Tuyuan, also known as “earth turtle,” is a name in traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the dried female body of the insect Eupolyphaga sinensis Walker or Steleophaga plancyi (Boleny) of the family Eupolyphagidae. It is effective in breaking up blood stasis and expelling stagnation, as well as mending tendons and setting bones.It is primarily used to treat contusions and bruises, tendon injuries and fractures, pain caused by blood stasis and swelling, amenorrhea due to blood stasis, postpartum abdominal pain caused by blood stasis, and abdominal masses.
Tuyuan
Tuyuan, also known as “earth turtle,” is a name in traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the dried female body of the insect Eupolyphaga sinensis Walker or Steleophaga plancyi (Boleny) of the family Eupolyphagidae. It is effective in breaking up blood stasis and expelling stagnation, as well as mending tendons and setting bones.It is primarily used to treat contusions and bruises, tendon injuries and fractures, pain caused by blood stasis and swelling, amenorrhea due to blood stasis, postpartum abdominal pain caused by blood stasis, and abdominal masses.
Chinese Name : 土元
Aliases : Earth Tortoise Worm, Ground Tortoise Worm, Ground Tortoise
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Salty in taste, cold in nature; enters the Liver Meridian
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
Dispels blood stasis and removes stagnation; mends tendons and sets bones.
Indications
1. Traumatic injuries, tendon injuries, and fractures accompanied by stasis-induced swelling and pain: This herb, salty and cold in nature, enters the Blood and primarily the Liver Meridian. It has a penetrating action, capable of invigorating blood circulation, reducing swelling, relieving pain, and mending tendons and bones to treat injuries. It is a commonly used herb in traumatology, particularly for fractures, tendon injuries, and stasis-induced swelling and pain. 2. Amenorrhea due to blood stasis, postpartum abdominal pain caused by blood stasis, and abdominal masses: This herb enters the Blood Division of the Liver Meridian; it can break up blood stasis, dispel stagnation, resolve masses, and regulate menstruation. It is commonly used for conditions involving blood stasis related to menstruation and childbirth, as well as abdominal masses.
Usage and Dosage
Internal Use: Decocted, 3–10 g; taken as a powder, 1–1.5 g, washed down with rice wine. External Use: As needed.
Precautions
1. This herb has a cold nature; long-term use is not recommended for conditions such as external invasion by wind-cold, internal injury from cold and raw foods leading to spleen-stomach deficiency, or kidney yang deficiency. 2. As it breaks up blood stasis and expels stagnation, and can inhibit platelet aggregation, it is contraindicated for those with blood deficiency without stasis or excessive menstrual bleeding. It is also contraindicated for patients with hemorrhagic disorders or coagulation disorders. 3. It has a negative effect on the heart; patients with heart disease, such as heart failure, should avoid taking it. 4. It may cause allergic reactions, such as small papules over the body and itching; individuals with allergies should avoid taking it. 5. Pregnant women should avoid taking it.
Chemical Constituents
The main components include 17 amino acids (such as glutamic acid), 28 trace elements (such as arsenic), as well as sterols and linear aliphatic compounds.
Pharmacological Actions
The extract and the water-extracted ethanol precipitate exhibit antithrombotic and thrombolytic effects, respectively; the extract can inhibit platelet aggregation and adhesion, reducing the number of aggregated platelets;total alkaloids can enhance the tolerance of cardiac muscle and brain tissue to ischemia and reduce oxygen consumption in cardiac and cerebral tissues; the decoction has lipid-regulating effects and can delay the development of atherosclerosis; the extract can inhibit D-galactose-induced liver damage and thus has a hepatoprotective effect.
Relevant Discussions
1. *Compendium of Materia Medica*: “Treats postpartum blood stasis, stasis blood from trauma, tongue swelling, wooden tongue, and abdominal pain and night crying in children.”
2. *Commentary on the Classic of Materia Medica*: “It treats contusions and falls with remarkable efficacy in mending tendons and bones. It is a herb of the Jueyin Meridian. Its salty nature allows it to enter the blood, hence it is indicated for conditions such as blood stasis in the chest and abdomen, masses, and amenorrhea. By harmonizing the blood, the nutritive circulation becomes unobstructed, fever and chills subside on their own, and the meridians are regulated… It is also an essential herb for treating malaria.”
