Seahorse, a name in traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the dried bodies of animals from the genus Hippocampus in the family Syngnathidae, including the striped seahorse (Hippocampus kelloggi Jordan et Snyder), the spiny seahorse (Hippocampus histrix Kaup), the large seahorse (Hippocampus kuda Bleeker), the three-spotted seahorse (Hippocampus trimaculatus Leach), or the small seahorse (Hippocampus japonicus Kaup).This herb has a sweet and salty taste and a warm nature; it enters the Liver and Kidney meridians. It has the effects of warming the kidneys and strengthening yang, as well as dispersing nodules and reducing swelling. It is primarily used to treat impotence, enuresis, shortness of breath due to kidney deficiency, masses and accumulations, and injuries from falls or blows; when applied externally, it can treat boils, swellings, and carbuncles.
Seahorse
Seahorse, a name in traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the dried bodies of animals from the genus Hippocampus in the family Syngnathidae, including the striped seahorse (Hippocampus kelloggi Jordan et Snyder), the spiny seahorse (Hippocampus histrix Kaup), the large seahorse (Hippocampus kuda Bleeker), the three-spotted seahorse (Hippocampus trimaculatus Leach), or the small seahorse (Hippocampus japonicus Kaup).This herb has a sweet and salty taste and a warm nature; it enters the Liver and Kidney meridians. It has the effects of warming the kidneys and strengthening yang, as well as dispersing nodules and reducing swelling. It is primarily used to treat impotence, enuresis, shortness of breath due to kidney deficiency, masses and accumulations, and injuries from falls or blows; when applied externally, it can treat boils, swellings, and carbuncles.
Chinese Name : 海马
Latin Name : Hippocampus
Aliases : Water Horse, Horsehead Fish, Dragon’s Egg Fish
Authentic Producing Area : Guangdong, Fujian, Taiwan
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Sweet and salty in taste; warm in nature; enters the Liver and Kidney meridians
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
Warms the kidneys and strengthens yang; disperses nodules and reduces swelling.
Indications
Seahorses are primarily used to treat impotence, enuresis, shortness of breath due to kidney deficiency, masses and accumulations, and injuries from falls or blows; when applied externally, they can treat boils, swellings, and carbuncles.
Usage and Dosage
1. Internal use: Decoct and take 3–9 g. 2. External use: Apply an appropriate amount of the powdered form to the affected area.
Precautions
Contraindicated for those with yin deficiency with excessive fire.
Chemical Constituents
It contains large amounts of magnesium and calcium, followed by zinc, iron, strontium, and manganese, as well as small amounts of cobalt, nickel, and cadmium.
Pharmacological Actions
This herb exhibits androgen-like effects and possesses pharmacological actions such as immune regulation, anti-fatigue, anti-thrombotic, and neuroprotective effects.
Relevant Discussions
1. *Supplement to the Materia Medica*: “Treats difficult childbirth in women.”
2. *Compendium of Materia Medica*: “Warms the water organs, strengthens yang energy, dissipates masses and lumps, and treats boils and toxic swellings.” “Seahorses, found in pairs of male and female, have a warm nature and symbolize the union of the sexes; therefore, they are frequently used in treatments for difficult childbirth and for addressing yang deficiency in sexual dysfunction, much like the effects of the gecko and Langjunzi.”
3. *Essentials of Materia Medica Classification*: “Regulates qi and harmonizes blood.”
Applications
Clinical Applications
1. For treating male erectile dysfunction and female infertility due to a cold uterus: 1 pair of seahorses. Roast until dry, grind into a fine powder, take 1 g per dose, three times daily, washed down with warm wine. (*Modern Practical Chinese Herbal Medicine*)
2. For treating kidney yang deficiency, frequent nighttime urination, or excessive leukorrhea in women due to physical weakness: 12 g of seahorse,12 g of goji berries, 12 g of fish-bladder gelatin (melted), and 30 g of red dates. Decoct in water and take orally. (*Clinical Application of Traditional Chinese Medicine*: Seahorse Decoction)
3. For treating shortness of breath: 3 g of seahorse and 6 g of angelica root. Stew with chicken and consume, or use seahorse alone—roast until golden brown, grind into powder, and mix with water to take orally. (*Qingdao Manual of Traditional Chinese Herbs*)
Related Compatibility
1. Seahorse Combined with Deer Antler: Seahorse is sweet and warm in nature, excelling at warming kidney yang and strengthening yang energy; deer antler is sweet and warm, tonifying yang, and sweet and salty, nourishing the kidneys. It is particularly effective at strengthening kidney yang and enriching essence and blood.When combined, these two herbs enhance the efficacy of tonifying the kidneys and strengthening yang. This combination is suitable for conditions such as aversion to cold and cold limbs, erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation, uterine cold leading to infertility, frequent urination, cold pain in the lower back and knees, dizziness and tinnitus, and mental fatigue—all caused by kidney yang deficiency and insufficiency of essence and blood.
