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Walengzi (Hairy Clam Shell)
Has the effects of purging, resolving masses, and dissipating phlegm.
Sweet and salty. Resolves blood stasis and dissipates phlegm accumulation. (Usage: Red Walengzi or Walengzi quenched in vinegar three times is ground into powder, formed into pills with vinegar paste, to treat all types of qi-blood stagnation forming masses.)

Zhenzhu (Pearl)
Has the effect of clearing heat.
Sweet and very cold in nature. Promotes diuresis, clears heat, relieves thirst (treating Xiao Ke / Wasting and Thirsting syndrome), resolves alcohol intoxication, and promotes urination (both large and small). (Mechanism: It guides heat downward. Case: Xiong Yancheng suffered from urinary and fecal retention, with abdominal distension like a drum; physicians were at a loss. A strange man said, "This is easy." He took off his shoes, entered the water, retrieved a large snail, and said, "The matter is settled." The snail meat was crushed with salt, wrapped in cloth, and tied 1.3 cun below the umbilicus. Before he could even sit down, there was a sudden profuse bowel movement. Upon returning to find the stranger, he was gone. Dong Shouyue suffered from Hong Kong Foot (swollen and painful feet); someone advised him to crush several snails and tie them to his thighs, after which he felt cold air descending to his feet, and relief followed.) Used for treating Hong Kong Foot, jaundice, Jin Kou Du Li (closed-mouth toxic dysentery) (Usage: Mix a small amount of snail with musk, form into a cake, warm it, and apply to the lower abdomen to guide heat downward, naturally restoring appetite), eye redness and pain due to heat (Usage: Add salt crystals, extract juice, and instill into eyes), hemorrhoids, and body odor.

Geli (Clam Shell)
Has the effects of clearing wind-heat and brightening the eyes.
Salty and neutral. Clears wind-heat from the Lung and Liver, treats Qing Mang Internal Obstruction (blindness), and external obstructions when applied to the eyes after aqueous levigation. Also treats bone-steaming tidal fever. Promotes urination for Wu Lin (Five Types of Dysuria) (Mechanism: Because it clears Lung and Liver heat, ancient formulas often used it for sores and carbuncles). Resolves alcohol-induced acidity (Usage: Ground into powder and added to hot wine, it resolves intoxication). Shape resembles a clam but is flatter, consisting of a single valve without a pair; those with seven or nine holes are of good quality. Usage: Boil in salt water for one shichen (two hours), or bake in dough until cooked, grind into extremely fine powder, and use after aqueous levigation. Incompatible with Xuan Fuhua (Inula Flower).

Zhenzhu (Pearl)
Has the effects of clearing heat and calming fright.
Sweet, salty, and cold in nature. Gestates according to the moon phases (As the saying goes, "If there is wind on Shangsi Festival, pears have worms; if there is no moon on Mid-Autumn, clams do not gestate"), pregnant with the essence of water. Water controls fire; enters the Heart and Liver meridians. Calms the mind and anchors the soul (The Liver stores the Hun [ethereal soul]. Wang Ang's note: Although it clears heat, it also relies on its precious energy. Generally, precious substances can calm the mind and anchor the soul, such as gold foil, amber, and pearl. Longchi [Dragon Tooth] calms the soul by borrowing its spiritual energy). Descends phlegm and extracts toxins, contracts wounds and generates flesh. Treats fright-heat and pustular diseases, expels dead fetus and placenta (Usage: One liang of Pearl powder taken with vinegar). Applied to the face to improve complexion, instilled in eyes to remove nebula, wrapped in cotton and inserted into the ear to treat deafness. Select fresh, clean pearls that have not been drilled, soak in milk for three days, grind into extremely fine powder for use (Coarse powder damages viscera. Lu Tian said: Clams and mussels lack yin-yang male-female distinction; they require transformation by sparrows to generate pearls, thus being dedicated to yin-yang principles).