Applications
Clinical Applications
1. For treating fractures and tendon injuries, as well as swelling and pain caused by blood stasis, it is combined with Ziran Tong, Gusui Bu, and Frankincense, as in the Bone-Setting Purple Gold Pill (*Source and Course of Miscellaneous Diseases: A Rhinoceros-Horn Lamp*).
2. For the later stages of fractures and tendon injuries, characterized by weakness of tendons and bones, it is combined with herbs such as Dipsacus asper and Eucommia ulmoides, as in the “Tendon-Strengthening and Bone-Healing Pills” (from *Compendium of Orthopedics*).
3. For conditions caused by stagnant blood leading to debility, amenorrhea, abdominal distension, and rough, scaly skin, it is combined with herbs such as Rheum palmatum and Hirudo, as in the “Rheum and Hirudo Pills” (from *Essentials of the Golden Cabinet*).
4. To treat masses and lumps caused by stagnation, it is often combined with Bupleurum, Peach Kernel, and Softshell Turtle Carapace to resolve blood stasis and eliminate masses, as in the Softshell Turtle Carapace Decoction Pills (*Essentials of the Golden Cabinet*).
Related Compatibility
1. Tu Bie Chong combined with Ziran Tong: Tu Bie Chong functions to break up blood stasis and expel stagnation, as well as to mend tendons and set bones; Ziran Tong functions to disperse blood stasis, relieve pain, and treat bone fractures. When used together, the effects of promoting blood circulation, removing blood stasis, and mending tendons and setting bones are enhanced. It is suitable for trauma, tendon injuries, fractures, and pain caused by blood stasis and swelling, and is a commonly used herb in traumatology.
2. Tu Bie Chong combined with Da Huang: Tu Bie Chong excels at breaking up blood stasis and expelling stagnation; Da Huang excels at invigorating blood circulation and eliminating stasis. When used together, these two herbs demonstrate remarkable efficacy in breaking up blood stasis, expelling stagnation, and resolving masses. They are indicated for amenorrhea due to blood stasis, postpartum abdominal pain caused by stasis, and masses or lumps resulting from stagnation.
Medicinal Identification
Climbing Trumpet Flower and Earth Tortoise Worm: Both herbs have the function of invigorating blood circulation and regulating menstruation. They can be used to treat menstrual irregularities caused by blood stasis, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, masses and accumulations, and traumatic injuries. However, Earth Tortoise Worm has a salty taste and a cold nature; it excels at breaking up blood stasis, expelling stagnant blood, and mending tendons and setting bones.It is primarily used for severe blood stasis conditions such as trauma and fractures. Clematis Flower has a pungent taste and a slightly cold nature; it can also cool the blood and dispel wind, making it suitable for treating conditions caused by blood heat and excessive wind, such as hives, tinea, skin itching, and acne.
Related Medicines
Hui Sheng Di Yi Dan, Trauma Pain-Relieving Ointment, and Orthopedic Ba Li Powder.
Related Prescriptions
Decoction for Expelling Stagnant Blood (*Jin Gui Yao Lue*), Rhubarb and Centipede Pills (*Jin Gui Yao Lue*), Ba Li Pills (*Zabing Yuanliu Xizhu*), and Ba Li Powder (*Huizhiting Fang*).
Processing & Preparation
Harvesting & Processing
Wild specimens are captured in summer; farmed specimens can be captured year-round. Kill them by scalding with boiling water, then sun-dry or oven-dry.
Processing Methods
1. Turtle Worm: Take the raw material, remove impurities, wash thoroughly or sift out dust and debris, then dry.
2. Roasted Turtle Worm: Take the cleaned turtle worms, place them in a pan, heat over low heat, and roast until slightly charred; remove and allow to cool.
3. Wine-processed Turtle Worms: Take the cleaned turtle worms, wash them with an appropriate amount of wine, place them in a pan, heat over low heat, stir-fry until slightly dry, then remove the heads and legs.
