice water. Note: According to records in Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China, the nests of Polistes japonicus Saussure and Parapolybia varia Fabricius can also be made into this medicine.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Leporidae, Meloidae, Veneridae, Ranidae…

125

Chapter 8

Medicinal Angiosperms of Limulidae, Cicadidae, Ursidae, Viperidae, Bombycidae, Apodidae, Bufonidae, Trionychidae, Mobulidae, and Equidae Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

Contents 8.1  L  imulidae 8.1.1  Tachypleus tridentatus Carapace 8.2  Cicadidae 8.2.1  Cryptotympana pustulata 8.3  Ursidae 8.3.1  Selenactos thibetanus Bile 8.4  Viperidae 8.4.1  Agkistrodon acutus 8.5  Bombycidae 8.5.1  Bombyx mori 8.6  Family: Apodidae 8.6.1  Collocalia esculenta Nest 8.7  Family: Bufonidae 8.7.1  Bufo

 128  128  129  129  131  131  133  133  135  135  137  137  138  138

H. Ye (*) · F. Zeng · F. Wang · Y. Ye · L. Fu · J. Li South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]. cn; [email protected]; [email protected] C. Li Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected] W. Ye Jinan University, Guangzhou, China F. Liu Huizhou Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Huizhou, China Y. Liu Faculty of Military Language Education, University of Defense Technology, Changsha, China © Chemical Industry Press 2022 H. Ye et al. (eds.), Common Chinese Materia Medica, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5924-9_8

127

128 8.8  Family: Trionychidae 8.8.1  Trionyx sinensis Shell 8.9  Family: Mobulidae 8.9.1  Mabula japonica Gill and Mobula birostris Gill 8.10  Family: Equidae 8.10.1  Donkey-Hide Gelatin

H. Ye et al.  141  141  143  143  144  144

This chapter introduces 10 species of medicinal animals in 10 families, mainly including Tachypleus tridentatus carapace of Limulidae, Cryptotympana pustulata of Cicadidae, Selenactos thibetanus bile of Ursidae, Agkistrodon acutus of Viperidae, Bombyx mori of Bombycidae, Collocalia esculenta nest of Apodidae, venenum bufonis of Bufonidae, Trionyx sinensis shell of Trionychidae, Mabula japonica gill, Mobula birostris gill of Mobulidae, and Donkey-hide gelatin of Equidae. This chapter introduces the scientific names, medicinal names, morphologies, habitats, distributions, acquisition and processing methods, medicinal properties, tastes, functions, use, and dosages of these medicinal plants, with clear original plant photos and part photos of herbal medicines of each plant.

8.1  Limulidae 8.1.1  Tachypleus tridentatus Carapace Chinese name(s): Hou ke Source: This medicine is made of the dried ventral and dorsal carapace of Tachypleus tridentatus Leach. Distribution: It is distributed in coastal areas in provinces including Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, and Hainan. Acquisition and Processing: The peak season of production is between spring and summer. The Tachypleus tridentatus Leach is caught on the beach. After the meat is peeled off, the carapace is cleaned and dried. Medicinal Properties: This medicine looks greenish brown and glossy. The ventral carapace (front) is horseshoe-shaped. The frontal edge is sharp. There are three longitudinal ridges on the back. The abdominal carapace (back) is pleated and conspicuously hexagonal. There are seven hard and sharp spines along the edge on either side. There is a ridge in the central of the ventral carapace, as well as two thick needles. There are two concaves near the ridge, with lip-like incisions, six in a row, and three grooves, as well as follicle-like ossified spines near the ridge. The big, intact, brightly colored ones are in good quality.

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Limulidae, Cicadidae, Ursidae, Viperidae, Bombycidae…

129

Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is pungent, salty in taste, and neutral in property. Functions: Quickening blood, dissipating stasis, and detoxifying, it is often used to treat injuries and falls, cuts, bleeding, burns, and herpes zoster. Use and Dosage: 10–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. The processing methods do not influence the efficacy of the medicine. For external use, burn it to ashes, mix it with oil and apply to the affected areas.

8.2  Cicadidae 8.2.1  Cryptotympana pustulata Chinese name(s): Chan tui Source: This medicine is made of the dried shell of Cryptotympana pustulata Fabricius during the eclosion of the nymph. Distribution: It is distributed in provinces like Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Hubei, Jiangsu, Anhui, Guangdong, Fujian, and Taiwan. Acquisition and Processing: It is gleaned on the ground or on the tree. The earth and other impurities are cleaned, before it is then dried. Medicinal Properties: This medicine looks like a Cryptotympana pustulata Fabricius, but hollow. It is about 3 cm long and 2 cm wide. The outside is yellow brown, translucent, and glossy. There is a pair of filiform antennas, but most have fallen off. The compound eyes are bulgy. The apex of the forehead is protruding. The mouth is well-developed, with the upper lip wide and short and the lower one elongates into a tube. There is a cross-shaped dehiscence on the mesonotum and the cleft is involute. The wings are small and the legs are covered with yellow brown fuzz. The abdomen is obtuse, in nine segments. It is light, hollow, and fragile. It has

130

H. Ye et al.

no smell and tastes bland. The intact, yellow brown, translucent ones with no adherent mud or sand are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is sweet in taste and cold in property. It belongs to the lungs and liver meridians. Functions: Clearing heat, dissipating wind, diffusing lungs, promoting eruption, eliminating eye screens, and settling tetany, it is often used to treat wind-heat cold, sore pharynx and voice loss, non-eruption of measles, eye screen, wind fright convulsion, and tetanus. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Note: Conventionally, the shells of Cicada flammata Distt. is used to make this medicine. The commercial name of it is Jin Chan Tui. It differs from the medicine made from Cryptotympana pustulata Fabricius in that it is slightly longer, brightly yellow, or reddish brown, with a bifurcated thorn at the end of the abdomen.

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Limulidae, Cicadidae, Ursidae, Viperidae, Bombycidae…

131

8.3  Ursidae 8.3.1  Selenactos thibetanus Bile Chinese name(s): Xiong Dan Source: This medicine is made of the dried bile of Selenactos thibetanus Cuvier and Ursus arctos Linnaeus. Distribution: It is produced in northeastern, northern, and southwestern China. A few are produced in Hubei and Guangxi provinces. Acquisition and Processing: It can be hunted all year round, especially in winter. After the animals are caught, their gallbladders are taken out in time. The opening of the cystic gall duct is tightened and the adherent fat completely removed. The gallbladders are then hung in well-ventilated place to be dried in shade or air dried for 10 days. They are pressed on two sides by bamboo or wood pieces. As they dry up, the pieces are tightened to make the gallbladders flat until totally dry. Medicinal Properties: A complete gallbladder of Selenactos thibetanus Cuvier is a long and flat bag which is 12–23 cm long and 0.4–2 cm thick. The neck is thinner and the fundus is broader. It is grayish brown or brown yellow, slightly creased. The gallbladder wall is thin and fibrous. Inside the gallbladder, the dried gall clots

132

H. Ye et al.

into irregular chunks, granules, powder, or thick paste. It is glossy, usually known as bear gall kernel. The quality varies with changes in seasons and ways of processing, so does the color. The golden transparent ones are referred to as golden gall, which is the best. The yellowish green and translucent ones are called meal gall which has good quality. The blackish green plain ones are called black gall whose quality is inferior to the previous two. This medicine is fragrant and slightly fishy. It tastes first bitter then sweet, cool, and nonsticky to the teeth. The big ones with much bile and translucent ones which taste bitter than sweet are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is bitter in taste and cold in property. It belongs to the liver, gallbladder, and heart meridians. Functions: Clearing heat, detoxifying, brightening eyes, and settling tetany, it is often used to treat intense liver heat, fright wind engendered by extreme heat, seizures, convulsions, red eyes with pain and swelling, screening, icteric hepatitis, injuries, and falls. Use and Dosage: 0.3–1 g per dose, often used as pills and powder. For external use, liquefy the medicine, and apply it to the skin to treat sores and swollen welling abscesses.

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Limulidae, Cicadidae, Ursidae, Viperidae, Bombycidae…

133

8.4  Viperidae 8.4.1  Agkistrodon acutus Chinese name(s): Qi she Source: This medicine is made of the dried body of Agkistrodon acutus (Guenther), with the internal organs removed. Distribution: It is distributed in provinces including Hubei, Anhui, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Hunan, Guizhou, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Taiwan. It is also found in Northern Vietnam. Acquisition and Processing: The Agkistrodon acutus (Guenther) is caught in summer and autumn. After it is caught, it is cut open so as to remove the internal organs. The body is stretched flat by bamboo pieces and curled up into a whorl. When it is dry, the bamboo pieces can be removed. Medicinal Properties: This medicine is a whorl, 17–34 cm in diameter, with the head in the center which is triangular and flat. The mouth is upwardly warp. On both sides of the back, there are 17–25 blackish brown and brown V-shaped patterns. The upper sections of some join the middorsal line, but some do not. The two kinds alternate. The ventral scales are big, with black suborbicular spots, with yellowish white intines. The vertebrae are conspicuously convex and the ribs on the sides are obvious. The tail is sharply thinner, with a triangular dark gray scutellum at the tip. The medicine smells fishy and tastes slightly salty. The ones which are big, smelless, with intact body, head, and tail, conspicuous patterns, yellowish white flesh, and not damaged by worms are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is sweet, salty in taste, and warm in property. It belongs to the liver meridian. Functions: Dispelling wind, freeing the network vessels, and resolving tetany, it is often used to treat rheumatosis, insensitive impediment, numbness and

134

H. Ye et al.

hypertonicity due to stoke, deviated eyes and mouth, hemiphlegia, convulsion and spasm, tetanus and leprosy, scab, and lichens. Use and Dosage: 3–12 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. The head and scales need to be removed.

