<h1>tortoise shell</h1>
Pinyin Guī Jiǎ
The English name is CARAPAX ET PLASTRUM TESTUDINIS
Aliases turtle plate, turtle shell, turtle plate, lower nail, plate, hot plate
The source of this product is the dorsal carapace and ventral carapace of the turtle Chinemys reevesii (Gray), a turtle family. It can be captured throughout the year, mostly in autumn and winter, and killed after capture, stripped of the back armor and abdominal carapace, and removed from the residual flesh, called "platelets". Or burned with boiling water, peel off the back nails and abdominal nails, remove the residual flesh, and dry them in the sun, called "hot plates".
Traits The dorsal carapace and abdominal carapace of this product are connected by a bridge, and the dorsal carapace is slightly longer than the abdominal carapace, and is often separated from the abdominal carapace. The dorsal carapace is oblong and arched, 7.5 to 22 cm long and 6 to 18 cm wide; the outer surface is tan or black brown, with 3 ridges; the neck shield is 1 piece, the front is narrow and the back is wide; the vertebral shield is 5 pieces, the first vertebral shield is longer than wide or nearly equal, the 2nd to 4 vertebral shield is wider than the length; the two sides of the rib shield are symmetrical, 4 pieces each, the edge shield is 11 pieces on each side, and the hip shield is 2 pieces. The abdominal carapace is plate-like, nearly rectangular oval, 6.4 to 21 cm long, 5.5 to 17 cm wide; the outer surface is pale yellowish brown to brownish black, the shield is 12 pieces, each piece often has a purple-brown radial texture, the abdominal shield, the chest shield and the middle seam of the strand shield are long, the throat shield and the shield are second, the shortest seam in the humeral shield; the inner surface is yellow-white to grayish white, some with slight blood or flesh, except for the 9 bone plates visible after purification, which are jagged inlays; the front end is blunt or flattened, the rear end has a triangular absence, and the two sides remain a wing-like curved bridge diagonally upwards. Hard. The smell is slightly fishy and the taste is slightly salty.
Tortoiseshell: Place in a steamer, boil in boiling water for 45 minutes, remove, put in hot water, immediately use a hard brush to clean the skin and flesh, wash and dry.
Vinegar tortoiseshell: Take the clean tortoiseshell, sauté it with sand according to the blanching method (Appendix II. D) until the surface is pale yellow, remove, quench the vinegar and dry. Mash when used. Per 100kg of tortoiseshell, use 20kg of vinegar.
The taste is salty, sweet and slightly cold.
Return to the liver, kidneys, and heart meridians.
Functional indications nourish yin and yang, benefit kidneys and bones, nourish blood and nourish the heart. It is used for yin deficiency hot flashes, bone steaming night sweats, dizziness, weakness and internal movement, muscles and bones, and heart weakness and forgetfulness.
Dosage 9 to 24g, fry first.
Store in a dry place to prevent moths.
Excerpt from the Chinese Pharmacopoeia
