Library

Tortoise Shell (Guijia)

Salty and sweet in flavor, neutral in nature. Toxic. Another view holds that it belongs to Metal, contains Water, and is Yang within Yin. Non-toxic. It is found everywhere in deep marshes and shady mountains.

The upper grade is the plastron of the divine tortoise. (The divine tortoise lives in water; its plastron has a square, transparent area at the front center resembling amber.) Differentiate between Yin and Yang for usage to achieve efficacy. (A tortoise with a square head, round carapace, and short legs is considered Yang; one with an elongated body, pointed head, and long legs is considered Yin. Patients with Yin patterns should use Yang tortoises, and those with Yang patterns should use Yin tortoises; however, contemporary physicians no longer distinguish between them.) Tortoises killed and boiled to remove flesh have weak medicinal power, whereas those that died naturally and whose flesh rotted have potent medicinal power. Only the plastron is used, and all marginal scutes (skirt edges) are removed. For refined processing, select true butter oil, or use lard and mellow wine. Apply while roasting until crisp and yellow. Grind into fine powder and make into pills. Avoid consumption in the twelfth lunar month. (Violation may endanger life.) It is adverse to dog bile and dislikes Radix Codonopsis (Shashen). It specifically tonifies Yin deficiency, utilizing its nature and qi to guide other herbs to their destinations; it nourishes Kidney damage and relies on its potency to restore the primordial Yuan Qi. It expels leukorrhea, metrorrhagia, and vaginal discharge; it eliminates masses (Zhengjia) and malaria. It shows remarkable efficacy in treating relapse after febrile diseases due to overexertion (Laofu), or severe chills and fever threatening death; it is effective for soreness and pain in the waist and back, as well as heaviness and weakness in the hands and feet making movement difficult. It treats fontanelles that fail to close in children and manages damp-itching sores in women's genitalia. It dispels blood stasis and accumulation, and reconnects severed bones and tendons. Due to its spiritual nature among creatures, formulators often use it to tonify the Heart. Long-term consumption lightens the body, benefits Qi, and enhances intelligence. Boiled meat can be eaten to treat wind-bi, bodily swelling, miasma, fractures, and other rare conditions; when made into wine, it excellently treats wind-pain, spasms, flaccidity, and paralysis. Made into soup, it particularly tonifies emaciation. Tortoise blood applied externally retracts prolapsed rectum; tortoise urine stops chronic cough and halts malaria. (Dropped into the ear, it effectively treats deafness. Tortoise urine is hardest to obtain: place a male tortoise in a porcelain dish, shine a mirror upon it; seeing its reflection often induces mating behavior and urination, which must be collected quickly. Another method: heat a paper wick on fire and touch its cloaca to induce urination, though this is slower than using a mirror.) The skull can be carried into water, and the body bones into mountains, both preventing getting lost, which is not without benefit. Other varieties also possess specific efficacies. The thousand-year spirit tortoise possesses all five colors completely; the bone at the forehead protrudes like a horn, and consuming its shell is most conducive to longevity. Qin tortoises are produced in the mountains of Qin region, varying in size; their shells treat damp-bi, heavy body, and curling of the four limbs. Yang tortoise (also known as She-she-gui / Snake-eating tortoise) smells fishy and foul, eats snakes, and is common on land; it has a narrow body, long tail, black color, and can climb large trees. Its meat pounded into paste is only suitable for applying to snake bites. Ci (音兹) and Yi (音夷) refer to extremely large mountain tortoises; a person standing on its back can be carried by it; its shell is yellow and transparent, commonly called "tortoise tube," suitable for making vessels. For poisoning by venomous arrows causing syncope, pricking for bloodletting and drinking the blood leads to immediate recovery. Ci-malaria tortoise (also known as E-gui / Eagle tortoise) grows under rocks in high mountains, with a beak like an eagle bird; it treats chronic intermittent malaria that occurs irregularly. Burned to ash and mixed with decoction, two qian are taken, stopping after mild purgation. Green-haired tortoises are produced in Qizhou, floating on the water surface with bright green hair. Wrapped around the forehead, it can suppress malignant malaria. Stored in book chests, it repels bookworms.

(Chen Jiamo) Commentary: In formulas, "Bai Gui Ban" (Decayed Tortoise Plastron) refers to tortoises that died in deep mountains, where flesh rotted and seeped into the shell, later picked up by people, hence the name. Why does the *Shennong Bencao Jing* annotation state that those drilled and burned by diviners are correct? Naming it "Leaking Heaven's Secret" is a great error. The tortoise is born from the Yin Qi of the North, being the most Yin substance within Yin, greatly capable of tonifying Yin and treating Yin-blood deficiency. Therefore, it is often used as the sovereign herb in lower-jiao tonifying pills. Only this "decayed" type has had flesh and blood fully absorbed/seeped away, retaining complete nature and qi. It not only replenishes true Yuan Qi but also guides other herbs. Taken on an empty stomach, success is achieved instantly. Thus, in the prescriptions of renowned physicians, this ingredient is used but not written as "Gui Ban" (Tortoise Plastron), but specifically as "Bai Gui Ban" (Decayed Tortoise Plastron), presumably because they truly know its potent and swift efficacy, ensuring people seek it out and do not overlook it. If one considers drilling and burning to be correct, it is merely like burning a date pit wick until charred and dry. What difference does it make compared to raw material? What benefit does it offer in treating disease? What meaning does it convey? Why add the character "Bai" (Decayed) earnestly to instruct people!