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[Background Information]
Book: Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu)
Author: Li Shizhen
Dynasty: Ming Dynasty, 6th Year of Wanli
Chapter: Crab (Xie)
Category: Materia Medica

(Recorded in the Middle Grade of *Shennong Bencao Jing*)
**Names**: Crab (*Pangxie*, from *Xie Pu*); Guosuo (*Guosuo*, from Yang Xiong's *Fangyan Puzi*). Males are called Langxi, females are called Bodai.
Su Song stated: This creature molts its shell around late summer and early autumn, similar to cicadas shedding their skins. The meaning of the name "crab" must be derived from this phenomenon.
Li Shizhen stated: According to Fu Gong's *Xie Pu*: Crabs are aquatic insects, hence the character contains the radical for insect. They also belong to the fish category, hence ancient characters contain the radical for fish. Because they move sideways, they are called Pangxie. Because of the sound they make when moving, they are called Guosuo. Because of their exoskeleton, they are called Jieshi. Because their interior is hollow, they are called Wuchang.

**Collection and Description**: *Mingyi Bielu* states: Crabs inhabit pools and marshes such as the Yi and Luo rivers. They can be collected at any time.
Tao Hongjing stated: There are many types of crabs; Youmou, Yongjian, and Pengli are among them, but none are used in medicine. By the sea, there is also Pengqi, which resembles Pengli and crab but is smaller and inedible. When Cai Mo first crossed the river, he did not recognize Pengqi and nearly died after eating it. He lamented being misled by names.
Su Song stated: Currently, they are abundant in the marshes of Huaihai, east of Bian, and Hebei, but rare in the Yi and Luo regions. On the first day of the eighth lunar month, take two rice awns, about one or two inches long, and transport their qi eastward. Only then can they be eaten safely; otherwise, their toxicity is severe. There are many varieties: those with six legs are called Gui (pronounced 'gui'), and those with four legs are called Bei; both have high toxicity and are inedible. Those with broad shells and abundant yellow roe, and broad hind legs, are called Youmou. Southerners call them Bozhaozi because their hind legs resemble oars. One variety is named [text missing]. Large ones are as big as a sheng (a unit of volume), small ones like cups or saucers. Both claws resemble hands. Those with one large claw and one small claw are called Yongjian, also known as Jiebu. They often fight with their large claws and use small claws to eat. Also called Zhihuo because their claws are red. The smallest, hairless variety is called Pengyue (pronounced 'yue'), mispronounced as Pengyue by Wu people.
*Erya* states: [Text missing], small ones are [Text missing]. Guo Pu's annotation states: It is Pengli.
Li Shizhen stated: Crabs are walking armored insects.
Their exterior is hard and interior soft, corresponding to the Li trigram in the I Ching. They have bony eyes, cicada-like bellies, and star-spotted brains. Males have pointed abdomens, females have round abdomens. The yellow roe inside corresponds to the waxing and waning of the moon. Their nature is restless; they produce foam while making sounds until death. They live in flowing water. [Text corrupted/missing regarding toxicity]. After frost, they hibernate, which is why their taste is delicious. The notion of "transporting rice awns into the sea" is also a false talk. Pengqi is larger than Pengli, lives in ponds and fields, and is toxic, causing vomiting and diarrhea. Similar to Pengqi but living in sand holes and running away when seeing people is the Sand Dog, which is inedible. Similar to Pengqi but living in the sea and emerging from holes when the tide rises is the Wangchao, which is edible. Those with extremely small claws like stones are Bengjiang, which is inedible. Living in stream rock holes, small with hard red shells, is the Stone Crab, eaten by wild people. There are also Red Crabs in the sea, large and red. Flying Crabs can fly. In the State of Shanyuan, there are hundred-legged crabs. Crabs in the sea as large as coins, with [text missing] bellies, are edible. If there are white worms in the crab's belly resembling small wooden bitter melon seeds, they are inedible as they strongly induce wind diseases.
Su Song stated: Collect crabs during the crab wave period in August and September. Wait for them to emerge from water to pick them up; at night, catch them using firelight, when the shell is full of roe and meat.

**Processing**: Li Shizhen stated: Whether boiled fresh, preserved in salt, fermented in lees, soaked in wine, or marinated in sauce, all are excellent.
However, if kept too long, they become sandy/gritty; exposure to lamps also causes this. Adding pepper may cause [text missing]. Adding soap pods, garlic, or Shao powder can prevent sandiness. Cooking with green onions and Schisandra fruit prevents [text missing].