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Limulidae, Cicadidae, Ursidae, Viperidae, Bombycidae…

135

8.5  Bombycidae 8.5.1  Bombyx mori Chinese name(s): Jiang can Source: This medicine is made of the dried body of Bombyx mori Linnaeus which die from infecting Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vaillant. Distribution: It is distributed in all sericultural areas in China, mainly in eastern China, southern China, and Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces. Acquisition and Processing: Spray Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vaillant on Bombyx mori Linnaeus on Bombyx mori Linnaeus which has shed skin for four times until it is infected. Increase temperature and humidity to catalyze the reproduction of Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vaillant. After 3–4 days, the Bombyx mori Linnaeus is dead. Then dry it up or roast it. Alternatively, glean Bombyx mori Linnaeus which naturally die from infecting Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vaillant and dry it. Medicinal Properties: This medicine is cylindrical, usually warped and wrinkled, 3–5 cm long, 0.5–0.7 cm in diameter. The body of Bombyx mori Linnaeus is yellowish white, covered with hyphae and powdered spores. It is hard, brittle, and easily breakable. The cross sections are fairly flat, grayish white at the periphery and brownish green in the center, and brightly glossy, with a big and a small shiny

136

H. Ye et al.

circle. It is lightly fishy in smell and salty in taste. The thick, yellowish white, hard, brittle ones with solid, blackish brown, glossy cross sections are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is pungent, salty in taste, and neutral in property. It belongs to the lungs, liver, and stomach meridians. Functions: Dispelling wind, resolving tetany, dissolving phlegm, and dissipating binds, it is often used to treat liver-wind headache and dizziness, infantile convulsion and spasm, sore and swelling throat, stroke with loss of speech, pharyngitis, phlegm-heat tuberculosis, toothache, scrofula, wind sore, and erysipelas itch. Use and Dosage: 5–10 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Limulidae, Cicadidae, Ursidae, Viperidae, Bombycidae…

137

8.6  Family: Apodidae 8.6.1  Collocalia esculenta Nest Chinese name(s): Yan wo Source: This medicine is made of the dry nests constructed with saliva and a few feathers by Collocalia esculenta Linnaeus or other species of the same genus. Distribution: It is distributed in Thailand, in Indonesia, in Sarawak and also in Hainan Island in China. Acquisition and Processing: It is collected between March and July. The first batch is called white cubilose, the second called fuzz cubilose, and the third blood cubilose. It is dried after being picked. Medicinal Properties: This medicine is irregularly semilunar, with the upper section wider than the lower section. It is concave, like a cup. It’s 6–9 cm long and 3.5–6 cm deep, with the middle section 2.8–4 cm wide. The side which adheres to the cliff wall is flat, while the bases on both sides are thick and slightly taller. The other side from the cliff is raised, and the adherent mucilage is corrugated, in neat layers, with smooth surface. The interior of the nest is loose and rough, like loofah sponge, stuck with a few fuzzes. The medicine is hard and brittle. The cross sections are corneous, bright, and translucent. The medicine dilates when soaked in water and turns soft. It feels elastic. The intact, cup-like, bright, white ones with few fuzzes are in good quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is sweet, slightly salty in taste, and neutral in property. It belongs to the lungs and stomach meridians. Functions: Nourishing Ying, moistening dryness, benefiting vital energy, supplementing the center, transforming phlegm, and suppressing cough, it is often used to treat vacuity cough, phlegm panting and cough, hemoptysis, tidal fever, dysphagia, and nausea. Use and Dosage: 5–10 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

138

H. Ye et al.

8.7  Family: Bufonidae 8.7.1  Bufo Chinese name(s): Chan su Source: This medicine is made of the dried secretion of Bufo melanostictus (Bufo melanostictus Schneider), or Bufo bufo gargarizans (Bufo bufo gargarizans Cantor).

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Limulidae, Cicadidae, Ursidae, Viperidae, Bombycidae…

139

Distribution: It is distributed in provinces of Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong. Acquisition and Processing: In summer and autumn, toads are caught and washed. Scratch the glands behind the ears and skin glands; squeeze out white serous; dry it until 70% dry; press it into a round cake or chess piece shape, which are called ball brittle and chess piece brittle; and then dry or roast it up. Do not use iron plate to prevent blackening. Medicinal Properties: This product is oblate block or flake, 5–9 cm in diameter, about 1 cm thick, dark brownish purple or brownish black, and smooth on the surface. It’s hard, not easily broken; the cross sections are colloidal and glossy. It is slightly fishy in odor and pungent in taste. The smell induces sneezes, and the taste is tingling and paralyzing. The products better in quality are brownish red, horny on cross sections, translucent, and glossy. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It is pungent in taste and warm in property and highly toxic and belongs to the meridian of the heart. Functions: Detoxicating, relieving pain, opening orifice, and inducing resuscitation, it’s often used for the treatment of carbuncle, sore throat, vomiting, and diarrhea due to heat stroke, abdominal pain, and dizziness. Use and Dosage: 0.015–0.03 g per dose, made into pills or powder to take orally. Use proper amounts externally.

140

H. Ye et al.

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Limulidae, Cicadidae, Ursidae, Viperidae, Bombycidae…

141

8.8  Family: Trionychidae 8.8.1  Trionyx sinensis Shell Chinese Name(s): Bie jia Source: This medicine is the dried shell of Trionyx sinensis (Trionyx sinensis Wiegmann). Distribution: It’s produced in provinces of Hubei, Hunan, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and other provinces, except for Xinjiang. Acquisition and Processing: It can be caught all year round, especially in summer and autumn. After catching, the dorsal carapace is removed, and the attached meat scraped off before the shell is washed and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The product is elliptic or ovate in shape, 10–30 cm in length and 8–25 cm in width. It is composed of one cervical plate, eight pairs of rib plates, and eight vertebral plates; the back is slightly raised; the outer surface is dark green or yellowish green, slightly glossy, with fine reticular wrinkles, grayish yellow spots, and eight white flat toothed ribs protruding from the left and right sides; the inner surface is nearly white, the neck bone is papilliform, the middle vertebral plate is protruding, and the rib plates on both sides are rectangular dentate, with clearly visible seams. It’s hard in texture and easily broken. It is slightly fishy in odor and bland in taste. The products better in quality are big, thick, without residual meat, and fishy smell. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty in taste and slightly cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the liver and kidneys. Functions: Nourishing Yin and suppressing hyperactive Yang, resolving hard lump, and expelling hectic fever, it is often used for treatment of fever caused by Yin deficiency, taxation heat steaming bone, endogenous deficient wind, amenorrhea, and abdominal mass. Use and Dosage: 9–24 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

142

H. Ye et al.

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Limulidae, Cicadidae, Ursidae, Viperidae, Bombycidae…

143

8.9  Family: Mobulidae 8.9.1  Mabula japonica Gill and Mobula birostris Gill Chinese Name(s): Peng yu sai Source: This medicine is the dried gill of Mabula japonica (Mabula japonica (Muller and Henle), or Mobula birostris (Mobula birostris (Walbaum)). Distribution: It’s produced in coastal waters of Shandong, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, and Hainan provinces. Acquisition and Processing: It can be caught all year round, especially in summer and autumn. After catching, the gills are taken out, washed, and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: This product is a long oval strip, very flat, with one end large and round and the other end small, 25–40  cm long, 4–10  cm wide, brown black on the outer surface, and light yellowish brown on the inner surface; the whole product is composed of many strip-shaped transverse gill petals, which are long strip-shaped. There are tens of gill teeth, which are arranged in a lambdoid shape and do not conglutinate with each other, forming a grid shape; there are ciliary fine teeth on the upper edge of the gill teeth. It’s tough and slightly fishy. The products better in quality are large, dry, and clean. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s slightly salty in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen and lungs. Functions: Detoxicating, clearing heat, and promoting lactation, it’s often used for treatment of measles, pox, and hypogalactia. Use and Dosage: 5–10 g per dose. Notes: People in the Pearl River Delta region of Guangdong Province are used to cooking soup or porridge for children with measles. It is said that it can clear measles virus and tonify the body at the same time.

144

H. Ye et al.

8.10  Family: Equidae 8.10.1  Donkey-Hide Gelatin Chinese Name(s): E jiao Source: This medicine is the solid glue decocted and concentrated from dry or fresh skin of Equus asinus Linnaeus of Equus, Equidae. Distribution: It’s mainly produced in northern China, Gansu, Xinjiang, etc. Acquisition and Processing: The donkey skin is soaked in water to remove the hair, cut into pieces, washed, fried in water for several times, filtered, mixed (or added with appropriate amount of yellow rice alcohol, rock sugar, and soybean oil), and made into thick pastes which are condensed, cut into pieces, and dried in the air. Medicinal Properties: This product is rectangular, square or broken, brown to dark brown, and glossy. It is hard and brittle in texture; the cross sections are bright, and the fragments are brown and translucent in light. It’s slightly odored and slightly sweet in taste.

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Limulidae, Cicadidae, Ursidae, Viperidae, Bombycidae…

145

Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Nourishing blood and supplementing Yin, moistening dryness, and stopping bleeding, it’s often used for treatment of blood deficiency, chlorosis, dizziness, palpitation, muscle weakness, vexation, endogenous deficient wind, and cough due to dryness in the lungs, hemoptysis, and taxation cough. Use and Dosage: 3–10 g per dose, melted and taken with water.

146

H. Ye et al.

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Limulidae, Cicadidae, Ursidae, Viperidae, Bombycidae…

147

Chapter 9

Medicinal Minerals and Fossils Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

Contents 9.1  M  inerals and Fossils  9.1.1  Pyrolusitum 9.1.2  Mica Stone 9.1.3  Mercury 9.1.4  Hydrargyrum Oxydatum Crudum 9.1.5  Gypsum 9.1.6  Fossil Shell of Spirifer 9.1.7  Fossil Telphusa 9.1.8  Dens Draconis 9.1.9  Fossil Fragments

 150  150  151  152  153  154  157  158  159  162

H. Ye (*) · F. Zeng · F. Wang · Y. Ye · L. Fu · J. Li South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] C. Li Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected] W. Ye Jinan University, Guangzhou, China F. Liu Huizhou Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Huizhou, China Y. Liu Faculty of Military Language Education, University of Defense Technology, Changsha, China © Chemical Industry Press 2022 H. Ye et al. (eds.), Common Chinese Materia Medica, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5924-9_9

149

150

H. Ye et al. 9.1.10  9.1.11  9.1.12  9.1.13  9.1.14  9.1.15  9.1.16  9.1.17  9.1.18  9.1.19  9.1.20 

Quartz Album  lum A Crystallus Hydrargyrum Bichlortum Compound of Mirabilite and Liquorice Selenitum Glanberitum Mirabilite Zinnober Native Copper Actinolite Agate Halloysitum Rubrum

 164  165  167  168  170  170  172  174  176  178  179

This chapter introduces 20 types of medicinal minerals and fossils, mainly including pyrolusitum, mica stone, mercury, hydrargyrum oxydatum crudum, gypsum, fossil Telphusa, dens draconis, fossil fragment, quartz album, alum, crystallus hydrargyrum bichlortum, compound of mirabilite and liquorice, selenitum glanberitum, mirabilite, zinnober, native copper, actinolite, agate, and halloysitum rubrum. This chapter introduces the scientific names, Chinese medicinal names, morphologies, habitats, distributions, acquisition and processing methods, medicinal properties, tastes, functions, use, and dosages of these medicinal minerals and fossils, with clear original photos and part photos of herbal medicines of each one.