2. Sea Horse Combined with Gekko: Sea Horse enters the Liver and Kidney meridians and excels at tonifying kidney yang, guiding fire back to its source, and replenishing true qi; Gekko enters the Lung and Kidney meridians and is effective at tonifying the lungs and kidneys, as well as anchoring qi to relieve wheezing. When used together, these two herbs enhance the effects of tonifying the kidneys and anchoring qi. This combination is suitable for treating cough and wheezing caused by kidney yang deficiency and an inability to anchor qi.
3. Seahorse Combined with Wood Fragrance: Seahorse is sweet and warm, entering the Blood level; it aids in assisting Yang, invigorating blood, regulating Qi, and relieving pain. Wood Fragrance is pungent and dispersing, bitter and draining, and warm in nature; it promotes the free flow of Qi and invigorates blood circulation. When used together, these two herbs enhance the effects of invigorating blood, regulating Qi, and relieving pain. Therefore, this combination is used for conditions involving Qi stagnation and blood stasis that have coalesced into masses, such as masses and accumulations, as well as bruises and swellings resulting from trauma.
4. Sea Horse Combined with Pangolin Scale: Sea Horse excels at regulating qi and invigorating blood, dispersing blood stasis and resolving qi stagnation; Pangolin Scale has a penetrating and dispersing nature, effectively invigorating blood and resolving masses. When used together, these two herbs work to invigorate blood, resolve stasis, disperse nodules, and reduce swelling.It is indicated for sores, ulcers, and toxic swellings resulting from stagnation of qi and blood, disharmony between the nutritive and defensive qi, obstruction of the meridians, and muscle necrosis.
5. Sea Horse Combined with Dragon’s Blood: Sea Horse excels at regulating qi and invigorating blood; Dragon’s Blood excels at invigorating blood and alleviating pain. When used together, these two herbs have the effect of dispersing blood stasis and relieving pain. They are indicated for conditions involving impaired circulation of qi and blood, as well as bruises and contusions accompanied by swelling and blood stasis.
Medicinal Identification
1. Sea Horse and Sea Dog Kidney: Both are salty and warm in nature, enter the Kidney meridian, and possess the ability to tonify the Kidney, strengthen yang, and nourish essence. Together, they treat impotence and cold semen due to Kidney yang deficiency, infertility caused by uterine cold, soreness and weakness in the lower back and knees, nocturnal emissions, and frequent urination.However, seahorse has a sweet taste and enters the Liver meridian; it also promotes blood circulation, disperses nodules, reduces swelling, and relieves pain. It can be used for masses and accumulations, injuries from falls or blows, yin-type ulcers and swellings, and external bleeding. Sea lion kidney is hot in nature and specifically enters the Kidney meridian; it has a strong effect in strengthening yang and replenishing essence, and is particularly effective for treating erectile dysfunction, cold semen, and infertility due to low semen volume.
2. Seahorse and Dipsacus: Both are warm in nature and enter the Liver and Kidney meridians; they both possess the function of warming and tonifying Kidney yang, and are similarly used to treat Kidney yang deficiency and injuries from falls.However, seahorse has a salty taste and excels at tonifying the kidneys, strengthening yang, and nourishing essence. It is particularly effective for treating erectile dysfunction and nocturnal emissions caused by kidney yang deficiency, as well as uterine cold leading to infertility, soreness and weakness in the lower back and knees, enuresis, and shortness of breath due to kidney deficiency. It can also disperse nodules and reduce swelling, and is used to treat masses and accumulations, as well as injuries from falls or blows; externally, it is used to treat boils, swellings, and carbuncles.Dipsacus asper is bitter and warm in nature, primarily used to promote blood circulation, repair injuries, and strengthen tendons and bones; it is frequently employed to treat falls, sprains, and fractures; externally, it is used to treat alopecia areata and vitiligo.
Related Medicines
Compound Soapstone and Alum Pills, Huichun Capsules, Seahorse Multi-Whip Pills, and Guiling Collection.
Related Prescriptions
Seahorse Powder (*Secret Transmission of the Blue Sack*).
Medicinal Diet Therapy
Seahorse and Peach Kernel Decoction
1. Effects: Warms the kidneys and strengthens yang. Suitable for kidney deficiency-induced impotence, soreness and coldness in the lower back and knees, mental fatigue and weakness, low libido, impotence and premature ejaculation, or inability to maintain an erection, thin and cold semen, prolonged infertility, clear and prolonged urination, frequent nighttime urination, and shortness of breath.
