Duck-Tongue Fish Turtle is the name of a traditional Chinese medicine. It is the whole plant of Saxiglossum angustissimum (Gies.) Ching, a member of the Polypodiaceae family.It is distributed in Central and Southern China, as well as in Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Taiwan, Sichuan, and Guizhou. It has the effects of clearing heat, draining dampness, and improving vision. It is commonly used for lung-heat cough, sore throat, red eyes with photophobia, infantile convulsions, difficulty urinating, and leukorrhea in women.
Duck-Tongue Fish and Turtle
Duck-Tongue Fish Turtle is the name of a traditional Chinese medicine. It is the whole plant of Saxiglossum angustissimum (Gies.) Ching, a member of the Polypodiaceae family.It is distributed in Central and Southern China, as well as in Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Taiwan, Sichuan, and Guizhou. It has the effects of clearing heat, draining dampness, and improving vision. It is commonly used for lung-heat cough, sore throat, red eyes with photophobia, infantile convulsions, difficulty urinating, and leukorrhea in women.
Chinese Name : 鸭舌鱼鳖
Aliases : Cangtiaoyu-Bie, Wolongcao, Ma Yachi, Sanbai Bang, Shijiaodou, Huiyangsheng, Jinpiandan, Jinwa’er, Zhishibei, Shicaiye.
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Slightly bitter in taste; cool in nature. Enters the Heart, Liver, and Spleen meridians
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
Clears heat, drains dampness, and improves vision.
Indications
Cough due to lung heat, sore and swollen throat, red eyes with photophobia, infantile convulsions, difficulty urinating, and leukorrhea in women.
Usage and Dosage
Internal use: Decoct 15–30 g.
Relevant Discussions
1. *Flora of Medicinal Plants of Zhejiang*: “Clears heat, suppresses cough, promotes urination, and improves vision. Primarily used to treat infantile convulsions, cough, whooping cough, corneal opacity, difficulty urinating, and trauma.”
2. *Medicinal Spore Plants of China*: “Promotes blood circulation, regulates menstruation, and calms convulsions. Used to treat traumatic injuries, infantile convulsions, hernia-related swelling and pain, and irregular menstruation, among other conditions.”
3. *Compendium of Fujian Medicinal Plants*: “Clears heat and drains dampness; cools the blood and stops bleeding. Used to treat red eyes, sore throat, difficulty urinating, leukorrhea, rheumatic pain in the lower back and legs, hemoptysis, hematemesis, epistaxis, and metrorrhagia.”
Applications
Related Compatibility
For treating infantile convulsions: Combine 30 g of duck-tongue fish and soft-shelled turtle with 15–18 g of the root of yellow flower grass (Solidago virga-florida, Asteraceae), 12–15 g each of half-side lotus and cold-twist (Sorghum halepense, Rosaceae) roots, and one piece of gold jewelry; decoct in water and take orally. (From *Flora of Medicinal Plants of Tianmu Mountain*)
Processing & Preparation
Harvesting & Processing
Can be harvested year-round; remove impurities, wash thoroughly, and use fresh or sun-dried.
Processing Methods
Wash, soak until thoroughly moistened, cut into sections, and sun-dry.
Crude Drug Identification
Botanical Information
Botanical Classification
Stone Fern (Polypodiaceae)
Morphological Characteristics
Stone Fern, also known as Curled-leaf Fern. A small epiphytic fern growing on rocks, 10–12 cm tall. The rhizome is slender, creeping, and densely covered with scales; the scales are ovate-lanceolate, with a long, tapering apex, finely toothed margins, reddish-brown to pale brown in color, and shield-shaped in arrangement.Leaves are distichous, spaced 1–2 cm apart, nearly sessile, and attached at the base by a joint; the leaf blade is linear, 3–9 cm long and 2–3.5 cm wide, with a bluntly pointed apex and a gradually narrowing base; when dry, it becomes leathery, with margins strongly revolute downward; when young, the upper surface bears sparse stellate hairs, while the lower surface is densely covered with yellow stellate hairs that persist.The midrib is prominent, sunken on the upper surface and raised on the lower surface; the secondary veins form a reticulate pattern, each forming a single row of elongated meshes on either side of the midrib; there are no hidden secondary veins; the fine veins near the leaf margin are separate, with a swollen water sac at the tip.The sporangial clusters are linear, forming a single row on each side of the midrib, located between the midrib and the leaf margin; when young, they are completely covered by the rolled-back leaf margin, but open up upon maturity, exposing the sporangia; the spores are elliptical, with a single slit, the upper surface of the peristome bearing scattered small tubercles, and the outer wall smooth.
Distribution Area
It is distributed in Central and South China, as well as in Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Taiwan, Sichuan, and Guizhou.