9.1  Minerals and Fossils 9.1.1  Pyrolusitum Chinese Name(s): Wu ming yi Source: This medicine is ore of rutile pyrolusite of the oxide mineral. It mainly contains manganese dioxide. Distribution: It’s produced in provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Qinghai, etc. It is a secondary mineral, which is common in sedimentary deposits. Acquisition and Processing: It’s mined all year round. After the impurities and soils are removed, the ores are dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: This product is irregularly spherical, 0.6–1.8 cm in diameter, mostly about 1 cm. The surface is uneven or nodular, yellowish brown, or tan, often covered with yellowish brown fine powder. If the dust is removed, it is glossy and easy to dye hands. It is hard and not easily broken, and its cross section is brown to purple brown. It’s slightly earthy in odor and tasteless. The products better in quality are uniformly large, brown, glossy, and free of impurities. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty and sweet in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the liver and kidneys.

9  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

151

Functions: Promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, relieving pain, and promoting granulation, it is often used for treatment of traumatic injuries, sores, and carbuncle. Use and Dosage: 3–5  g per dose. For external treatment, proper amounts of products are mashed into powder and applied to the affected areas.

9.1.2  Mica Stone Chinese Name(s): Yun mu shi, yun mu, and bai yun mu Source: This medicine is schistose ore of dolomite, a silicate mineral, mined from granite and pegmatite. It mainly contains hydrous aluminum potassium silicate. Distribution: It’s produced in provinces of Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin, Hebei, Shandong, Yunnan, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, etc. Acquisition and Processing: It can be mined all year round. The impurities and soils should be removed. Medicinal Properties: The products are irregular flakes, which are stacked by several to dozens of layers, varied in size, colorless transparent, or white, with pearl-­ like or glass-like luster. It is tough and can be peeled layer by layer into thin sheets, which are smooth, transparent, and elastic. It’s slightly odored and tasteless. The products better in quality are large, transparent, clean, colorless, and easy to peel. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs, liver, and spleen. Functions: Tonifying kidneys, astringing, and stopping bleeding, it’s often used for the treatment of fatigue, dizziness, palpitation, epilepsy, cold, malaria, sore, carbuncle, and traumatic bleeding. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the products are mashed into powder and applied to the affected areas.

152

H. Ye et al.

9.1.3  Mercury Chinese Name(s): Shui yin Source: This medicine is natural mercury in ore, mostly derived from mercury bearing minerals. It mainly contains mercury and a small amount of silver. Distribution: It’s produced in provinces of Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Hunan, Hubei, Guangxi, etc. Acquisition and Processing: It can be mined all year round. Natural mercury is rare. Usually, the ore-containing cinnabar is crushed and put into a special furnace for heating and sublimation. Medicinal Properties: This product is an opaque heavy liquid at room temperature. It is silvery white and glossy. It is very easy to flow and split into small balls. There is no stain in the place where it flows. It is easily volatilized when it is hot. The products better in quality are silver white, lustrous, and strongly fluidic and leave no trace on the paper surface. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste, cold in property, and highly toxic and belongs to the meridians of the heart, liver, and kidneys. It shouldn’t be tasted. Functions: Killing parasites and attacking poison, it’s often used for treatment of skin scabies and sores.

9  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

153

Use and Dosage: It shouldn’t be taken orally. For external use, it’s applied to the affected areas. This product is not suitable to be used together with arsenic.

9.1.4  Hydrargyrum Oxydatum Crudum Chinese Name(s): Sheng dan, sheng yao, hong sheng dan, huang xian dan, and san xian dan Source: This medicine is crude mercuric oxide refined from mineral mercury, niter, and alum. Distribution: It’s produced all over the country. Acquisition and Processing: Grind the mercury, saltpeter, and alum into fine powder, spread it in the iron pot, cover it with a porcelain bowl, seal it with red halloysite, and refine it after heating and sublimation. The red substance on the edge of the bowl is called “red hydrargyrum oxydatum crudum,” the yellow in the middle of the bowl is called “yellow hydrargyrum oxydatum crudum,” and the lump at the bottom of the pot is called “hydrargyrum oxydatum crudum base.” Medicinal Properties: “Red hydrargyrum oxydatum crudum” is an orange red block or powder; the block is 0.2–0.6 cm long and 0.1–0.2 cm thick, smooth on one side, and honeycomb on the other. It’s heavy, brittle, fragile, and odorless. The products red, flaky, and glossy are better in quality. The property of “yellow hydrargyrum oxydatum crudum” is basically the same, but they are yellow or orange yellow, and the products yellow, flaky, and glossy are better in quality. “Hydrargyrum

154

H. Ye et al.

oxydatum crudum base” is irregular plate-shaped, varied in size, about 1 mm thick, and milky white to light yellow. It’s hard and brittle and slightly smelly. The products better in quality are light yellow, blocky, and pure. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and astringing in taste, warm in property, and highly toxic. Functions: Searching the pus and extracting the poison, removing the putrefaction, and generating the muscle, it’s used externally for carbuncle and ulcer, especially when there is poor purulence; the putrefaction does not take off; and the granulation is difficult to grow. Use and Dosage: It should be used externally but not orally. Notes: This product should be used together with calcined gypsum for external use, but not used alone. Patients without putrefaction and pus should not use it.

9.1.5  Gypsum Chinese Name(s): Shi gao Source: This medicine is made of gypsum in the anhydrite group of the sulfate, mainly containing hydrous calcium sulfate. Distribution: Yingcheng of Hubei Province and Fengyang of Anhui Province have large output and good quality of gypsum. In addition, it is also produced in Henan, Shandong, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Tibet, Gansu, Ningxia, Shanxi, Guangdong, and Guangxi. Acquisition and Processing: It’s mined all year round; the impurities and soils should be removed. Medicinal Properties: This product is a long block or plate-shaped mineral, white or grayish white, sometimes translucent. It is easy to fracture longitudinally,

9  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

155

with fibrous texture and silk-like luster. It’s heavy and soft and can be grated into powder with nails. It’s odorless and bland in taste. The white, translucent, and blocky ones are better in quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and pungent in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of lungs and stomach. Functions: Clearing heat and purging fire and relieving vexation and thirst, it’s often used for treatment of exogenous fever, thirst, dry mouth, asthma, and cough due to lung heat, hyperactivity stomach fire, headache, and toothache. The calcined gypsum functions in absorbing dampness and generating muscle, astringing sores, and stopping bleeding. Use and Dosage: 15–60 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. It should be decocted first. The calcined gypsum is often used externally by sprinkling it onto the affected areas.

156

H. Ye et al.

9  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

157

9.1.6  Fossil Shell of Spirifer Chinese Name(s): Shi yan Source: This medicine is the fossils of Cyrtiospirifer sinensis or Cyrtiopsis davidsoni or Caryophyllaceae of the ancient brachiopods, or their related animals, mainly containing calcium carbonate, as well as a small amount of phosphorus and silica. Distribution: It’s mainly produced in the province of Hunan and also produced in Hubei, Yunnan, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Guangxi, and Shanxi. Acquisition and Processing: It’s mined all year round. After the oils are washed off, it is dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The shape of this product is similar to that of a swallow, 2.5–3.5 cm long, 3–4 cm wide, 1–1.5 cm thick, bluish gray, or yellowish brown, with corrugated vertical and horizontal alternate radial texture on both sides; the two wings are spread; the margins are slightly thin, and the center is raised on both surfaces; there is a longitudinal groove in the middle of one side, which slightly bends down like a bird beak at the thinner end; on the other side, there is a transverse groove leading to both margins. The material is hard as stone, not easily broken, the cross section is grayish cyan, mixed with some white gravel. It’s odorless and bland in taste. The products better in quality are complete, swallow-shaped, with grain patterns, grayish blue and solid in texture. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty in taste and cool in property and belongs to the meridians of kidneys and bladder. Functions: Clearing heat, promoting diuresis, and improving eyesight, it’s often used for treatment of stranguria, dysuria, morbid leucorrhea due to dampness and heat, hematuria, constipation, hemorrhoidal hemorrhage, anal fistula, and corneal opacity. Use and Dosage: 1.5–5 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the product is ground to powder or ground with water and used for eye dropping.

158

H. Ye et al.

9.1.7  Fossil Telphusa Chinese Name(s): Shi xie Source: This medicine is the fossils of Telphusa of Toxocaridae of the Paleozoic arthropod family, mainly containing calcium carbonate. Distribution: It’s produced in provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Taiwan, and other coastal areas. Yangjiang is the main producing area in Guangdong. It is also produced in the South Sea Islands. Acquisition and Processing: It can be fished all year round. After the soil is cleaned, it is dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The shape of this product is similar to that of a crab. The intact ones are complete with limbs and claws, with clear shape, but most products only have crab body or crab claws. Or one side of the product is crab-shaped, and the other side is smooth and colored from earthy brown to dark brown. The crustacean is obvious, slightly obtuse, quadrangular, and round in the corner, without or with small ratchets. It’s heavy and hard as stone and produces sound when hit with each other. The cross section is slightly granular, grayish cyan. It’s odorless, slightly salty in taste, and slightly tongue-sticky. The products better in quality are in crab shape, solid in texture, and green-colored. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the liver and gallbladder. Functions: Clearing the liver and brightening the eyes, relieving swelling, and detoxicating, it’s often used for treatment of conjunctivitis, blurred eyes, dysuria, leukorrhea, carbuncle, and sore. Use and Dosage: 5–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use, or ground with water to take, or made into pills and powder; for external treatment, the product is ground to fine powder for eye dropping or applied to the affected areas.

