zhen zhu mu

Name: zhen zhu mu
Creator: Bencao Index

珍珠母·Concha Margaritiferae Usta

Mother Of Pearl

About zhen zhu mu

Zhen Zhu Mu (珍珠母) is mother of pearl, the nacreous lining of the pearl oyster's shell, recorded as Concha Margaritiferae Usta. It is sweet and salty in flavour and cold in temperature, entering the Heart and Liver channels. The catalogue files it among the heavy substances that anchor, settle and calm the Spirit.

Names

Pinyin	zhen zhu mu
Chinese	珍珠母
Latin Name	Concha Margaritiferae Usta
English Name	Mother Of Pearl
Japanese	chinjyumo
Korean	jinjumo

Classification

Category: Anchor, Settle and Calm Spirit
Channels: Heart, Liver
Flavour: Sweet, Salty
Temperature: Cold
Part used: Animal by product
Family: Pteriidae
Tags: Chinese Herbs, Common

Actions and indications

Calms the Liver, anchors Yang and drains Liver Fire

Liver Yang rising on a base of deficient Liver Yin, causing dizziness, vertigo, ringing in the ears and insomnia
Headache from rising Liver Yang, especially at the temples or the vertex

Clears the Liver and brightens the eyes

Blurred vision from Liver deficiency
Liver Heat with red, swollen or painful eyes, sensitivity to light and superficial visual obstruction

Settles fright and calms the Spirit

Palpitations, anxiety, irritability, insomnia and similar problems stemming from a disturbed Shen

Stops bleeding

Bleeding in the Upper Jiao

Promotes healing and relieves itching (topical, calcined)

Eczema and itchy skin, dusted on as a powder
Sores that will not heal, treated with the powdered calcined shell

Neutralises stomach acid and relieves pain

Peptic ulcer with pain and acid regurgitation
Excess stomach acidity

Combinations

long chi + bai shao + sheng di huang
Liver Yang Rising with Liver Yin Deficiency
nu zhen zi + shi jue ming + ci shi
Liver Yang Rising with dizziness and headache
ju hua + shi jue ming + che qian zi
Wind-Heat attacking the Liver channel, causing photophobia and red eyes, whether or not superficial visual obstruction is present
hei zhi ma + gou qi zi + nu zhen zi
Liver Deficiency with dull eyes and cloudy vision
long chi + shui niu jiao + dang gui
Heart and Liver Yin Deficiency with anxious palpitations, dizziness, irritability and insomnia
yuan zhi + suan zao ren
Insomnia and palpitations.
dai zhe shi
Epistaxis or hematemesis.
long chi
Restrains Liver Yang and powerfully settles and anchors the Spirit
bai shao + sheng di huang + bai ji li + yuan zhi + xiang fu + gou teng + dai zhe shi
Neurasthenia.
cang zhu
Liver Deficiency with night blindness, blurred vision and dizziness
ju hua + jue ming zi + che qian zi
Eyes that are red, swollen, painful and sensitive to light
yu jin + huang lian + tian zhu huang + dan nan xing + shi chang pu + gou teng + quan xie
Heart Fire.

Dosage

Age	Raw	Granule	Tincture	Concentrate	Frequency
Any 10-60g cook first	10-60 g	—	—	—	—

Cautions

caution Cold from Spleen and Stomach deficiency, with poor appetite, loose stools and cold limbs; if it is used, combine it with warming herbs that support the Spleen
caution Sinking from Qi deficiency
pregnancy Use with caution in pregnancy
contraindication Conditions that do not arise from Heat or Fire
caution Shellfish-derived: unsuitable for strict vegans, and practitioners treating shellfish-sensitive patients should be told the source
caution Must be crushed and cooked before the other herbs; its density and preparation make it unsuitable for casual self-dosing

Interactions

Drug interactions

Tetracycline antibiotics, thyroid hormone, iron supplements and other oral medicines whose absorption calcium can reduce: space doses a couple of hours apart (a precaution based on its calcium carbonate content, not a demonstrated interaction)

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