bie jia

鳖甲·Carapax Trionycis

Chinese Soft Shelled Turtle Shel

About bie jia

Bie Jia (鳖甲) is the carapace of the Chinese soft-shelled turtle, recorded as Carapax Trionycis. It is salty in flavour and slightly cold, enters the Liver and Spleen channels, and is filed among the substances that tonify Yin.

Names

Pinyinbie jia
Chinese鳖甲·鱉甲·鱉甲(醋)
Latin NameCarapax Trionycis
English NameChinese Soft Shelled Turtle Shel·Chinese Soft-Shelled Turtle Shell·turtle carapace
Japanesebekko
Koreanbyeolgap

Classification

Category
Tonify Yin
Channels
Spleen, Liver
Flavour
Salty
Temperature
Slightly Cold
Part used
Animal
Family
Trionycis Carapax
Species
Trionyx Sinensis
Tags
Chinese Herbs, Common

Actions and indications

Nourishes Yin and anchors Yang

  • Yin deficiency with fever, night sweats, steaming bones or consumption
  • Yang floating upward for want of Yin, with tidal fever, heat in the five centres, dizziness and irritability
  • Internal stirring of Liver Wind, with tremor, when depleted Yin cannot hold it

Clears deficiency Heat and vents Heat from the Yin level

  • Deep, low-grade fever in the afternoon or night from long-standing Yin depletion
  • Heat lingering at the Yin level late in a febrile disease: fever that eases by morning and comes back at night without sweating

Invigorates Blood, promotes menstruation, softens hardness and dissipates nodules

  • Accumulations in the chest and flanks with pain and absent periods
  • Heavy periods from Heat in the Blood
  • Malarial disorders with palpable masses, including an enlarged spleen after chronic intermittent fevers
  • Palpable abdominal masses and glandular swellings
  • Amenorrhea from long-standing Blood stasis

Anchors heavily, descends, and unblocks the Blood vessels

  • Disorders in children from internal clumping

Combinations

Dosage

AgeRawGranuleTinctureConcentrateFrequency
Any9-30 g

Cautions

Interactions

Antagonistic with

Prepared forms (1)

bie jia

鱉甲·Carapax Trionycis Fried Prep

Bie jia cu (醋鳖甲) is the carapace of the Chinese soft-shelled turtle, fried with vinegar and recorded as Carapax Trionycis. Beyond the names the record is empty: no category, no channels, no actions.

The catalogue records no separate actions, dose or cautions for this preparation. Unless noted above it follows bie jia.