9  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

159

9.1.8  Dens Draconis Chinese Name(s): Long chi Source: This medicine is made of tooth fossils of ancient mammals such as Hippophae, elephant, rhinoceros, cattle, deer, etc. Distribution: It’s produced in provinces of Shanxi and Henan, as well as in Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, etc. Acquisition and Processing: It’s mined all year round. The teeth from animal fossils are picked or the gums are knocked off. Medicinal Properties: This product can be divided into canine teeth and molar teeth of different sizes; canine teeth are conical, with slightly curved and sharp top; molar teeth are cylindrical or square cylindrical, slightly curved, and thinner on one end and with different furrows. The green dens draconis is dark brownish green with yellowish brown stripes. The white dens draconis are white, without patterns, but with brown spots, and some still have enamels. It is hard, difficult to break, uneven on the cross section, and slightly hygroscopic. It’s odorless and tasteless. The products with dark cyan stripes and strong hygroscopicity and without gums are better in quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and astringent in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart and liver. Functions: Removing heat and calming the mind, it’s often used for treatment of fever, convulsion, vexation, dysphoria, Qi stagnation in the upper abdomen, insomnia, and dreaminess. Use and Dosage: 10–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. It should be decocted first.

160

H. Ye et al.

9  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

161

162

H. Ye et al.

9.1.9  Fossil Fragments Chinese Name(s): Long gu Source: This medicine is made of skeleton fossils of ancient mammals such as tripods, elephants, rhinoceros, cattle, deer, etc., or elephant incisor fossils, the former is called “long gu,” and the latter is called “wu hua long gu.” Distribution: It’s produced in provinces of Shanxi and Henan, as well as in Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, etc. Acquisition and Processing: It’s mined all year round. After mining, the sediment and impurities are removed, and the skeleton fossils are selected. The incisor fossils are easy to break; thus they are usually wrapped in soft paper. Medicinal Properties: This product is bone-like or broken into irregular blocks of different sizes and yellowish white or light grayish white, some with light brown stripes or cracks and feel delicate when touched. The cross section is rough with light brown reticular marrow in the center. It is hard and not easily broken. It has strong hygroscopicity, slight odor, and bland taste. The products better in quality are white and strongly hygroscopic. The incisor fossils are irregular blocks or cylinders,

9  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

163

yellowish white on surface, often with bluish gray or reddish brown patterns, and a little luster. It is hard and brittle and easy to flake off. It has strong hygroscopicity, slight odor, and bland taste. The products better in quality are strongly hygroscopic, odorless, bland in taste, lightweight, brittle, layered, patternful, and strongly hygroscopic. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and astringent in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart and liver. Functions: Calming the mind, astringing, and regenerating tissue to heal wound, it’s often used for treatment of palpitations, shock, insomnia, dreaminess, spontaneous sweating, night sweating, spermatorrhea, and metrorrhagia. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, it’s ground into powder and sprinkled onto ulcers that do not heal for a long time. It should be decocted firstly.

164

H. Ye et al.

9.1.10  Quartz Album Chinese Name(s): Bai shi ying and shi ying Source: This medicine is made of quartz in the quartz group of the oxide minerals, mainly containing silica. Distribution: It’s produced in provinces of Jiangsu, Shandong, Guangdong, Guizhou, Fujian, Zhejiang, etc. Acquisition and Processing: It’s mined all year round. After mining, the sediment and impurities are removed, and the dull white ores are selected. Medicinal Properties: This product is an aggregate of hexagonal columns or coarse granules, forming an irregular block as a whole, usually with sharp edges and corners, uneven surfaces, milky white to grayish white, and slightly transparent or opaque, with glass-like, or fat-like luster. It’s heavy, hard in quality, uneven on the cross sections, and sharp on margins and can be used for carving glass. It’s odorless, bland in taste, and light. The white, slightly transparent, glossy, heavy, and hard ones are better in quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and slightly warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart and lungs. Functions: Tonifying Qi, tranquilizing the mind, promoting diuresis, relieving coughing, and sending down the reverse flow of Qi, it’s often used for treatment of palpitation, cough, asthma, and dysuria. Use and Dosage: 10–20 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Do not use it if the patients are sick for a long time.

9  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

165

9.1.11  Alum Chinese Name(s): Bai fan Source: This medicine is made of alunite, a natural sulfate mineral, by processing and refining it into a crystal. It mainly contains aluminum potassium sulfate. Distribution: It’s produced in provinces of Zhejiang, Anhui, and Fujian, as well as in Hubei, Shanxi, Hebei, and Gansu. Acquisition and Processing: It’s mined all year round. After mining, the alunite is broken and dissolved in water. The solution is collected, filtered, heated and concentrated, and then cooled. The precipitated crystal is alum. Medicinal Properties: This product is an irregular crystal of different sizes. Its surface is slightly smooth or uneven, with fine longitudinal edges, colorless, transparent, or white translucent, often covered with white fine powder. It is hard and brittle, and easily broken, and the cross section is glassy. It’s slightly sour in odor, astringent with sweetness, and sour in taste. The products better in quality are large, colorless, transparent, and free of impurities.

166

H. Ye et al.

Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sour and astringent in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs, liver, spleen, stomach, and large intestines. Functions: Stopping bleeding and diarrhea and eliminating wind phlegm, it’s often used for treatment of chronic diarrhea, hemafecia, metrorrhagia, epilepsy, and mania. Used externally, it functions in detoxicating and killing parasites, drying dampness, and stopping itching and is often used for the treatment of eczema, scabies, and ear pus. Use and Dosage: 0.6–1.5 g per dose Notes: The calcinated alum is called “ku fan,” which functions in drying dampness, astringing sores, stopping bleeding, and eliminating putridity.

9  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

167

9.1.12  Crystallus Hydrargyrum Bichlortum Chinese Name(s): Bai jiang dan, bai fen shuang, bai ling sha, and jiang dan Source: This medicine is made of mixed crystal of mercurous oxide and mercurous chloride. Distribution: It’s produced in all over China, especially in Hunan, Hubei, Yunnan, Jiangxi, and Tianjin. Acquisition and Processing: It’s made from seven kinds of materials, including mercury, saltpeter, jarosite, borax, salt, realgar, and cinnabar, through multiple processes. Medicinal Properties: This product is acicular crystal, often aggregated into blocks or powder; the surface is white or yellow; for those in blocks, the surface contacting with the bowl wall is smooth and shiny, sometimes slightly purplish red; the other side and the cross sections are fine acicular crystals, slightly glossy, and opaque. It’s heavy and fragile, odorless, and spicy, and long-lasting metallic in taste. The products better in quality are in large blocks, white, and needle-like crystals.

168

H. Ye et al.

Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste, warm in property, and extremely toxic. Functions: Killing parasites, attacking poisoning, eliminating putridity, and engendering flesh, it is often used for treatment of malice, scabies, sores, and carbuncle. Use and Dosage: For external treatment, the product is applied to the affected areas. This product is highly toxic; therefor it should not be taken orally.

9.1.13  Compound of Mirabilite and Liquorice Chinese Name(s): Xuan ming fen Source: This medicine is made of efflorescence of mirabilite, mainly containing sodium sulfate. Distribution: It’s produced in all over China, especially in Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, etc. Acquisition and Processing: In autumn or winter, the purified mirabilite is withered in air to lose crystal water, forming anhydrous sodium sulfate. Medicinal Properties: This product is white powdery and lustrous and feels like fine sand when twisted by hand. It’s odorless and salty and bitter in taste. The products better in quality are fine, white, and clean. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty and bitter in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of stomach and large intestines. Functions: Purging fire and relieving constipation, moistening dryness and softening lumps, clearing heat, and reducing swelling, it’s often used for treatment of

9  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

169

constipation caused by excessive heat, abdominal pain, periappendicular abscess and tumor, sore throat, canker, gingivitis, conjunctivitis, and carbuncle. Use and Dosage: 3–10 g per dose. For external treatment, it’s melted in water and used for applicating or washing; or it’s ground into powder for application. Pregnant women shouldn’t use it.

170

H. Ye et al.

9.1.14  Selenitum Glanberitum Chinese Name(s): Xuan jing shi and tai yi xuan jing shi Source: It is a small gypsum sheet of the sulfate minerals, which deposits in salt pool area over a long period of time and mainly contains hydrous calcium sulfate. Distribution: It’s produced in Qinghai, Gansu, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, etc. Acquisition and Processing: It’s mined all year round. After excavation, the soil and impurities are removed. Medicinal Properties: This product is an irregular ovate or rhombic thin sheet, slightly thick in the middle, shaped like turtle back, 0.3–1.5 cm long, 0.2–0.8 cm wide, 0.1–0.3 cm thick, grayish white, or slightly light brownish gray, some mixed with black and translucent. It is hard and brittle, easily broken into irregular long rhomboid small pieces, with glass-like luster on the cross sections. It is slightly odored and slightly salty in taste. The products better in quality are grayish white, evenly sized, and thin. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridian of the kidneys. Functions: Nourishing Yin, reducing fire, softening lumps, and eliminating phlegm, it’s often used for treatment of syndrome of overabundance of Yang leading to deficiency of Yin, high fever and thirst, headache caused by wind heat, and conjunctivitis. Use and Dosage: 10–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

9.1.15  Mirabilite Chinese Name(s): Mang xiao and pu xiao Source: This medicine is made of mirabilite in the mirabilite group of the sulfate. It is a kind of crystal refined by processing, mainly containing hydrous sodium sulfate.

