Sea cucumber, also known as stone mirror, jellyfish, chupuyu, and sea cucumber head, is mentioned in the book "Compendium of Materia Medica". It refers to the oral and tentacle parts of the sea cucumber species Rhopilema esculenta Kishinouye and R.hispidum Vanhoeffen. In August and September, sea cucumbers float in groups on the sea surface and are sometimes stranded on the beach due to the impact of waves. During fishing, they are first pierced with long spears and then captured with nets. After being caught, they are soaked in alum, squeezed to remove the water content, washed, and salted. Generally, the umbrella part and the tentacle part are processed separately, with the tentacle part commonly known as sea cucumber head, and the umbrella part commonly known as sea cucumber skin.
【Processing method】"Compendium of Materia Medica": "Use lime alum for bleaching." "Record of Returning Inkstones": "Cleanse thoroughly." Currently, the original medicinal materials are soaked and bleached in clean water, with the water being changed regularly to remove the taste and sand particles. Then, they are chopped, dried, and processed.
【Appearance of the medicinal slices】They appear as irregular fragments, yellowish-white or whitish in color. The texture is crispy, and there is a slight fishy odor.
【Quality requirements】This product requires a protein content of not less than 12.3%, fat content of not less than 0.1%, and ash content not exceeding 18.7%.
【Processing effects】Sea cucumber has a salty taste and a neutral nature. It has the functions of clearing heat and calming the liver, resolving phlegm and dissolving accumulation, and moisturizing the intestines and promoting bowel movements. After processing, impurities such as sand and stones are removed, making the medicine clean and easy to take. It is used for phlegm cough, asthma, distention and fullness in the abdomen, constipation, foot swelling, phlegm nodules, and hypertension. For example, it is used in the snow soup for treating yin deficiency and phlegm-heat, and dry stool (from "Ancient Formula Annotation"); it is combined with bismuth nitrate and water chestnut to treat distention (from "Tong Shou Lu"); it is combined with water chestnut to treat various accumulations in children (from "Gang Mu Shi Yi").
【Processing research】Sea cucumber for medicinal use needs to be thoroughly processed ("Compendium of Materia Medica"). Currently, the water bleaching method is commonly used for processing.
