Herb

Yuan (a giant softshell turtle)

鼋yuan

1 sourceSafety notes recordedPelochelys cantorii

Recorded in Bencao Gangmu (roasted, steeped in wine) for scrofula, killing worms and dispelling wind, malign sores and hemorrhoid-fistula, and stubborn wind-scabies, acting like turtle shell. Historical record only; from an endangered, internationally protected species (giant softshell turtle).

Source

Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu)卷四十五·介部·龟鳖类·鼋·主治

References

functions_en self-translated from 本草纲目 traditional_functions (public domain; the Chinese tf carries verbatim excerpt_hash citations). No modern work consulted.
WHO IST-TCM terminology-aligned for the English rendering.
public pharmacopoeia & zoological facts (public-domain reference facts; no proprietary modern source).

Nature, flavor & meridians

Nature & flavor: 甘，平，无毒。

Citations

Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷四十五·介部·龟鳖类·鼋·条名Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its classification.
Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷四十五·介部·龟鳖类·鼋·气味Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its nature & flavor.
Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷四十五·介部·龟鳖类·鼋·主治Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its traditional functions.