9  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

171

Distribution: It’s produced in all the salt producing areas in China, among which Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, Hebei, and Inner Mongolia have a large amount of production. Acquisition and Processing: It can be refined throughout the year, especially in autumn and winter. The raw mirabilite is granular with white frost outside and contains many impurities. It is decocted and dissolved with water to precipitate impurities and then filtered. The filtrate is concentrated and crystallized after cooling. Medicinal Properties: This product is a prismatic or rectangular crystal, different-­sized, colorless, and transparent, with straight edges on the surface. It is brittle and easily broken, and its cross sections are oblique or square. The outer layer gradually withers in air and turns into white powder. It is odorless and bitter and salty in taste. The products better in quality are white, transparent, and clean. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty and bitter in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the stomach and large intestines. Functions: Purging fire and relieving constipation, moistening dryness and softening lumps, clearing heat, and reducing swelling, it’s often used for treatment of constipation due to excessive heat, large intestine dryness, abdominal pain, periappendicular abscess, carbuncle, and sore. Use and Dosage: 3–10 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, use approximate amount. Pregnant women shouldn’t use it.

172

H. Ye et al.

9.1.16  Zinnober Chinese Name(s): Zhu sha, shen sha, and dan sha Source: This medicine is made of the natural ore of cinnabar of sulfide, mainly containing mercuric sulfide. Distribution: It’s mainly produced in provinces of Guizhou, Sichuan, and Hunan, as well as in Yunnan, Guangxi, etc. Acquisition and Processing: It’s mined all year round. After mining, the impurities are removed with water, and then the iron is absorbed with magnet. Medicinal Properties: The irregular flakes of zinnober are called “jing mian sha”; the lumps of different sizes are called “dou ban sha,” and the small particles are called “zhu bao sha,” and there are sometimes powders. Its surface is dark red or bright red, with glass-like luster. It’s heavy, brittle, and fragile. It’s odorless and bland in taste. The products better in quality are big, bright red, glossy, brittle, fragile, and free of sand and stone impurities. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste, slightly cold in property, and toxic and belongs to the meridian of heart. Functions: Clearing the heart and calming a shock, tranquilizing the mind, and detoxicating, it’s often used for treatment of palpitation, insomnia, epilepsy, infantile convulsion, blurred vision, aphthous ulcer, pharyngitis, and sore. Use and Dosage: 0.3–1.5  g per dose. For external treatment, the product is mixed with other medicines and used and applied to the affected areas. It should not be taken for a long time or overdosage lest chronic mercury poisoning should happen, especially for patients with abnormal liver and kidney functions.

9  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

173

174

H. Ye et al.

9.1.17  Native Copper Chinese Name(s): Zi ran tong Source: This medicine is made of pyrite, a sulfide mineral, mainly containing iron disulfide. Distribution: It’s mainly produced in provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Liaoning, Hebei, Hunan, Guangdong, etc. Acquisition and Processing: It’s mined all year round. After mining, the square, yellow, and bright ones are selected, and then the soils and impurities are removed. Medicinal Properties: Most of the products are cubes of different sizes, generally, 0.5–2.5 cm long each side. The surface is flat or with fine texture and brown or light brass. It is heavy and hard and easily broken, with light yellow copper-like metallic luster. It’s odorless and tasteless. The products square, bright yellow, and free of impurities are better in quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridian of liver. Functions: Dispersing blood stasis and relieving pain, it is often used for treatment of swelling and pain, muscle and bone fracture, and blood stasis. Use and Dosage: 3–10 g per dose. For external treatment, the product is mixed with other medicine and used and applied to the affected areas.

9  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

175

176

H. Ye et al.

9.1.18  Actinolite Chinese Name(s): Yang qi shi Source: This medicine is made of tremolite or tremolite asbestos in the amphibole group of silicate minerals, mainly containing hydrous calcium silicate. Distribution: It’s mainly produced in provinces of Hubei, Henan, Shanxi, Hebei, Sichuan, Guangdong, Shandong, etc. It is often associated with talc. Acquisition and processing: It’s mined all year round and the soils and impurities are removed. Medicinal Properties: The products are irregular blocks or strips of different sizes, grayish white, cyan white, or cyan gray, often mixed with cyan, gray, white, or light yellow, forming longitudinal alternate patterns. It is silk-like lustrous, heavy-weighted, slightly soft in texture, and easily peeled off. The cross sections are irregular, and the longitudinal surface is fibrous or columnar, slightly silky lustrous. The particles that adhere to skin make the skin itch and are not easily removable. It’s odorless, and the taste is bland. The products better in quality are soft, easy to be twisted into capillary fiber by hand, grayish white, and glossy. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty in taste and slightly warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the kidneys. Functions: Warming the kidneys, supplementing Yang and strengthening the waist and knees, it’s often used for treatment of impotence caused by kidney deficiency, cold of women’s uterus, waist and knee soreness, arthralgia caused by cold, and metrorrhagia.

9  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

177

Use and Dosage: 5–10 g per dose, mostly made into pills and powder to take. Patients with excessive fire and Yin deficiency should not take it, and it should not be taken for a long time.

178

H. Ye et al.

9.1.19  Agate Chinese Name(s): Ma nao and wen shi Source: This medicine is made of one of the cryptocrystalline varieties of quartz. It is a massive body formed by colloidal solution of various colors of silica, which often fills in cracks or caves of rocks, mainly containing silica. Distribution: It’s mainly produced in provinces and region of Liaoning, Xinjiang, Gansu, Shaanxi, Henan, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang, Taiwan, etc. Acquisition and Processing: It’s mined all year round and the impurities are removed. The medicinal materials are mostly collected from the fragments produced by carving or mining. Medicinal Properties: The products are irregular blocks or column-shaped and different in size; brownish red, orange red, and grayish white are their common colors, and there are also other colors, which often combined into clouds or strips. They are smooth or uneven on surfaces, transparent to translucent, with wax-like luster. It’s hard and heavy, odorless, and bland in taste. The products better in quality are solid, ruddy-colored, and transparent. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and cold in property. Functions: Clearing heat and improving eyesight, it’s often used for treatment of blurred eyesight. Use and Dosage: It’s mostly used externally, ground into fine powder, or elutriated with water and used for eye dropping.

9  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

179

9.1.20  Halloysitum Rubrum Chinese Name(s): Chi shi zhi Source: This medicine is made of halloysite in the halloysite group of silicate minerals, mainly containing hydrous aluminum silicate. Distribution: It’s mainly produced in provinces of Shanxi, Shaanxi, Shandong, Henan, Jiangsu, Hubei, Fujian, Guangdong, etc. Acquisition and Processing: It’s mined all year round. After mining, the red, smooth, and greasy soil blocks are selected, and the impurities and soils are removed. Medicinal Properties: The products are irregular blocks of different sizes, red or reddish brown, forming marble-like patterns, smooth and exquisite, easy to crush, with strong water-absorbing quality, and tongue-sticky. They are odorless and earthy in taste. The products better in quality are dry, smooth, exquisite, red, fragile and free of impurities.

180

H. Ye et al.

Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and astringent in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the stomach and large intestines. Functions: Astringing the intestines to stop diarrhea and stop bleeding and astringing sores, it’s often used for treatment of chronic diarrhea and dysentery, hematochezia, metrorrhagia and metrostaxis, and ulceration that do not heal for a long time. Use and Dosage: 10–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, proper amounts of products are used.

9  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

181

Chapter 10

Medicinal Minerals and Fossils Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

Contents 10.1  10.2  10.3  10.4  10.5  10.6  10.7  10.8  10.9 

Ophicalcite Cinnabar Copperas Phlogopite Calamine Calcitum Arsenolite Calomel Stalactite

 184  186  187  188  189  191  192  194  195

H. Ye (*) · F. Zeng · F. Wang · Y. Ye · L. Fu · J. Li South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] C. Li Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected] W. Ye Jinan University, Guangzhou, China F. Liu Huizhou Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Huizhou, China Y. Liu Faculty of Military Language Education, University of Defense Technology, Changsha, China © Chemical Industry Press 2022 H. Ye et al. (eds.), Common Chinese Materia Medica, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5924-9_10

183

184 10.10  Prepared Salt 10.11  Limonitum 10.12  Sulfate of Copper 10.13  Pumice 10.14  Lithargite 10.15  Amber 10.16  Sulfur 10.17  Realgar 10.18  Amethyst 10.19  Talc 10.20  Magnetite 10.21  Ochre Suggested Reading

H. Ye et al.  197  198  200  201  203  204  207  209  211  213  214  216  218

This chapter introduces 21 types of medicinal minerals and fossils, mainly including ophicalcite, cinnabar, copperas, phlogopite, calamine, calcitum, arsenolite, calomel, stalactite, prepared salt, limonitum, sulfate of copper, pumice, lithargite, amber, sulfur, realgar, talc, magnetite, and ochre. This chapter introduces the scientific names, Chinese medicinal names, habitats, distributions, acquisition and processing methods, medicinal properties, tastes, functions, use, and dosages of these medicinal minerals and fossils, with clear original photos and part photos of herbal medicines of each one.

10.1  Ophicalcite Chinese Name(s): Hua rui shi Source: This medicine is made of blocks of serpentine marble of metamorphic rocks, mainly containing calcium carbonate and hydrous magnesium silicate. Distribution: It’s mainly produced in provinces of Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Sichuan, etc. Acquisition and Processing: It’s mined all year round. After mining, the impurities and soils are removed, and the small stones with light yellow or yellow green color patterns are selected. Medicinal Properties: The product is an irregular block, angular, but not sharp, white or light grayish white on surfaces, with light yellow or light green dots or stripes. It has a twinkling star-like luster in the sun. It’s heavy, hard in texture, and irregular on the cross sections. The yellow and green ones with stripes are better in quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sour and astringent in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridian of the liver. Functions: Removing blood stasis and stopping bleeding, it’s often used for treatment of hematemesis, hemoptysis, traumatic injuries, postpartum lochia, and blood sickness. Use and Dosage: 5–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

10  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

185

186

H. Ye et al.

10.2  Cinnabar Chinese Name(s): Chen sha, ma ya sha, ping kou sha, and ling sha Source: This medicine is made of mercury and sulfur by heating and sublimating. It mainly contains mercuric sulfide. Distribution: It’s mainly produced in provinces of Guangdong, Hunan, Sichuan, Yunnan, etc. Acquisition and Processing: It’s produced by chemical plants. Medicinal Properties: The product is a block or basin-shaped with different sizes, dense and flat on both surfaces, or only flat on one side, but rough on the other side and with small holes. It is 1–4 cm thick, purplish red, glass-like lustrous, heavy, brittle, and easily broken longitudinally; on the vertical section is a bunch of needles, which are commonly known as “ma ya zhu.” It’s odorless and bland in taste. The products better in quality are large, purplish red, and needle-like crystal on the vertical section. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste, slightly cold in property, belongs to the meridian of heart, and toxic. Functions: Clearing the heart and calming a shock, tranquilizing the mind, and detoxicating, it’s often used for treatment of palpitation, insomnia, epilepsy, infantile convulsion, blurred vision, aphthous ulcer, pharyngitis, and sore. Use and Dosage: 0.3–1.5  g per dose, made into pills or powder to take. The product is extremely toxic; therefore, the dosage for oral use should be strictly controlled, and it should not be taken for a long time.

