Wiseman’s Chinese Medical Database

hǎi piāo xiāo / 海螵蛸 / 海螵蛸 / cuttlefish bone

Latin pharmacognostic name: Sepiae Endoconcha

Alternate English names:

Alternate Chinese names: 海螵 hǎi piāo; 乌贼骨 wū zéi gǔ; 乌贼鱼骨 wū zéi yú gǔ; 鱼骨 yú gǔ; 墨鱼骨 mò yú gǔ

Origin: Animal

Use: medicinal

Category: Astringent agents / Intestine-astringing diarrhea-checking agents

Properties: Salty, astringent; slightly warm.

Channel entry: liver and kidney channels.

Indications:

• Secures essence and checks vaginal discharge: Seminal emission; vaginal discharge.
• Promotes contraction and stanches bleeding: Flooding and spotting; vomiting of blood (blood ejection); bloody stool; bleeding from external injury.
• Controls acidity and relieves pain: Stomach pain and acid vomiting; peptic ulcers (note the peptic ulcer is a modern biomedical concept).
• Absorbs dampness and closes sores: Damp sores; eczema; open sores that fail to close.

Dosage & Method:

Oral: 6–12g in decoctions. Also used internally in powders and pills and externally in powder form.

Quality:

Large, white, unbroken bones are the best.

Product Area:

Táiwān, Fújiàn, Zhèjiāng, Jiāngsū, Shāndōng.