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Salty, cold in nature, toxic. Enters the Heart and Kidney meridians. Averse to Adenophorae Radix (Shashen) and Blatta orientalis (Feilian). Remove the ribs, fry with butter.
Tonifies the Kidney to alleviate steaming bone sensation (a sensation of heat emanating from the bones, typical of Yin deficiency), nourishes the Heart to enhance wisdom. Secures the Large Intestine to stop diarrhea and dysentery, eliminates metrorrhagia (abnormal uterine bleeding) and interrupts malaria. Treats infants with unclosed fontanelles, and foul-smelling rotting sores. Cures weakness of the four limbs, heals leukorrhea mixed with blood (red and white vaginal discharge).
The turtle inherits the Qi of the North, thus possessing the function of tonifying Yin. If used in pills or powders, it must be ground extremely fine, lest it adhere to the intestines and stomach and form a mass (Jia). When decocted into gelatin, it is excellent. Both turtles and deer are long-lived; the turtle's head retracts towards the abdomen, connecting with the Ren Mai (Conception Vessel); its shell is taken to tonify Kidney and nourish Blood, both being Yin. The deer's nose faces backward toward the tail, connecting with the Du Mai (Governing Vessel); its horns are taken to tonify Fire and Qi, both being Yang.
Not used for Kidney deficiency without heat signs.

Salty, cold in nature, non-toxic. Enters the Liver meridian. Averse to Alum. Soak in wine overnight, fry until yellow.
Relieves steaming heat between the bones, dissipates masses and accumulations (Zheng Jia) in the heart and abdomen. Treats women with five-colored leukorrhea and dripping blood, and children with hardness and pain under the hypochondrium.
The softshell turtle is green, its main indications are all Liver syndromes. The turtle is black, its main indications are all Kidney syndromes. Both return to tonifying Yin, yet there is a real distinction. Turtle shell is best when naturally decayed. Softshell turtle shell is best when not boiled in water. Contraindicated for those with no heat in the Liver. Softshell turtle meat cools blood and tonifies Yin, also treating malaria and dysentery, but it is cold and hard to digest; strongly contraindicated for those with Spleen deficiency.

Acrid, cold in nature, non-toxic. Enters the Lung and Stomach meridians. Averse to Aconitum coreanum (Mangcao) and Ricini Fructus (Badou). Fears iron.
When Ying and Wei (Defensive and Nutritive Qi) are injured by Wind-Cold, Qinglong Tang (Blue Dragon Decoction) serves as the assistant and guide. When Ministerial Fire is trapped by Heat, Baihu Tang (White Tiger Decoction) is established as the sovereign formula. Headache, toothache, and skin heat: enters the Stomach to search out and expel. Polydipsia, manic Yang, and rising rebellious Qi: enters the Lung to drive them out. Dry mouth and scorched tongue: efficacy can be obtained. Summerheat with spontaneous sweating: what worry is there?
Its aroma and flavor are thin, its weight is heavy and sinking. For young, strong individuals with excess fire, its effect is like turning over a hand; for the old, weak, and deficient-cold constitution, disaster follows immediately. It severely chills the Stomach, causing loose bowels and inability to eat. Unless there is extreme heat, do not administer lightly.
Calcined Gypsum: Calcined, ground into an extremely fine powder. Externally applied, it promotes flesh regeneration and treats non-healing ulcers. Combined with a small amount of Red Halloysite (Chishizhi) and appropriate amounts of Borneol (Bingpian), sprinkling it yields good results.