10  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

187

10.3  Copperas Chinese Name(s): Qing fan, zao fan, and lv fan Source: This medicine is made of ore or chemical synthesis of sulfate of the melanterite mineral monoclinic system, mainly containing ferrous sulfate. Distribution: It’s mainly produced in provinces of Shandong, Hunan, Anhui, Zhejiang, Xinjiang, Gansu, and other places. Acquisition and Processing: It’s mined all year round, and the sediments are removed. It can also be synthesized. Medicinal Properties: The product is prismatic or granular to powdery; the prismatic ones are 1.5–3 cm long, 0.5–0.8 cm in diameter, turquoise or yellowish green, and translucent. In dry air, it weathers quickly, forming a layer of white powder on the surface; while in humid air, it can be rapidly oxidized, forming yellowish brown basic iron sulfide on the surface. The material is hard and brittle, and the cross sections are glassy. It’s slightly odored, astringent, and slightly sweet in taste. The big, green, and translucent ones are better in quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sour and astringent in taste and cool in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs and large intestines. Functions: Removing dampness and phlegm, eliminating accumulation and killing parasites, detoxicating and astringing sores, and replenishing blood to stop bleeding, it’s often used for treatment of hookworm disease, infantile disease caused by worms and malnutrition, hematochezia, gastrointestinal bleeding, wet sores, scabies, scald, and burn. Use and Dosage: 2–5 g per dose, made into pills or powder to take. For external treatment, the products are mashed for sprinkling and application, or decocted in water for washing the affected areas with.

188

H. Ye et al.

Notes: This product has strong emetic power and should be taken with caution by patients with weak stomach.

10.4  Phlogopite Chinese Name(s): Jin meng shi and ming shi Source: This medicine is made of phlogopite of vermiculite schist or hydrobiotite schist, mainly containing potassium, magnesium, aluminum, and silicic acid. Distribution: It’s mainly produced in provinces of Hubei, Henan, Shanxi, etc. Acquisition and Processing: It’s mined all year round, and the sediment and impurities are removed. Medicinal Properties: The products are irregular blocks, different in sizes, brownish yellow, and flashing dazzling golden yellow luster. It’s brittle in texture, fragile, and laminated. The ones of good quality break into thin flake-like fragments when twisted by hand. The hard ones are of poor quality. After being smashed, it is often mixed with soil. Calcination can make it loose and swell, layer by layer, and

10  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

189

show shining golden color. It’s brittle in texture, very fragile, odorless, and bland in taste. The products better in quality are golden yellow, brittle, and free from impurities. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and salty in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs, heart, and liver. Functions: Bringing down phlegm and counter flow of Qi, calming the liver and tranquilizing shock, it is often used for treatment of sticky phlegm accumulation, cough, asthma, epilepsy, dysphoria, chest tightness, shock, and convulsion. Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use, or made into pills and powder.

10.5  Calamine Chinese Name(s): Lu gan shi Source: This medicine is made of smithsonite of the calcite family of carbonate minerals, mainly containing zinc carbonate. Distribution: It’s mainly produced in provinces of Guangxi, Hunan, Sichuan, etc. Acquisition and Processing: It’s mined all year round. After the sediment and impurities removed, it’s washed and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are irregular blocks, usually compressed, sometimes polygonal or nearly rounded, varied in size, and often with large sags and honeycomb holes of different sizes. It is white or reddish brown, with inconspicuous brown patterns and yellowish white dust. It is light, loose, and fragile, with granular cross sections, grayish white or light brown, sometimes with white and brown tinged patterns. It is slightly odored and astringent in taste. The products better in quality are big, white, light, loose, and hygroscopic.

190

H. Ye et al.

Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste, neutral in property, and belongs to the meridians of the liver, spleen, and lungs. Functions: Improving eyesight, eliminating haze, preventing corrosion and promoting granulation, relieving itching and drying dampness, it’s often used for treatment of conjunctivitis, nebula, blepharitis, pterygium, ulcer with pus, wet sores, and skin itching. Use and Dosage: This product is only for external use. It is ground into fine powder and applied to the affected areas or used for eye droppings.

10  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

191

10.6  Calcitum Chinese Name(s): Nan han shui shi, fang jie shi, and han shui shi Source: This medicine is made of calcitum in the calcite group of carbonate minerals, mainly containing calcium carbonate. Distribution: It’s mainly produced in provinces of Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Henan, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Hubei, etc. Acquisition and Processing: It’s mined all year round. After mining, the sediment and impurities are removed. Medicinal Properties: This product is an oblique square or rectangular block, with sharp edges in the four corners, white or yellowish white, translucent, smooth, and glassy lustrous. The material is hard and brittle. When knocked, it usually breaks into small squares or rectangular blocks with smooth cross sections. It’s odorless and tasteless. The white, transparent, and glossy ones are better in quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bland in taste and extremely cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart, stomach, and kidneys. Functions: Clearing heat, raining down fire, cooling blood, reducing vexation, and quenching thirst, it’s often used for treatment of high fever, thirst, toothache, and strangury. Use and Dosage: 10–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. It should be decocted first. Notes: Anhydrite, a sulfate mineral of anhydrite group, is also used as calcitum for medicine. It is flat, white, uneven on surfaces, earthy in odor, and tasteless. The natural taste and function are similar to those of the calcitum.

192

H. Ye et al.

10.7  Arsenolite Chinese Name(s): Pi shi, xin shi, ren yan, and pi shuang Source: This medicine is a kind of oxide arsenopyrite of the equiaxed crystal system, but it is mostly made of monoclinic sulfide arsenopyrite (arsenopyrite) or realgar and less from natural arsenopyrite. It mainly contains arsenic trioxide. Distribution: It’s mainly produced in provinces of Hunan, Jiangxi, Guizhou, Guangdong, etc. Acquisition and Processing: A few of them are natural arsenopyrite, from which the impurities are removed after mining. Most of them are made from arsenic minerals. Medicinal Properties: This products are in two categories—arsenic and white arsenic. (1) Red arsenic, also known as “hong xin shi,” is an irregular block or granule with different sizes. The larger one is 5–10 cm in length and width and 3–5 cm in thickness and grayish white with reddish color on surfaces, and its vertical section is red, yellow, white, or brownish. It has horizontal alternate-colored patterns, which are semitransparent and glassy or silk-like lustrous. It’s heavy, hard, and brittle in texture, easily broken; the cross section is slightly flat or layered. It’s odorless. This product is highly toxic and should not be tasted. The products better in quality are complete, bright and crystal, ruddy-colored, lustrous, and free of impurities. (2) White arsenic, also known as “bai xin shi,” is basically the same in shape as red arsenic, but it is white in color without colorful patterns. The product better in quality are complete, bright and crystal, white and lustrous, and impurity-free. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste, extremely warm in property, and drastically toxic and belongs to the meridians of the lungs and liver. Functions: Eliminating phlegm and asthma, healing ulcers, removing the decay, and stopping malaria, it’s often used for treatment of asthma duet to cold phlegm, long-term malaria, gangrenous stomatitis, ulcers, carrion, hemorrhoids, tinea, carbuncle, and gangrene. This product is highly toxic and can be used as medicine only after being processed.

10  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

193

Use and Dosage: 0.015–0.031 g per dose for processed product, made into pills and powder to take. For external treatment, the product is ground to powder for sprinkling or application to the affected areas or made into a paste for application.

194

H. Ye et al.

10.8  Calomel Chinese Name(s): Qing fen, gong fen, and shui yin fen Source: This medicine is made of mercury compounds of mercury, gall alum, and salt by burning, refining, and sublimation. It mainly contains mercurous chloride. Distribution: It’s mainly produced in provinces of Hubei, Hunan, Hebei, Tianjin, Yunnan, etc. Acquisition and Processing: Dissolve the alum and salt with water, then add mercury, mix them into paste, and knead them into lumps with red mud. Lay dry sand on the pan, cover the sand surface with porcelain basin, seal tightly, and calcine with charcoal for about 10 h. It can be seen that there is snow-like crystal in the porcelain basin, which is light powdery. Medicinal Properties: This product is snowflake-like crystal or fine powder, white, and slightly glossy. When contacting sunlight, it turns gray yellow and dark and turns black when contacting ammonia. It is light in weight and easily broken into powders when twisted by hand. It’s odorless, and the taste is bland. This product is highly toxic and should not be tasted. The products better in quality are large, scaly or snowflake-like, white, glossy, and light. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste, cold in property, and extremely toxic and belongs to the meridians of the large and small intestines. Functions: Dispelling phlegm, eliminating accumulation, expelling water, and relieving constipation, it’s often used for treatment of phlegm and saliva stagnation, edema and swelling, dysuria and constipation, scabies, ringworm, syphilis, chancre, eczema, and skin ulcers. Use and Dosage: 0.1–0.28  g per dose. For external treatment, the product is ground to powder for sprinkling and application to the affected areas.

