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鱉甲 Biejia
Chinese Name |
鱉甲 |
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Chinese Pinyin |
Biejia |
English Name |
Turtle Carapace |
Latin Pharmaceutical Name |
Trionycis Carapax |
Category |
Zoological substances
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Origin |
The dried shell of Trionyx sinensis Wiegmann (Trionychidae). Harvest mostly at autumn and winter, kill and put into spoil water till the hard skin above shell can be removed, take out, remove the shell and flesh, then sun-dry. |
Production Regions |
Primarily produced in the Chinese provinces of Anhui, Jiangsu, Hubei, Henan. |
Macroscopic Features |
Oval or elliptical shape, raised back, front and back ends are curved inward. 10~23cm long, 8~17cm wide, thick about 5mm. Unobvious raised joints in the center of shell, 8 horizontal indented lines on both sides; front side is grayish-brown and wrinkles and raised spots. Edge of the shell has saw-teeth, off-white; back side is grayish-white and raised, 8 rib bones arranged symmetrically. Hard texture; slightly fishy odor; taste salty. |
Quality Requirements |
Superior medicinal material is dry, large without flesh, and clean. |
Properties |
Salty; cold. |
Functions |
Nourishes yin, subdues yang, softens hardness, disperses binds. Heat and steaming bone, nodule malaria, hard ribs, waist pain, amenorrhea and stasis. |
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Technical Terms |
‘Little skirt’: this refers to the hard skin attached to bie jia; its edges are thick but soft, and form a shape similar to a fin. It also called “skirt edge’. |
Remark |
Chinese soft-shelled turtle (Trionyx sinensis / Pelodiscus sinensis) is listed as "Vulnerable" in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Also, it is protected by Hong Kong Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170). |
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Permanent URL:https://sys01.lib.hkbu.edu.hk/cmed/mmid/detail.php?pid=B00368
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