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Pungent odor, warm nature, non-toxic.

Invention: The fishy and foul smell of dried cuttlefish (Baoyu) can be lightened by sun-drying without salt; when dried, it resembles a block of meat. It specifically utilizes its fishy and foul nature to cleanse and eliminate all kinds of blood stasis and accumulation, based on the principle of "resonance of similar qi." It enters the Liver meridian to dissipate blood. Decocted juice is used to administer Si Wuie Yi Ru Wan (Four Cuttlebone and One Asparagus Pill) to treat amenorrhea due to blood depletion in women. *Huangdi Neijing* records its use for treating intestinal issues caused by liver injury without damaging the primordial qi. Alas, it is rarely used in the world today. Currently, cooks use it to boil meat, causing fat foam to dissolve completely, which verifies its ability to cleanse dirt and grease. When Qin Shi Huang died at Shaqiu during summer heat, his corpse decomposed. He ordered carts loaded with dried cuttlefish to mask the odor. Qin Shi Huang was originally an illegitimate child born from Lü Buwei's seed mixed within the palace harem; does this not imply the meaning of cleansing away lingering stench?

Sweet flavor, warm nature, non-toxic.

Invention: Seahorses appear in male-female pairs; their nature is warm, embodying the meaning of yin-yang interaction. Therefore, pregnant women carry them on their bodies. At the time of delivery, they are powdered and ingested, while being held in hand, said to facilitate easy childbirth. Additionally, it is frequently used in sexual practices for those with yang deficiency, capable of replacing the efficacy of Gecko (Gejie).

Commonly known as shrimp, sweet flavor, warm nature, slightly toxic. Shrimp without whiskers and with a black underside are harmful if consumed.

Invention: Its nature is leaping; raw it is green, cooked it is red, representing the imagery of wind and fire. Crushed fresh and applied externally, it treats erysipelas (Chi Bai You Feng) in children. Juice extracted for medicinal use helps expel swelling and vomit phlegm-wind, taking advantage of the principle that "wind can overcome dampness." Prepared for tonifying yang, it takes advantage of heat assisting fire. White shrimps promote lactation and specifically enter the Qi level.

Named Shenwu in *Shennong Bencao Jing*, salty and sweet flavor, neutral nature, slightly toxic. For medicinal use, the plastron (belly shell) is taken while removing the carapace (back shell), soaked in wine, fried until crisp, or boiled into gelatin. Those that are black and produced in water are called Water Turtles. Those that are yellow and produced in mountains are called Qin Turtles; Qin Turtles are not used in kidney-tonifying formulas. There is a type called Snake-Swallowing Turtle, whose abdomen folds, and upon seeing a snake, swallows it; its nature is extremely toxic and must not be misused. Medical texts all use burned, deceased turtle plastrons, taking advantage of the fact that it no longer relates to life. The world considers self-dead turtle shells as deceased turtles; since death has occurred and vital essence has already departed, what benefit is there in using them? Misuse may lead to toxicity, as they were injured by snakes or vipers. Currently, turtle gelatin sold in pharmacies is often blended with deer antler gelatin to facilitate coagulation, or sometimes mixed with Huangming Gelatin. In preparing gelatin, the back shell must be removed, using only clean plastron plates. After soaking in water to remove the outer membrane, the gelatin will lack fishy and turbid odors.

*Shennong Bencao Jing* states it treats leukorrhea (red and white discharge), breaks up masses and accumulations (Zheng Jia), malaria, five types of hemorrhoids, genital erosion with damp-bi syndrome, heaviness in the four limbs, and fontanelle closure delay in infants.

Invention: The turtle is born endowing the qi of the North; it is the ultimate yin among yin substances. It specifically navigates the Ren Mai (Conception Vessel), connecting upward to Heart qi and downward to Kidney meridians; thus, it can tonify yin, treat blood disorders, and address consumptive diseases. Generally, herbs that nourish yin and descend fire are cold and cooling, damaging the stomach. Only when turtle plastron is calcined into ash does it benefit the Large Intestine and stop diarrhea; therefore, it can also treat leukorrhea. Its treatment of delayed fontanelle closure specifically utilizes its function of nourishing water and strengthening bone. All these are governed by the turtle. Its breaking of masses, treatment of malaria, five hemorrhoids, genital erosion, damp-bi, and heaviness are functions of the Qin Turtle, as it can enter the Spleen meridian to treat wind-dampness. Li Shizhen said: Turtles and deer are spiritual and long-lived. The turtle head often tucks toward the abdomen, able to connect the Ren Mai; thus, its plastron is taken to tonify the Heart, Kidney, and Blood, all nourishing yin. The deer nose often faces backward toward the tail, able to connect the Du Mai (Governing Vessel); thus, its horn is taken to tonify the Gate of Vitality (Mingmen), Essence, and Qi, all nourishing yang. Observing that the diseases treated by turtle plastron all belong to yin deficiency and essence weakness, manifesting as soreness, weakness, and flaccidity of the waist and legs, one can understand this intuitively. Calcined into ash and taken with wine, it treats smallpox. Mixed in equal parts with deer horn ash and administered in Si Wu Tang (Four Substances Decoction), it treats metrorrhagia. Calcined into powder and taken with wine, it treats wind-bi and weak legs. Calcined into ash and applied topically, it treats infant scalp sores and female genital sores. Mixed with loach blood and applied topically, it treats burns and wet sores. However, it is contraindicated for those with stomach deficiency and poor appetite, loose stools, and during pregnancy, because it lacks the power of yang generation. Gallbladder bile is bitter and cold; it treats eye swelling after smallpox that persists for a month without opening; extracting the juice for eye drops is effective. Urine dropped into the ear treats deafness. Applied under the tongue, it treats adult stroke with aphasia and infantile convulsions with muteness. Massaging the chest and back treats turtle deformity (turtle chest/back). To obtain its urine, prick its nose with a pig bristle, and it will flow out.