10  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

195

10.9  Stalactite Chinese Name(s): Zhong ru shi, shi zhong ru, and shi sun Source: This medicine is made of calcite in the calcite group of carbonate minerals, mainly containing calcium carbonate. Distribution: It’s mainly produced in provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hubei, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Shanxi, etc. It is often found in mountain caves. Acquisition and Processing: It is mined all year round, knocked down from the cave, and washed. Medicinal Properties: The product is conical or cylindrical, slightly thin in the upper part, slightly thick in the lower part, obtuse on the top, flat and broken at the bottom, 5–20  cm in length, and 2–7  cm in diameter; the surface is uneven, with

196

H. Ye et al.

nodular protrusions, soil gray, grayish white, or brownish yellow. It’s heavy and hard in texture; the cross section is slightly flat, light orange yellow, radial crystal arranged in multiple layers, and annular; the crystals are often bright, with a round hole in the center. It’s odorless and tastes slightly salty. The products better in quality are solid in quality, transparent in section, and bright. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs, stomach, and kidneys. Functions: Warming the lungs, invigorating Yang, promoting lactation, and relieving hyperacidity, it’s often used for treatment of cough and asthma due to cold phlegm, asthma due to Yin deficiency and cold, backache cold pain, postpartum breast milk stoppage, stomachache, and sour regurgitation. Use and Dosage: 10–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

10  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

197

10.10  Prepared Salt Chinese Name(s): Qiu shi, xian qiu shi, and dai yan Source: This medicine is a crystal block made of processed salt, mainly containing sodium chloride. Distribution: Tongcheng County of Anhui province is a famous producing area. In addition, it is also produced in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Acquisition and Processing: Decoct the salt in water, remove the residue, filter, heat, condense, and dry it into solid powdery cream, and then put the powder cream into two porcelain bowls of slightly different sizes, close the two bowls, and calcine it on a smokeless fire for 2 h until it turns red, so that the powder melts into a piece, and then solidify after cooling. Medicinal Properties: The product is a small basin-shaped semicircular crystal block with smooth bottom and diameter of 5–6 cm in the upper part. It is white and slightly glossy, solid, and heavy in quality. In dry air, the surface weathers and frosts. And in moist air, it melts. It’s odorless and salty in taste. The products better in quality are in complete basin shape, white-colored, and no moisture solution. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs and kidneys. Functions: Nourishing Yin, clearing heat, reducing fire, and astringing essence, it’s often used for treatment of deficiency, fatigue, hectic fever, cough, spermatorrhea, leucorrhea, and oral and throat sores. Use and Dosage: 3–5 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the products are mashed for sprinkled to the affected areas.

198

H. Ye et al.

10.11  Limonitum Chinese Name(s): Yu yu liang and yu liang shi Source: This medicine is made of limonite, a kind of hydroxide ore, mainly containing basic iron oxide. Distribution: It is mainly produced in provinces of Henan and Jiangsu. In addition, it is also produced in Zhejiang, Sichuan, Guangdong, etc. Acquisition and Processing: It is harvested all year round, and the silt and impurities are removed after mining. Medicinal Properties: This product is a massive aggregate, irregular oblique square-shaped, reddish brown on surface, grayish brown or light brown, mostly uneven, or with yellow powder; the cross section has dark brown and light brown laminations. The dark part is hard and the light part is soft. It is earthy in odor and bland in taste, without the sandy texture when chewed. The products better in quality are yellowish brown, neat, loose in quality, layered in cross section, and free from debris. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and astringent in taste and slightly cold in property and belongs to the meridians of stomach and large intestines. Functions: Astringing bowel to stop diarrhea and stopping bleeding, it’s often used for treatment of chronic diarrhea, dysentery, metrorrhagia, and leucorrhea. Use and Dosage: 10–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

10  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

199

200

H. Ye et al.

10.12  Sulfate of Copper Chinese Name(s): Dan fan and lan fan Source: This medicine is made of copper sulfate of the sulfate mineral, which is formed by oxidation and decomposition of copper with sulfide and mainly contains hydrous copper sulfate. Distribution: It is mainly produced in provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangdong, etc. Acquisition and Processing: It is harvested all year round. The stones with blue and glassy luster are selected after mining. It can also be synthesized. Medicinal Properties: This product is an irregular block, flake, or oblique square prismatic crystal, light yellow or dark blue, and translucent, with glass-like luster; it gradually weathers in the air, and the surface turns yellowish green; after heating and removing crystal water, it turns white, and it turns blue again when meeting water. It is hard, brittle, and easily broken. The color of the cross section is the same as that of the surface. It’s odorless and astringent in taste. The products better in quality are large, dark blue, transparent, and glass-like lustrous. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sour, pungent and astringent in taste, cold in property, and toxic and belongs to the meridians of the liver and gallbladder. Functions: Dispelling wind and phlegm, detoxicating and astringing dampness, and healing ulcer, it is often used for treatment of wind phlegm obstruction, epilepsy, conjunctivitis, chancre, aphthous ulcer, eczema, scabies, swelling and toxin collapsed, and tissue ulceration. Use and Dosage: 0.3–0.6 g per dose, taken with warm soup. For external treatment, the product is mashed for sprinkling or application to the affected areas, or use for laryngeal insufflation, or melted in water for washing the affected areas.

10  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

201

10.13  Pumice Chinese Name(s): Fu shi and hai fu shi Source: This medicine is made of the porous rock formed by the solidification of magma from volcano, mainly containing silica. Distribution: It is mainly produced in provinces of Guangdong, Fujian, Shandong, Liaoning, etc. Acquisition and Processing: It is harvested all year round, usually after a typhoon. The pumice floating on the sea or blown to the coast by the wind is picked up, washed, and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: This product is nearly spherical or irregularly lumpy, in porous spongy structure, 2–5  cm in diameter or more, rough on surface, grayish white, grayish yellow, or light brown. It is light, hard, and brittle. It floats on water

202

H. Ye et al.

but may sink. If smashed, the cross section is lighter in color, loose, and with many pores and often has silk- or glass-like luster. It’s odorless and bland in taste. The products better in quality are even-sized, light, and grayish white. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs and kidneys. Functions: Clearing the lungs and dissolving phlegm, resolving hard lump, and relieving strangury, it is used to for treatment of cough caused by phlegm and heat, obstinate phlegm accumulation, blood in sputum, scrofula, gall tumor, urolithiasis, and irritation sign of bladder. Use and Dosage: 10–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

10  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

203

10.14  Lithargite Chinese Name(s): Mi tuo seng, yin you, and yin lu di Source: This medicine is made of the sediments in the furnace where galena is used to refine silver and aluminum. It mainly contains lead oxide or a small amount of unoxidized lead. Distribution: It is mainly produced in provinces of Hunan, Hubei, Fujian, etc. Acquisition and Processing: When extracting silver and lead from galena, the by-product deposits at the bottom of the furnace are obtained. Medicinal Properties: This product is an irregular block, flat, or clastic block, with different sizes. One side of the surface is usually smooth and glossy, while the other side is slightly rough, yellow, or yellowish brown. It is hard, easily broken, granular in the cross section, obviously laminate, and grayish cyan to grayish green, with silver metallic flash; the powder of lithargite is yellow with reddish color. It’s odorless, and the taste is bland. The yellow-colored, lustrous, heave, and pure ones are better in quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty and pungent in taste, neutral in property, and toxic and belongs to the meridians of the liver and spleen. Functions: Killing parasites, astringing sores, drying dampness, dispelling phlegm, and calming convulsions, it’s often used for treatment of convulsion caused by phlegm, eczema, ulcers, hemorrhoids, mouth sores, swelling, poisoning, knife cut, bromhidrosis, etc. Use and Dosage: 1.5–3 g per dose, ground to powder and made into pills. For external treatment, the products are ground to powder, mixed with vinegar, and applied to the affected areas.

204

H. Ye et al.

10.15  Amber Chinese Name(s): Hu po Source: This medicine is made of fossil material that comes from the resin of Pinus plants in ancient Pinaceae, buried underground, and transformed over a long period of time. Distribution: It is mainly produced in provinces of Yunnan, Guangxi, Henan, Liaoning, etc. Acquisition and Processing: It’s mined all year round. After mining, the amber was selected, and the silts and soils are removed. Medicinal Properties: This product is massive or granular, with different sizes. Its surface is light yellow, dark yellow, dark green, reddish brown or dark brown, glossy, and translucent. It is hard and brittle, with flat cross section. It is powdery when twisted by hand and insoluble in water. When burned, it will expand with rosin gas. It tastes bland. The products better in quality are red- and yellow-colored, transparent, bright, and brittle. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart, liver, and bladder. Functions: Calming the mind and relieving convulsions, promoting blood circulation of blood, and dispersing blood stasis, it’s often used for treatment of vexation, palpitation, dreaminess, gonorrhea, hematuria, etc. Use and Dosage: 2–3 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

10  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

205

206

H. Ye et al.

10  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

207

10.16  Sulfur Chinese Name(s): Liu huang Source: This medicine is made of natural sulfur in the mineral sulfur group. Distribution: It is mainly produced in provinces of Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Hubei, Henan, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Taiwan, etc. Acquisition and Processing: It’s mined all year round. Put the sulfur into the soil tank, heat it until it melts, remove the impurities, and take it out after cooling. Medicinal Properties: The products are irregular blocks. The surface is not flat and yellow or light yellowish green. It is loose and brittle, with many small holes in the cross section, coarse needle-like crystals, and lustrous. It has a special smell. When it is put on fire, it will emit cyan flame and irritating sulfur dioxide odor. The products better in quality are bright yellow-colored and brittle. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sour in taste, warm in property, and toxic, belongs to the meridians of the kidneys and large intestines Functions: Invigorating the vital fire, helping Yang, and relieving constipation, it’s often used for treatment of impotence, cold feet, asthma and cough of deficient cold type, constipation due to deficiency, scabies, and alopecia. Use and Dosage: 1.5–3 g per dose, processed and made into pills or powder to take. For external treatment, the product is ground to powder and applied to the affected areas. Pregnant women shouldn’t take it. It is not suitable to use the product together with mirabilite.

