Sea dragon is the whole body of sea dragons, such as pipefish, mimic sea dragon, or pointed sea dragon, after removing the skin and viscera. Sea dragon is warm in nature, with a salty and sweet taste, and has the function of nourishing the kidney and strengthening yang. It is used to treat impotence. According to "Gangmu Shi Yi", sea dragon "has a greater effect than seahorse in promoting childbirth." In the market, there are many-spined pipefish of the same family pretending to be genuine sea dragons, so be careful when using them.
Genuine Sea Dragon
1. Pipefish: It has a long and flattened appearance, slightly thick and strong in the middle, 20-50 centimeters long, with a diameter of 2-2.5 centimeters in the middle. The head has a tubular long mouth and sunken eyes. The surface is yellow-white or gray-brown, with a pattern of "snowflake-like" protrusions and transverse stripes, composed of circular patterns. The trunk has 7 longitudinal ridges, with the ridges on both sides not prominent. It has 25-26 bony rings. The front segment of the tail has 6 longitudinal ridges, the rear segment is square-shaped, with 4 longitudinal ridges, and the tail end is curled. It has 56-57 bony rings and no tail fin. It is made of hard bone and has a slightly fishy smell and a slightly salty taste.
2. Mimic sea dragon: It has a long spindle-shaped appearance, with a clearly thick and strong middle part, about 20 centimeters long, and a diameter of about 2 centimeters in the middle. The mouth is long and tubular, extending forward, and the eyes are large and round. The surface is gray-brown, with a pattern of fine stripes. The trunk has 7 longitudinal ridges, with the three ridges on the ventral side not prominent. It has 16-17 bony rings. The front segment of the tail has 6 longitudinal ridges, and the rear segment has 4 longitudinal ridges. It has 51-53 bony rings and no tail fin. It is made of hard bone and has a slightly fishy smell and a slightly salty taste.
3. Pointed sea dragon: It has a slender and columnar appearance, slightly thick in the middle, about 20 centimeters long, and a diameter of about 0.4-0.5 centimeters in the middle. The mouth is long and tubular, extending forward, and the eyes are large and round. The back is grayish-brown and the belly is grayish-yellow. Each bony ring has delicate "fan-shaped" pattern. The trunk has 7 longitudinal ridges, with the ventral ridge not prominent. It has 19 bony rings. The front segment of the tail has 6 longitudinal ridges, and the rear segment has 4 longitudinal ridges. It has 36-41 bony rings and a tail fin. It is made of hard bone and has the same smell as above.
Imitation Multi-spined Sea Dragon
It has a long and flattened appearance, slightly thick and strong in the middle, 36-47 centimeters long, with a diameter of 3-5 centimeters in the middle. The head has a tubular long mouth, and the two eyes are