2.Ingredients: 15 g seahorse, 30 g walnut kernels, 200 g lean pork, 10 jujubes, and salt to taste.
3. Preparation: Wash the lean pork and cut it into chunks. Place the pork, seahorse, walnut kernels, and jujubes in a pot, add water, and simmer over low heat until tender. Season with salt just before serving.
4. Usage: Consume warm, once daily.
Notes
Patients requiring treatment with Chinese herbal medicine should first consult a licensed Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) hospital, where a TCM practitioner will conduct a professional pattern differentiation and prescribe an herbal formula.
Processing & Preparation
Harvesting & Processing
Harvested in summer and autumn; wash thoroughly and sun-dry; or remove the skin, membrane, and internal organs before sun-drying. Crush or grind into powder before use. Large specimens with a yellowish-white color and intact head and tail are considered superior.
Processing Methods
1. Sea Horse: Take the raw material and remove any ash or debris.
2. Processed Sea Horse: Place talc powder in a pan and heat over low heat; add the cleaned sea horses and stir-fry until the surface turns slightly yellow and puffs up. Remove from heat, sift off the talc powder, and allow to cool.
3. Wine-treated Seahorse: Place the cleaned seahorses in a wire mesh sieve. Heat over low heat, then remove from the heat and spray with white wine. Repeat several times until the surface turns deep yellow, then let cool. Use 2 kg of white wine for every 10 kg of seahorses.
Storage Methods
Store in a dry, airtight container in a cool, dry place to prevent insect infestation.
Crude Drug Identification
Identification
The powder of this product is white or yellowish-white. Most of the striated muscle fibers are fragmented, exhibiting fine, dense striations alternating between light and dark; when viewed in cross-section, they are roughly rectangular or elongated oval in shape, with a smooth surface showing fine dots or fissure-like voids. Collagen fibers are intertwined into clumps. When viewed from the surface, the cell boundaries of skin fragments are indistinct, and brown granular pigment is visible. Bone fragments are irregular in shape, with bone depressions appearing elongated or fissure-like.
Properties of Crude Drugs
1. Striped Seahorse: The body is flattened, elongated, and curved, approximately 30 cm long, and yellowish-white in color. The head slightly resembles that of a horse, with a crown-like protrusion; at the front is a tubular, elongated snout, a small mouth, and deeply recessed eyes. The trunk is heptagonal, while the tail is quadrangular, tapering gradually and curling; the body features corrugated striations and short spines.The body is light, bony, and hard. It has a faint fishy odor and a slightly salty taste.
2. Spiny Seahorse: Body length 10–20 cm. Its head and the segments of its body are covered with sharp, slender spines, the tips of which are blackish-brown.
3. Large Seahorse: Body length 20–30 cm, blackish-brown.The head and sides of the body have tiny dark or silvery-white spots.
4. Three-spotted Seahorse: The base of the short spines on the dorsal surfaces of the first, fourth, and seventh segments each has a blackish-brown spot.
5. Small Seahorse (Sea Maggot): Smaller in size, 7–10 cm. Blackish-brown. Both the segmental ridges and short spines are relatively small.
Properties of Processed Slices
1. Seahorse: See “Characteristics of the Medicinal Material.”
2. Processed Seahorse: Resembles a seahorse in shape, but is more brittle, darker in color, and slightly bulging.
3. Wine-Infused Seahorse: Resembles processed seahorse in shape, with a slight aroma of wine.
Botanical Information
Morphological Characteristics
1. Striped Seahorse: The body is laterally compressed, typically 30–33 cm in length. The trunk is heptagonal, with a slightly protruding abdomen; the tail is quadrangular, tapering gradually toward the tip and curled. The head resembles that of a horse and is perpendicular to the trunk; the head crown is small, with five short spines at the apex that curve slightly backward.The spines above the eyes, on the sides of the head, and below the cheeks are all relatively thick and also curve slightly backward. The body length is 4.5–6.2 times the head length; the head length is 2–2.1 times the snout length and 5.5–8 times the eye diameter. The snout is slender and tubular, and its length is slightly greater than the head length measured behind the eyes. The eyes are large, positioned laterally and high on the head; the interorbital space is smaller than the eye diameter and slightly raised.The nares are very small, with two on each side, closely spaced and situated immediately in front of the eyes. The mouth is small, anteriorly positioned, and toothless. The gill covers are prominent, lacking radial ridges; the gill slits are small and located on the dorsal side of the head. The anus is situated on the ventral side of the 11th body segment.The body is scaleless and entirely encased by bony rings; there are 11 bony rings on the body and 39–40 on the tail. The spines on each ring along the body are short, blunt, and tuberculate, except for the central dorsal ridge on the neck, which is relatively sharp and bears two protruding spines and two submaxillary spines.There is one short, blunt spine on the lower anterior side of each pectoral fin base. The dorsal fin consists of 18–19 spines; it is well-developed and located on the dorsal side of the last two body rings and the two most anterior tail rings. The anal fin consists of four short, small spines.There are 18 pectoral fins, which are short and broad, slightly fan-shaped. There are no pelvic or caudal fins. None of the fins have spines, and the fin rays are unbranched. The body is pale yellow or dark gray, with minute white spots or markings on the flanks.