208

H. Ye et al.

10  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

209

10.17  Realgar Chinese Name(s): Xiong huang Source: This medicine is made of realgar in the realgar group of sulfide minerals, mainly containing arsenic disulfide. Distribution: It is mainly produced in Hunan province, as well as in Guizhou, Shaanxi, Hubei, Sichuan, Gansu, etc. Acquisition and Processing: It’s mined all year round. After mining, the mature part (the immature block is not removed) is scrapped off with bamboo knife, and the impurities are removed. Medicinal Properties: The products are irregular blocks, different-sized, dark red, or orange red, with orange yellow powder on surfaces, which easily dye the hand orange yellow. It’s heavy, loose, and fragile; the cross section is rough, reddish yellow, or bright red, with resin-like luster. There are frequently needle-like or columnar crystal, which are translucent to slightly transparent and with diamond-­ like luster. It is peculiar in odor and bland in taste. The big, red, glossy, brittle ones free of impurities are better in quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste, warm in property, and toxic and belongs to the meridians of the liver and large intestines. Functions: Detoxicating and killing parasites, drying dampness, removing phlegm, and stopping malaria, it’s often used for treatment of abdominal pain, convulsion, malaria, carbuncle, sores, scabies, and snakebite. Use and Dosage: 0.15–0.3 g per dose, made into pills or powder to take. For external treatment, the product is ground to powder and applied to the affected areas. Notes: Orpiment is the co-organism of this product, mainly containing arsenic trisulfide. It is lemon yellow block, tablet, or granule and has the same function as realgar.

210

H. Ye et al.

10  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

211

10.18  Amethyst Chinese Name(s): Zi shi ying Source: This medicine is made of fluoride minerals in the fluorite of fluorite group, mainly containing calcium fluoride. Distribution: It is mainly produced in provinces and regions of Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Liaoning, Heilongjiang, Gansu, Hubei, Hunan, etc. Acquisition and Processing: It’s mined all year round. After mining, the impurities are removed, and the purple ores are selected as medicine. Medicinal Properties: The products are irregular polygonal blocks with cracks on the surface, purple, lavender or light green throughout, uneven-colored, glassy lustrous, and translucent. It is hard and brittle, easily broken, mostly cracked from the edges and corners, and the edges and the cross sections are sharp. It’s odorless and bland in taste, insoluble in water, and soluble in concentrated sulfuric acid. The products that are pure purple, transparent, and free from impurities are better in quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart, lungs, and kidneys. Functions: Calming the mind, warming the uterus, warming the liver and kidneys, it is often used for treatment of deficiency, fatigue, palpitation, cold in the uterus, cough, and asthma. Use and Dosage: 10–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

212

H. Ye et al.

10  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

213

10.19  Talc Chinese Name(s): Hua shi Source: This medicine is made of talc in the talc group of silicate mineral, mainly containing hydrous magnesium silicate. Distribution: It is mainly produced in provinces and region of Shandong, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shaanxi, and Liaoning. Acquisition and Processing: It’s mined all year round. After mining, the mineral with talc is selected, and the impurities and silts are removed. Medicinal Properties: The products are an aggregate of irregular blocks, flat, oblique square, white, yellow white, or cyan white, with wax-like luster and greasy feeling when touched. It is heavy, when scraped with nail white powder falls off; the mineral does not disintegrate in water. It’s odorless and tasteless. The white, greasy ones without impurities are better in quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the bladder, lungs, and stomach. Functions: Inducing diuresis for treating stranguria, clearing summer heat, dispelling dampness, and astringing sore, it’s often used for treatment of pyretic stranguria, urolithiasis, bladder irritation, summer dampness, thirst, eczema, sores, and heat rash. Use and Dosage: 10–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Use proper amount externally. Notes: Talc is often divided into hard talc and soft talc, and what we described here is the hard talc. The soft talc is kaolinite of clay mineral of silicate, which is an irregular block, white or grayish white, and with greasy feeling. It is soft and easily broken by hand and disintegrates in water. It’s slightly earthy in odor, tasteless, and tongue-sticking when licked. The function, nature, and taste of soft talc are the same as those of the hard talc.

214

H. Ye et al.

10.20  Magnetite Chinese Name(s): Ci shi and ling ci shi Source: This medicine is made of magnetite in the spinel group of oxide mineral, mainly containing ferric oxide. Distribution: It is mainly produced in provinces of Liaoning, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, Fujian, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guangdong, Guangxi, etc. Acquisition and Processing: It’s mined all year round. After mining, the mineral with magnetite is selected, and the impurities and silts are removed. Medicinal Properties: The products are irregular blocks, mostly angular, iron-­ black, or brown on surfaces, with metallic luster and some with brown iron powder.

10  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

215

It’s heavy, hard in quality; the cross sections are irregular, in the same color as the surface. It is magnetic, earthy, and tasteless. The iron-black, glossy, and strong magnetic ones are better in quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter in taste, cold in property, and belongs to the meridians of the liver and heart. Functions: Calming the liver and suppressing Yang, improving hearing and eyesight, settling fright and quieting the spirit, and helping inspiration to relieve asthma, it’s often used for treatment of dizziness, blurred vision, tinnitus, deafness, palpitation, insomnia, and asthma caused by kidney deficiency. Use and Dosage: 10–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

216

H. Ye et al.

10.21  Ochre Chinese Name(s): Zhe shi, dai zhe shi, ding zhe shi, and tong gu zhe shi Source: This medicine is made of the oolitic aggregate of hematite of oxide mineral corundum, mainly containing ferric oxide. Distribution: It is mainly produced in provinces of Shanxi and Hebei, as well as in Henan, Shandong, Sichuan, Hunan, and Guangdong. Acquisition and Processing: It’s mined all year round. After mining, the mineral with ochre is selected, and the impurities are removed. Medicinal Properties: The products are irregular blocks, usually square, very flat, different in size, dark brownish red, or dark grayish black, and stripes are cherry red or reddish brown; there is often a round protuberance on one side, commonly known as nail head; and on the other side, there is a same sized dimple corresponding to the protuberance. It is heavy, hard, laminated on the cross sections. It’s slightly odored and bland in taste. The products better in quality are brownish red, with laminated cross section and nail head on each side. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the liver, heart, and kidneys. Functions: Calming the liver, lowering the adverse flow of Qi, and stopping bleeding, it’s often used for treatment of vertigo, hiccup, wheezing, hematemesis, epistaxis, and metrorrhagia. Use and Dosage: 10–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

10  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

217

218

H. Ye et al.

Suggested Reading 1. Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China (Part 1) [S], The Medicine Science and Technology Press of China, 2015. 2. Ye H G et  al. Chinese medicinal plants, Vol. 1-30 [M], China Chemical Industry Press, 2015-2019. 3. Xie Z W et al. Compilation of The National Chinese Herbal Medicine, Vol. 1 [M]. Beijing: People’s Medical Publishing House, 1975. 4. Xie Z W et al. Compilation of The National Chinese Herbal Medicine, Vol. 2 [M]. Beijing: People’s Medical Publishing House, 1975. 5. Editorial Committee of Chinese Materia Medica of Guangdong. Chinese Materia Medica of Guangdong, Vol. 1 [M]. Guangzhou: Guangdong Science & Technology Press, 1994. 6. Editorial Committee of Chinese Materia Medica of Guangdong. Chinese Materia Medica of Guangdong, Vol. 2 [M]. Guangzhou: Guangdong Science & Technology Press, 1994. 7. Ye H G, Zeng F Y et al. Medicinal plants of south china [M]. Wuhan: Huazhong University of Science and Technology Press, 2013. 8. Hunan Academy of Chinese Medicine. Hunan Chinese Materia Medica, Vol. 1 [M]. Changsha: Hunan People’s Publishing House, 1962. 9. Hunan Academy of Chinese Medicine. Hunan Chinese Materia Medica, Vol. 2 [M]. Changsha: Hunan People’s Publishing House, 1962. 10. Hunan Academy of Chinese Medicine. Hunan Chinese Materia Medica, Vol. 3 [M]. Changsha: Hunan People’s Publishing House, 1962. 11. Wu Z Y et al. List of traditional Chinese medicine resources in Yunnan [M]. Beijing: Science Press, 1993. 12. China National Traditional Chinese Medicine Corporation. Main Record of Chinese medicine Resources in China[M]. Beijing: Science Press, 1994.

10  Medicinal Minerals and Fossils

219

13. Fang D et al. List of medicinal plants in Guangxi [M]. Nanning: Guangxi People’s Publishing house,1986. 14. National Chinese Medicine Authority “Chinese Materia Medica” Editorial Board. Chinese Materia Medica: Mongolian Medicine Volume [M]. Shanghai: Shanghai Science and Technology Press, 2005. 15. National Chinese Medicine Authority “Chinese Materia Medica” Editorial Board. Chinese Materia Medica: Uighur Medicine Volume [M]. Shanghai: Shanghai Science and Technology Press, 2005. 16. Yi S Y et al. List of medicinal plants in Chongqing [M]. Chongqing:Chongqing Press, 2009. 17. China National Traditional Chinese Medicine Corporation. The Chinese Traditional Medicine Resource [M]. Beijing: Science Press,1995. 18. China National Traditional Chinese Medicine Corporation. The Chinese Traditional Medicine Resource Records [M]. Beijing: Science Press,1994. 19. Liang G L, Yi S Y et al. Wild Medicinal Plant Resources in Jinfo Mountain [M]. Beijing: China Science and Technology Press, 2013. 20. Chen S C, Tan J, Dai C Y et al. Medicinal Flora of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River [M]. Chongqing: Chongqing University Press, 2016. 21. Wan D G. Sichuan authentic Chinese herbal Materia Medica [M]. Chengdu: Sichuan Science and Technology Press, 2005. 22. Li Y H et al. Field Handbook of medicinal plant in Xinjiang [M]. Urumqi: Xinjiang People’s Sanitary Press, 2013. 23. Zhu Y C. Medicinal plants in North China [M]. Harbin: Heilongjiang Science and Technology Publishing House, 1989. 24. Editorial Committee of Flora of Chinese Academy of Sciences. The Flora of China. Vol. 1-80 (126 Volumes.) [M]. Beijing: Science Press, 1959-2004. 25. Three Dimensional Illustrated Book of Chinese Traditional Medicine (Volume 1-3). Guangdong Science and Technology Press, 2015-2021.