Snail, a name in traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the entire body of Bellamya quadrata (Benson) or other species of the same genus within the family Pomacellidae. It is distributed throughout most regions of China. It has the effects of clearing heat, promoting diuresis, and improving vision. It is primarily used to treat jaundice, edema, dysuria with turbid urine, diabetes, dysentery, redness and opacities of the eyes, hemorrhoids, and swollen abscesses.
Snail
Snail, a name in traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the entire body of Bellamya quadrata (Benson) or other species of the same genus within the family Pomacellidae. It is distributed throughout most regions of China. It has the effects of clearing heat, promoting diuresis, and improving vision. It is primarily used to treat jaundice, edema, dysuria with turbid urine, diabetes, dysentery, redness and opacities of the eyes, hemorrhoids, and swollen abscesses.
Chinese Name : 螺蛳
Latin Name : Bellamya quadrata (Benson)
Aliases : Woli (from *The Supplement*), Shiluo (from *Supplement to the Materia Medica*), Woluo (from *Compendium of Materia Medica*).
Authentic Producing Area : Nationwide
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Sweet in taste, cold in nature; enters the Bladder Meridian
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
Clears heat, promotes diuresis, and improves vision.
Indications
Jaundice, edema, turbid urine, diabetes, dysentery, red eyes with opacities, hemorrhoids, and swollen abscesses.
Usage and Dosage
Internal use: Boil and eat 20 fruits; or prepare as a decoction; or extract the juice. External use: Apply an appropriate amount as a poultice.
Precautions
It should not be consumed by those with cold beverages in the stomach, chronic diarrhea without solid stools, cold masses or chronic hernias, or chronic, unhealed abscesses or sores.
Applications
Related Compatibility
1. For jaundice and alcohol-induced jaundice: Clean small snails to remove mud, then boil and consume daily, drinking the broth. (From *Yonglei Qianfang*)
2. For jaundice accompanied by hemoptysis, where the body and face turn yellow after illness and blood is vomited in large quantities, and other medications have proven ineffective: Take ten snails, rinse with water to remove mud, pound into a paste, and leave exposed overnight; at dawn, collect the clear liquid and take it two or three times.(*Xiao Shan Guai Zheng Fang*)
3. For the five types of dysuria and leukorrhea: Take one bowl of snails, shell and all, and stir-fry them in a pot until hot. Pour three bowls of good white wine over them, then simmer until reduced to one bowl. Remove the snails, use a needle to extract the meat, and eat it while washing it down with the remaining wine. Repeat this two or three times. (*Fu Shou Jing Fang*)
4. For white wandering wind-induced swelling: Mix snail meat with a small amount of salt, pound into a paste, and apply as a poultice. (From *Zhai Yuan Fang*)
5. For smallpox and corneal opacities: Regularly consume snails boiled in water. (From *Ji Ji Xian Fang*)
Processing & Preparation
Harvesting & Processing
Can be caught in all four seasons. Wash thoroughly before use.
Crude Drug Identification
Botanical Information
Morphological Characteristics
The Square-ribbed Snail, also known as the Square Field Snail. The shell is conical, hard, and thick, with a height of about 3 centimeters and a pointed apex. It has seven whorls with deep sutures; the body whorl is slightly larger. The shell surface is yellowish-brown or dark brown, featuring distinct growth lines and relatively coarse ribs. The shell aperture is oval, with an intact rim.The operculum is chitinous, yellowish-brown, oval, smooth, and bears growth rings arranged in concentric circles. The body is soft; the head is cylindrical, with a protruding proboscis at the front; there is one pair of tentacles at the base of the mouth, and on the outer side of the base of each tentacle, there is a single raised eye.The foot is located beneath the head; it is large with a broad sole. Both the head and foot can be retracted into the shell; when retracted, the operculum immediately seals the shell.
Distribution Area
It is distributed throughout most regions of China.