Oyster: a kind of shellfish, commonly known as "Wavy". It is the meat of oysters such as oysters, mud oysters, and hairy oysters. It is harvested in spring and autumn. The animal morphology of oysters and their medicinal compound!
【Animal Morphology of Oysters】
① Oyster
The shell is composed of 2 pieces, thick and oblong, extremely expanded, almost spherical when closed. The shell is about 8 cm long and about 6 cm wide.
The shell top is slightly closer, the back sides are slightly blunt, and the ventral margin is round, short at the front and extended at the back. The radial ribs are wide, smooth and neat, about 42-48, without obvious nodules. The shell surface is white, covered with brown skin and fine hairs; the inner surface of the shell is white, slightly gray near the top.
The edge is thick, with teeth as long as the radial ribs. The hinge is straight, with about 70 hinge teeth, gradually becoming denser from both ends to the center. The adductor muscle scar and the posterior adductor muscle scar are both prominent, with the former being smaller and nearly circular, and the latter being larger and nearly square.
The outer edge of the mantle is thick and has folds, and the outer side has grooves as deep as the teeth. It is the meat of oysters such as oysters, mud oysters, and hairy oysters. It is harvested in spring and autumn.
It lives in shallow marine sediments. It is distributed along the coast of China.
② Mud oyster
The shell is smaller and oval. It is about 4.5 cm long and about 4 cm wide. The distance between the shell tops is relatively far, and the radial ribs are composed of intermittent granular protrusions, about 18-20. There are about 40 hinge teeth.
It lives in shallow marine mud flats. It is distributed in coastal areas; it is also cultivated in Shandong, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and other places.
③ Hairy oyster ("Bencao Qiuyuan")
The shell is shorter and wider, in the shape of an elongated oval. The two shells are usually unequal, with the right shell being smaller and the back sides having slight angles. There are 30-34 radial ribs on the shell, with small nodules on the ribs, more prominent on the left shell, and covered with hairy shell skin on the outside. There are about 50 hinge teeth.
It lives in shallow marine sediments. It is distributed in coastal areas.
The shells (oysters) of the above-mentioned animals are also used for medicinal purposes. Please refer to the specific section for details.
Medicinal Compound of Oysters
1. Treatment of phlegm-fire cough: Wash the oyster shell, bake it on charcoal fire to remove the fire poison, grind it into powder, store it in a porcelain container. When symptoms of phlegm-fire occur, take one or two liang, divide into three doses, eat less dinner, mix with dough, knead into pills the size of soybeans, use a small amount of boiling water, swallow the pills, do not let them dry. (From "Jingyan Guangji" - Oyster Powder)
2. Treatment of qi deficiency with edema and bloating: Grind garlic into paste, mix it with oyster powder, five fen liang, and make pills. Each pill should be the size of a paulownia seed, take ten pills per dose, swallow with white soup. (From "Bai Yi Xuan Fang")
3. Treatment of urinary retention: Half a liang of oyster powder, half a liang of hemp root. Grind them into powder, take it on an empty stomach, mix it with freshly drawn water, and take two qian. (From "Sheng Hui Fang")
4. Treatment of deficiency heat with spermatorrhea: One jin of coptis (fried), one jin of anemarrhena, and one jin of oyster powder. Wrap it with blue indigo as a coat, and make pills. Take it with porridge. (From "Yixue Liuyao")
5. Treatment of stomach qi pain: Ten pieces of oyster shell, ten pieces of oyster shell. Roast both of them, grind them into fine powder, and take them with ginger soup. (From "Mei Shi Yan Fang Xin Bian")
6. Treatment of heart and spleen pain: One qian of real oyster powder (fried), one qian of cinnamon (peeled), and two qian of dried ginger (fried). Grind them into fine powder, take two qian per dose, and take it with rice soup. (From "Bai Yi Xuan Fang")
7. Treatment of scalds: Burn oyster shells into powder, mix with oil, and apply it to the affected area. (From "Yang Sheng Bi Yong Fang")
8. Treatment of infantile diarrhea: Three fen of oyster powder, three fen of sophora flower, and one fen of musk (finely ground). Grind them into fine powder, take it regardless of the time, and take it with a qian of hot wine. (From "Sheng Hui Fang")
9. Treatment of lung abscess: Grind oyster and child's urine into powder, take it three times a day with ganju soup. (From "Ben Jing Feng Yuan")
10. Treatment of chalazion: Use real oyster powder, fry it until it turns yellow, mix it with oil wax to make pills the size of soap, put them in pig kidneys, steam and eat, can be served with rice porridge. (From "Ru Men Shi Qin")
Nutritional Analysis
1. Oysters have the characteristics of high protein, high trace elements, high iron, high calcium, and low fat;
2. Oyster meat contains a substance called delta-7-cholesterol and 24-methylene cholesterol, which have the unique effects of inhibiting cholesterol synthesis in the liver and accelerating the excretion of cholesterol, thereby reducing cholesterol levels in the body;
3. People often feel refreshed and pleasant after eating oysters and shellfish, which undoubtedly helps relieve some symptoms of distress.