4. Ghee-processed Turtle Worms: Place ghee in a pan and melt over low heat. Add the cleaned turtle worms, stir to coat evenly, and stir-fry until golden yellow. Remove and spread out to cool. Use 5 kg of ghee per 100 kg of turtle worms.
Storage Methods
Store in a dry, airtight container in a cool, well-ventilated place to prevent insect infestation.
Crude Drug Identification
Identification
1. The powder of this product is grayish-brown. Fragments of the body wall are dark brown or yellow, with an irregular texture on the surface; they bear short, thick, or slender setae, and circular hair follicles (5–32 μm in diameter) are often visible where the setae have fallen out;The setae are brownish-yellow or yellow, with sharp or bluntly rounded tips, 12–270 μm in length and 10–32 μm in diameter; some exhibit longitudinal striations. The striated muscle fibers are colorless or pale yellow, often fragmented, with fine, dense striations that are straight or slightly wavy, and the light bands are wider than the dark bands.
2. Take 1 g of the finely ground sample, add 25 mL of methanol, and subject to ultrasonic extraction for 30 minutes. Filter, evaporate the filtrate to dryness, and dissolve the residue in 5 mL of methanol to prepare the test solution.Separately, take 1 g of the reference material (Soil Beetle) and prepare a reference solution using the same method. Perform thin-layer chromatography (Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2000 Edition, Part I, Appendix VIB). Pipette 10 μL of each of the two solutions and apply them separately onto the same silica gel G plate using sodium carboxymethyl cellulose as the binder. Develop the plate using a mobile phase of toluene-dichloromethane-acetone (5:5:0.5) as the developing agent, develop the plate, remove it, allow it to air-dry, and examine it under ultraviolet light (365 nm).In the chromatogram of the test sample, fluorescent spots of the same color appear at positions corresponding to those in the reference herbal material chromatogram. Spray with vanillin-sulfuric acid solution and dry at 105°C until the spots become distinct. In the chromatogram of the test sample, spots of the same color appear at positions corresponding to those in the reference herbal material chromatogram.
Properties of Crude Drugs
1. Earth Turtle: Flat and oval in shape, 1.3–3 cm long and 1.2–2.4 cm wide. The anterior end is narrower than the posterior end; the dorsal surface is purplish-brown and glossy, and it is wingless. The pronotum is well-developed and covers the head; the ventral plates consist of 9 segments arranged in an overlapping pattern.The ventral surface is reddish-brown; the head is small, with one pair of filamentous antennae that often fall off; the thorax has three pairs of legs, covered with fine hairs and spines; the abdomen has transverse segments. The texture is loose and brittle, and it breaks easily. It has a fishy odor and a slightly salty taste.
2. Ji Earth Beetle: 2.2–3.7 cm long, 1.4–2.5 cm wide. The dorsal surface is blackish-brown, usually with pale yellowish-brown patches and small black dots along the margins.
Botanical Information
Morphological Characteristics
1. Ground Beetle: Sexually dimorphic; males are winged, while females are wingless. Females are approximately 3 cm long, with a laterally flattened body that is black and glossy. The head is small and curved toward the ventral side. The mouthparts are chewing type, with hard mandibles. The compound eyes are well-developed and kidney-shaped; there are two simple eyes. The antennae are filamentous, long, and segmented.The pronotum is shield-shaped, narrow at the front and broad at the rear, covering the head. The male pronotum features wavy patterns and notches, and possesses two pairs of wings.
2. Ji Ground Beetle: The female has a broad, oval-shaped body, wider than that of the Common Ground Beetle. The body surface is dark black and dull, less glossy than that of the Common Ground Beetle, and the dorsal side is flatter than that of the Common Ground Beetle.The anterior margin of the pronotum and the body’s periphery are bordered by a reddish-brown or yellowish-brown edge. The dorsal surface of the body is covered with dense, small granular protrusions; females are wingless. Males are winged, with a grayish-black body; apart from a distinct, pale, broad border along the anterior margin of the pronotum, the rest of the body lacks fine mottled patterns.
Distribution Area
1. Ground Beetle: Found in most regions of China. 2. Hebei Ground Beetle: Found in Hebei, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Henan, Hunan, and other areas.