Sea clam shell (Haigeqiao)
Cyclina sinensis Gmelin (Family Veneridae)
Pharmaceutical Name: Concha Meretricis seu Cyclinae
Zoological Name: 1. Cyclina sinensis Gmelin (Family Veneridae) ; 2. Meretrix meretrix L. (Family Veneridae)
Common Name: Clam shell.
Source of Earliest Record: Shennong Bencao Jing
Part Used & Method for Pharmaceutical Preparations: The clam shells are collected from the seashore and pounded into powder.
Properties & Taste: Bitter, salty and cold.
Meridians: Lung and stomach.
Functions: 1. To clear heat in the lungs and resolve phlegm; 2. To soften hardness and release nodules.
Indications & Combinations:
1. Phlegm-heat cough manifested as cough with thick yellow sputum, asthma, chest pain and hypochondriac pain. Sea clam shell (Haigeqiao) is used with Costazia bone (Haifushi), Mulberry bark (Sangbaipi), Swallowwort rhizome (Baiqian), Capejasmine (Zhizi) and Trichosanthes fruit (Gualou).
2. Scrofula and goiter. Sea clam shell (Haigeqiao) is used with Seaweed (Haizao), Laminaria (Kunbu) and Ark shell (Walengzi) in the formula Hanhua Wan.
Dosage: 10-15 g, decocted in water for an oral dose.
Cautions & Contraindications: This substance is normally used in powdered form and should be placed in a cloth bag for decoction or removed from the decoction with a strainer.
