INDIVIDUAL HERBS
| Pharmaceutical Latin: | Plastrum Testudinis |
| Common English: | Fresh-Water Turtle Plastron Testudinis Tortoise Plastron Chinemys |
| Taste | Temperature | Entering Meridians | Dosage |
Salty Sweet |
Cold (Neutral) |
Heart Kidney Liver (Lung) |
9-45g |
| Actions | Indications/Syndromes |
Nourishes Yin and anchors Yang |
Yin Deficiency with Yang Rising with fever, night sweats, dizziness, tinnitus and steaming bone disorder Kidney and Liver Yin Deficiency generating Internal Wind with facial spasms and tremors of the hands and feet |
Benefits the Kidneys and strengthens the bones |
Kidney Yin Deficiency with soreness of the lower back, weakness in the legs, retarded skeletal development in children or failure of the fontanel to close |
Nourishes the Blood, enriches Yin and stabilizes the Chong and Ren channels |
Red and white vaginal discharge or uterine bleeding |
Cools the Blood and stops uterine bleeding |
Blood Heat causing excessive menstruation or uterine bleeding |
Nourishes the Blood and tonifies the Heart |
Heart Yin and/or Blood Deficiencies with anxiety, insomnia and forgetfulness |
Treats non-healing sores and ulcerations |
Non-healing sores and ulcerations |
CONTRAINDICATIONS |
|
INCOMPATIBILITIES |
HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS |
Rz. Anemarrhenae |
Rx. Rehmanniae Preparata |
|
Afternoon fever, night sweats, and steaming bone disorder due to Yin Deficiency. |
Low grade afternoon fever and night sweats due to Yin Deficiency with ascendant Yang. |
Vertigo, tinnitus, a sore and weak lower back and legs and night sweats from severe Kidney Deficiency. |
Rx. Paeoniae Alba |
Cornu Cervi Pantotrichum |
|
Light-headedness and vertigo due to Liver Yang Rising. |
Yin Deficiency with Yang Rising with dizziness, malar flush and irritability. |
Weakness and debility due to Kidney Deficiency. |
Cornu Cervi Pantotrichum |
Rx. Ginseng |
|
Retarded development in children or failure of the fontanel to close. |
Retarded development in children, and weakness and wasting of the lower extremities with impaired locomotion due to Deficiency of the Liver and Kidneys. |
Hemiplegia as a sequela of stroke in the debilitated. |
Cx. Phellodendri |
Concha Ostreae |
Rx. Rehmanniae |
Red and white vaginal discharge with lower back soreness and abdominal pain due to Unstable Chong and Ren Channels and Damp-Heat. |
Irregular uterine bleeding. |
Excessive uterine bleeding due to Hot Blood. |
Fossilia Ossis Mastodi |
Spina Gleditsiae |
Carapax Trionycis |
Anxiety and insomnia due to Heart Deficiency. |
Chronic non-healing sores and ulcerations. |
Steaming bones and night sweats due to Liver and Kidney Yin Deficiency with Heat Rising. Calms the Liver, subdues Yang and extinguishes Wind to treat vertigo and tinnitus associated with Yin Deficiency with Yang Rising and deficient Wind moving internally. |
Rx. Paeoniae Alba |
Sm. Cassiae |
Rx. Rehmanniae Preparata |
Liver Yang Rising. |
Red and painful eyes. |
Steaming bone sensations, tidal fevers night sweats and nocturnal emissions. |
Rx. Paeoniae Alba |
Rx. Rehmanniae Preparata |
Rx. Rehmanniae Preparata |
Liver Wind. |
Weakness and soreness of the low back and knees. |
Yin Deficient Heat. |
Cornu Cervi Pantotrichum |
Rx. Rehmanniae |
|
Kidney Yin and Yang Deficiency with weak bones, spermatorrhea or nocturnal emissions, weight loss and blurred vision. |
Uterine bleeding or hypermenorrhea. |
|
- Glue made from Gui Ban, Gui Ban Jiao is richer, more cloying and almost exclusively tonifies Yin and nourishes Blood. The dosage is 3-9 gm. Dissolve in wine or the decoction.
- It is important because it aids the upward flow of Qi from the Lower Jiao (treats prolapse, weak low back and legs) while at the same time moistens the Yin and settles uprising Yang (Internal Wind and Deficiency Fire).
- This herb enriches Yin strengthens resolve, treats Yin and Blood insufficiency, consumptive Heat, steaming bones, long-term coughing, malarial disorder, mobile and fixed masses, continuous uterine bleeding, the five types of hemorrhoids, difficult labor and patterns of Yin Deficiency and frail Blood.
- Both Gui Ban and Carapax Trionycis Bie Jia are shells that enrich Yin, subdue Yang and soften areas of hardness. Bie Jia primarily enters the Liver channel with a stronger ability to enrich Yin and soften areas of hardness and is used for gynecological conditions, such as abdominal masses and clumping around the flanks. It is salty, cold and green so it enters the Liver. it treats illnesses related to the Liver channel Blood level. It travels the Chong channel. Gui Ban primarily enters the Kidneys and being sweet, it has a superior ability to enrich the Yin in order to anchor the Yang while also unblocking the Ren channel to treat such gynecological problems as continuous uterine bleeding. It is black, so it enters the Kidneys and treats all illnesses of the Kidney channel Blood level. It also unblocks the Heart.
- Gui Ban powerfully tonifies Jue Yin, fills the Ren channel to reduce Heat and expel steaming bone disorder, but cannot tonify Yang within Yin. Colla Corii Asini E Jiao nourishes the Blood, moistens Dryness and expels Heat. Rx. Polygoni Multiflori He Shou Wu enters the Liver, tonifying Blood to expel, Wind and blackens the hair and beard. but is unable to moisten Dryness and settle wheezing. Colla Cornus Cervi Lu Jiao Jiao warms the Du channel and the Chong channel to augment Blood, but cannot clear Lung channel Heat and stop coughing.
- Both Gui Ban and Cornu Cervi Pantotrichum Lu Rong augment the Kidneys, fortify the bones and treat atrophy and weakness of the sinews and bones. Gui Ban augments the Kidney Yin, unblocks the Ren Channel, subdues the Yang, tonifies the Blood and stops bleeding. It is best for Yin Deficiency Heat or Blood Heat causing continuous uterine bleeding. Lu Rong reinforces Kidney Yang, generates Jing and augments the marrow. It treats uterine bleeding due to Yang Deficiency. Gui Ban tonifies the Yin and Lu Rong tonifies the Yang so they are often used together for Yin and Yang Deficiencies.
- Vinegar-fried Turtle Plastron Cu Chao Gui Ban enters the Liver channel and has an enhanced ability to subdue Yang. It treats Liver Yin Deficiency with Liver Yang Rising and uterine bleeding due to the failure of the Liver to store Blood.
- Wine-fried Turtle Plastron Jiu Chao Gui Ban tonifies and moves to treat atrophy and weakness of the sinews and bones.
- Turtle Plastron Glue, Colla Plastri Testudinis Gui Ban Jiao is richer, more cloying and almost exclusively nourishes the Yin. The dosage is 3-9g and it is dissolved in either wine or decoction before ingesting.
- Carapax Testudinis Gui Jia is salty, cold, enters the Liver and Kidney channels and affects the thoughts. It nourishes the Yin, the Kidneys and strengthens the bones. It is used in the treatment of Yin Deficient intermittent fever, night sweating, dizziness, Internal movement of Liver Wind due to Deficiency, physical atrophy, fear and forgetfulness.