INDIVIDUAL HERBS
| Pharmaceutical Latin: | Concha Ostreae |
| Common English: | Oyster Shell |
| Taste | Temperature | Entering Meridians | Dosage |
Salty Astringent |
Cool |
Liver Kidney (Gallbladder) (Heart) |
9-30g cook first when used in decoction |
| Actions | Indications/Syndromes |
Heavily settles and calms the Spirit |
Agitated Heart and Spirit with palpitations with anxiety, restlessness and insomnia |
Calms the Liver, benefits the Yin and anchors Floating Yang |
Liver Yin Deficiency with Liver Yang Rising or Yin Deficiency with internal Heat with restlessness, irritability, palpitations and spontaneous sweating |
Prevents leakage of fluids |
Continuous sweat after febrile disease or in patients with steaming bone disorder Loss of fluids due to Deficiency with nightsweats, spontaneous sweating, nocturnal emissions, spermatorrhea or vaginal discharge and uterine bleeding |
Softens hardness and dissipates nodules |
Various kinds of lumps particularly neck lumps such as goiter or scrofula |
Absorbs acidity and alleviates pain (calcined) |
Excessive Stomach pain with a sour taste in the mouth |
CONTRAINDICATIONS |
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INCOMPATIBILITIES |
HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS |
Succinum |
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Insomnia |
Restlessness, irritability, palpitations and spontaneous sweating due to Floating Yang |
Anxiety, palpitations, insomnia, and dream disturbed sleep Headache, dizziness and tinnitus and other symptoms associated with Yin Deficiency with Yang Rising |
Fossilia Ossis Mastodi or Fossilia Ossis Mastodi |
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Spermatorrhea |
Excessive uterine bleeding and vaginal discharge |
Movement of Liver Wind after a febrile disease manifesting as tremors and spasms. |
Rx. Rehmanniae |
Rx. Astragali |
Sm. Euryales |
Internal stirring of Wind from Deficiency |
Spontaneous sweating and night sweats |
Spermatorrhea and sore lower back and extremities |
Fr. Rosae Laevigatae |
Fr. Corni |
Rx. Scrophulariae |
Urinary frequency or incontinence |
Irregular uterine bleeding or vaginal discharge |
Scrofula and lymphadenoma |
Rx. Bupleuri |
Rx. Salviae Miltiorrhizae |
Concha Haliotidis |
Sub-costal pain and swelling |
Organomegaly |
Calcined as a powder for epigastric pain with acid regurgitation |
Endoconcha Sepiae |
Fr. Corni |
Rx. Trichosanthis |
As a powder for epigastric pain with acid regurgitation |
Sweating |
irritability and mental disorientation due to Lung and Stomach Yin Deficiencies and ascending Heat, with thirst. Goiter from clumping of Phlegm-Heat |
Caul. Polygoni Multiflori |
Fr. Rubi |
Endoconcha Sepiae |
Insomnia |
Enuresis |
Duodenal or peptic ulcer |
Fr. Evodiae |
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Acid reflux |
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- This herb works synergistically with Bul. Fritillariae Chuan Bei Mu or Zhe Bei Mu , Rx. Glycyrrhizae Gan Cao, Rx. Achyranthis Bidentate Niu Xi and Rx. Polygalae Yuan Zhi.
- This herb is better a dispersing Phlegm than Fossiliae Ossis Mastodi Long Gu.
- It is combined with Os Draconis Long Gu to treat insomnia, neurosis, epilepsy and other disorders requiring stronger sedative agents.
- This herb is produced by an animal, but the material is basically a mineral. It must be crushed for use in decoction.
- Both Long Gu and Concha Ostreae Mu Li are similar in many of their qualities and are often used together. Long Gu is sweet, astringent enters the Heart and Liver channels and is better at stopping abandonment, suppressing fright calming the Spirit. It does not soften hardness or disperse clumping and has much less Yin -nourishing ability so is less used when Yin Deficiency causes nightsweats. Mu Li is salty, astringent, enters the Kidneys to soften hardness, transform Phlegm and cool Heat.
- Calcined Oyster Shell Duan Mu Li has an enhanced ability to bind and an added ability to dry so that it astringes sweating and Jing and stops vaginal discharge. It secures the Lower Jiao, expels turbid Dampness and inhibits Deficiency sweating.