2. Spiny Seahorse: The body is laterally compressed, with a total length of 20–24 cm.The body spines and head spines are sharp and particularly well-developed; the head crest is not high and bears 4–5 small, sharp spines. Body length is 5.1–5.8 times the head length; head length is 2.1–2.3 times the snout length and 7.3–7.8 times the eye diameter. The snout is slender and tubular, with a length greater than or equal to the head length behind the eye. The eyes are small, laterally positioned, and relatively high.There are 11 bony rings on the body and 35–36 on the tail. The dorsal fin has 18 rays; the anal fin has 4 rays and is small; the pectoral fins have 18 rays and are short and broad. The body is pale yellowish-brown; the dorsal fin has a single vertical row of spots near its tip; the anal and pectoral fins are pale; and the tips of the small spines on the body are pale blackish-brown.
3. Large seahorse: The body is laterally compressed and relatively high, with a body length of 20–24 cm. The small spines on the head are well-developed; the body’s ridges are short, blunt, thick, and robust, and the abdomen is convex; the head crown is relatively low, with five short, blunt, thick spines at the apex.Body length is 5.5–5.8 times body height; head length is 2.2–2.3 times snout length and 8.5–9.4 times eye diameter. The snout is slender and tubular, with a length equal to the post-orbital head length. The gill covers are prominent and bear radial ridges. The spines on the sides of the head, above the eyes, and below the cheeks are all relatively thick and robust.There are 11 bony rings on the body and 35–36 on the tail. It has 17 dorsal fins, 4 anal fins, and 16 pectoral fins. The body is pale yellowish-brown, with minute dark spots on the head and body sides, interspersed with tiny silvery-white spots. The dorsal fin bears black longitudinal stripes. The anal and pectoral fins are pale.
4. Three-spotted Seahorse: The body is laterally compressed, with a typical total length of 10–18 cm. The head is short and small, with five short spines at the top. The total body length is 5.3–6.5 times the head length; the head length is 2.2–2.5 times the snout length and 5.3–5.9 times the eye diameter. The snout is slender and tubular, and its length is slightly greater than the head length measured behind the eye.The eyes are small and round; the supraorbital spines are well-developed, slender, pointed, and curved backward. The gill covers are prominent, and the gill slits are small. A raised ridge runs along the dorsal side of the neck. A slender, pointed, and curved subcheiral spine is present below the cheek. The body has 11 bony rings; the tail has 40–41 rings.There are 20–21 dorsal fin rays. The anal fin has 4 short rays. The pectoral fins have 17–18 rays and are fan-shaped. There are no pelvic or caudal fins. The body is blackish-brown. There are radial brown markings above the eyes. On the dorsal side of the body, the bases of the first, fourth, and seventh segments of the small spines each bear a black circular spot, hence the name.
5. Small Seahorse: The body is laterally compressed and relatively small, with a total length of 7.6–10 cm. The head is low and small, bearing five short, blunt spines. The total body length is 4.5–7.8 times the head length; the head length is 2.4–3.4 times the snout length and 4.1–6.4 times the eye diameter.The snout is shorter than the post-orbital head length. The gill covers are prominent and lack radial ridges. The spines on the sides of the head and above the eyes are particularly well-developed. There are 11 bony rings in the trunk and 37–38 in the tail. The dorsal spines are the most developed, followed by the ventral spines; the others are short, blunt, or inconspicuous.The abdomen is very prominent and lacks spines. There are 16–17 dorsal fins, located on the dorsal side of the last 3 trunk rings and the first caudal ring; 4 anal fins; and 12–13 pectoral fins. The body is grayish-brown, with irregular markings on the head, snout, cheeks, and body sides. The ventral margin is blackish-brown.
Distribution Area
1. Striped seahorse: Found in China’s East China Sea and South China Sea. 2. Spiny seahorse: Found in China’s East China Sea and South China Sea. 3. Giant seahorse: Found along the coasts of Guangdong and Hainan. 4. Three-spotted seahorse: Found in China’s East China Sea and South China Sea. Artificial breeding has been conducted along the coasts of Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong. 5. Dwarf seahorse: Found along all of China’s coasts.