Biejia Carapax Trionycis
The source is from the shell of Trionyx sinensis Wiegmann, family Trionychidae. The medicinal material is mainly produced in the areas of Hebei, Hunan, and Anhui, etc.. The animal can be caught all year round. Mter it is caught and its head is removed, it is boiled in boiling water for one to two hours and then the shell is fetched out, the remaining meat in the shell being got rid of, and dried in the sun. The crude one or the one prepared with vinegar after stir-baked with sand can be used for medication.
Medicinal Properties Salty in flavor, cold in nature and attributive to the liver and kidney meridians.
Actions Nourish yin and suppress the hyperactive yang, soften and disperse the lumps.
Application
1. It is used for febrile disease with consumption of yin, hyperactivity of liver-yang and deficiency-wind stir-ring inside. For deficiency of yin leading to hyperactivity of yang manifested as dizziness, it is combined with Shengdihuang (Radix Rehmanniae), Muli ( Concha Ostreae ) and Juhua (Flos Chrysanthemi) ; for the late stage of febrile disease and wind stirring inside due to yin-deficiency manifested as wriggling hands and feet, dry and dark red tongue, can be combined with Muli ( Concha Ostreae ) , Ejiao ( Colla Corii Asini ) , and Baishaoyao (Radix Paeoniae Alba ), etc., such as Sanjia Fumai Tang (Decoction).
2. For yin-deficiency with fever, hectic fever and night sweating, it is usually combined with Qinjiao (Radix Gentianae Macrophyllae ) , Digupi (Cortex Lycii), and Zhimu (Rhizoma Anemarrhenae), etc., such as Oinjiao Biejia San (Powder); for the late stage of febrile disease with consumption of yin fluid manifested as night fever that brings down in the morning, emaciation, rapid pulse, red tongue with little coating, also, usually combined with Qinghao ( Herba Artemisiae Annuae ), Mudanpi ( Cortex Moutan Radicis ), and Shengdihuang ( Radix Rehmanniae ), etc., such as Qinghao Biejia Tang (Decoction).
3. For abdominal mass and amenorrhea due to blood stasis, it is usually combined with Xiangfu (Rhizoma Cyperi), Qingpi (Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae Viride ) , Sanleng (Rhizoma Sparganii), and Ezhu (Rhizoma Zedoariae), etc., such as Biejiajian Wan (Pill).
Usage and Dosage 10 -30 g is used in decoction for oral use, broken and decocted first. The raw is suit-able for nourishing yin and suppressing the hyperactive yang and the one roasted with vinegar for softening and dispersing the lumps.