**Flavor and Toxicity**: Salty, cold, slightly toxic.
Tao Hongjing stated: Before frost, they are very toxic. It is said that drinking water after eating them [text missing]. Those with six or four legs, hair under the abdomen, bone in the abdomen, and purple heads [text missing]. Perilla juice, garlic juice, fermented soybean juice, and reed root juice can all detoxify them.
Yang Guinong stated: Pregnant women eating them will cause the fetus to be born transverse.
Su Song stated: This substance strongly induces wind; patients with wind diseases should not eat it; this has been observed frequently.
Li Shizhen stated: Do not eat with persimmons or Schizonepeta, as it triggers cholera and wind diseases. Wood fragrant juice can detoxify it. See Persimmon section for details.

**Indications**: Evil qi in the chest, heat accumulation pain, facial swelling due to deviation. Can degrade lacquer. Burning it attracts mice (*Shennong Bencao Jing*. Tao Hongjing stated: Immortal formulas use it to turn lacquer into water; ingesting it promotes longevity. Using black dog blood [text missing]). Therefore, it is used for lacquer sores. Burning its claws produces smoke that can gather mice [text missing]. For abdominal pain with stagnant blood, eat with wine. For fractured tendons and bones, lightly stir-fry and insert into the wound to reconnect tendons. Kills Datura poison, resolves eel poison and lacquer poison, treats [text missing].

**Youmou (Large Crab)**
**Flavor and Toxicity**: Salty, cold, non-toxic.
**Indications**: Clears heat, treats pediatric phlegm nodules, boiled and eaten (*Riben Hua*).

**Pengqi (Small Sea Crab)**
**Flavor and Toxicity**: Salty, cold, toxic.
**Indications**: Extract paste, apply to wet tinea and carbuncles (Zang Qi).

**Stone Crab**
**Indications**: Crush and apply to chronic carbuncles; no case fails to heal (Zang Qi).

**Elucidation**: Shen Wei stated: Crabs only dwell in snake and eel burrows. Thus, those poisoned by eating eels are cured by eating crabs, as their natures counteract each other. Shen Kuo's *Brush Talks* states: There are no crabs in Guanzhong. Locals find their shape strange and hang dried ones on doors to ward off malaria. Not only do humans not recognize them, ghosts do not either.
Li Shizhen stated: All crabs are cold in nature and not highly toxic, making them the best [text missing]. Fresh crabs mixed with ginger and vinegar, merely to appreciate the flavor, what toxicity is there? Gluttons eat ten or more at once, accompanied by greasy and mutton foods, leading to digestive issues, yet blame the crab. What fault does the crab have? Hong Mai's *Yijian Zhi* states: A thief in Xiangyang had raw lacquer applied to his eyes and was exiled unable to see. A village elder told him to find stone crabs, crush [text missing]. Fearing crabs, no one investigated the meaning.

**Attached Formulas**: Three new ones.
**Damp-Heat Jaundice**: Burn crab until carbonized, grind to powder, make pills with wine paste the size of sophora seeds. Take 50 pills with warm water, twice daily. (*Ji Jian Fang*).
[Text missing] is good. Burn dried crab to ash, take with wine. Also good. (Tang Yao's *Experience Formula*).
**Poisoned by Eel**: Eating crab resolves it immediately. (Dong Bing's Verified Formula).

**Crab Claws**
**Indications**: Breaks membranes and induces abortion (*Mingyi Bielu*). Breaks old blood, stops postpartum [text missing], calms the fetus (Ding. Su Song stated: * [text missing]*). Ward off evil spirits (Li Shizhen).

**Attached Formulas**: Two new ones.
**Qianjin Shen Zao Decoction**: Treats dead fetus in the womb, and twins where one is dead and one alive. Taking it expels the dead and protects the living. A miraculous formula. Use one sheng of crab claws, two chi of licorice, one dou of flowing water from the east. Boil with reed fuel until two sheng remain. Filter dregs, add three liang of genuine donkey-hide gelatin until melted. Take all at once or divide into two doses. If the patient is too weak to swallow, pour it in and they will survive.
**Xia Tai Xie Zhao San**: Treats pregnant women with illness who wish to abort. Use two he of crab claws, one liang of cinnamon heart, one liang of dioscorea flower, two liang of achyranthes root. Grind to powder. Take one qian with warm wine on an empty stomach. (*Qianjin [text missing]*)

**Crab Shell**
**Indications**: Burn until carbonized, mix with honey, apply to frostbite and bee/wasp stings. Taken with wine, treats uterine lochia retention pain and metrorrhagia with abdominal [pain] (Li Shizhen).

**Attached Formulas**: Three new ones.
**Metrorrhagia with Abdominal Pain**: Burn hairy crab shell until carbonized, take one qian with rice water. (*Zhengzhi Yaojue*).
**Bee/Wasp Stings**: Burn crab shell until carbonized, grind to powder, mix with honey and apply. (Same source).
**Repel Bedbugs**: Smoke crab shell to repel bedbugs. (*Zhai Xuan*).

**Salted Crab Juice**
**Indications**: Sore throat and swelling. Hold in mouth and swallow slowly to resolve immediately (Li Shizhen).