Turtle head, also known as turtle neck. Recorded in the "Newly Revised Materia Medica". It refers to the head of the Chinese softshell turtle Trionyx sinensis (Wiegmann) or the Steindachner's softshell turtle T. steindachneri Siebenrock in the family Trionychidae. When processing turtle shell, the turtle head is cut off, washed and dried.
[Processing method] 1. Turtle head, according to "Wai Tai Mi Yao": "Air dry...pound into powder." According to "Chinese Animal Medicine": "Grind." Currently, take the original medicinal material and remove ash debris.
2. Make turtle head, according to "Emergency Recipes Worth a Thousand Gold": "Roast until charred." "Burn until smoke condenses." According to "Tai Ping Holy Prescriptions": "Burn to ashes, grind into powder." According to "Universal Salvation Prescriptions": "Burn to ashes." According to "Pharmaceutical Animals of Guangxi": "Bake and dry, grind into fine powder." Currently, take clean turtle head, bake it over low heat until it turns dark brown, and take it out to cool when the texture becomes crispy. Grind into powder when needed.
[Characteristics of medicinal slices] The turtle head is shaped like a long cone, with a pointed snout and a curved neck bent upwards. The outer surface is grayish-brown with slight folds. It is hard and not easy to break, and has a fishy smell. The processed turtle head is shaped like a softshell turtle head, with a blackish-brown outer surface and a relatively crispy texture, and a slight fishy smell.
[Processing properties] The softshell turtle head has a sweet and salty taste, and is neutral in nature. It has the function of replenishing qi and assisting yang. Raw turtle head is commonly used in clinical applications for postpartum uterine prolapse and concussion, such as combined with kudzu root to treat postpartum prolapse (according to "Wai Tai Mi Yao"); combined with cucumber seeds to treat sequelae of concussion (according to "Chinese Animal Medicine"). Processed turtle head can reduce the fishy smell, facilitate crushing, and is used for chronic dysentery, prolapse of anus, and genital sores, such as turtle head pills for children with persistent cold accumulation and non-reducing prolapse after recovery, cold abdomen, and anal pain (according to "Emergency Recipes Worth a Thousand Gold"); for treating emaciation and occasional cold and fever in children (according to "Tai Ping Holy Prescriptions"); combined with chicken egg white preparation for treating male genital abscess that cannot be cured and female genital sores and prolapse (according to "Universal Salvation Prescriptions"); combined with snake slough, centipede, and red castor bean to treat finger swelling and toxin (according to "Pharmaceutical Animals of Guangxi").
