Soft-Shelled Turtle Shell Decoction，*Shengji Zonglu*, Volume 90.，Cough due to the Five Exhaustions, with sputum containing pus and blood; hoarse voice; progressive wasting; and loss of appetite.
Soft-Shelled Turtle Shell Decoction
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Formulas Name : Soft-Shelled Turtle Shell Decoction
Chinese Name : 鳖甲汤
Drug Formulation
Softshell Turtle Carapace (remove frills, soak in wine, roast) 1 liang and a half; Bupleurum (remove stems) 1 liang; Ginseng 1 liang and 1 fen; Atractylodes 1 liang and 1 fen; Anemarrhena (baked) 1 liang and 1 fen; Pinellia (washed in hot water to remove slime, stir-fried) 1 liang and 1 fen; Platycodon (stir-fried) 1 liang and 1 fen;Aster tataricus (stems and soil removed) 1 liang 1 fen, Mulberry root bark (roasted, coarsely chopped) 1.5 liang, Ligusticum chuanxiong 3 fen, Paeonia lactiflora (roasted) 1 liang 1 fen, Angelica sinensis (sliced, baked) 1.5 liang, Gentiana macrophylla (stems and soil removed) 1.5 liang, Lycium barbarum bark 1.5 liang, Glycyrrhiza uralensis (roasted) 3 fen,Cinnamon Bark (with coarse outer bark removed) 3 fen, Tiger’s Head Bone (soaked in wine, roasted) 1 liang, Raw Rehmannia Root (baked) 1.5 liang, Red Poria (with black outer skin removed) 1.5 liang, Areca Nut (baked) 1.5 liang, Aconite Root (roasted until cracked, with skin and pith removed) 1.5 liang.
Source
*Shengji Zonglu*, Volume 90.
Processing
Coarsely chop the ingredients into pieces the size of sesame or soybeans.
Benefits
Cough due to the Five Exhaustions, with sputum containing pus and blood; hoarse voice; progressive wasting; and loss of appetite.
Instructions for Use
Take 3 qian bi per dose; add 1 zhan of water and 1 piece of ginger the size of a jujube (crushed); decoct until reduced to 7 fen; strain; take warm on an empty stomach before meals, three times daily.
Copyright: Excerpt from *Shengji Zonglu*, Volume 90., Copyright belongs to the Original Author and all original sources, This article was shared by DeDe on August 19, 2026, Please credit the source and include a link to the original article when reposting.
Terminology Proofreading: [Cheng Bo] | August 19, 2026 Reviewed by: [Wang Zhongxiang, Associate Chief TCM Physician (China)] | August 19, 2026
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Soft-Shelled Turtle Shell Decoction,Cough due to the Five Exhaustions, with sputum containing pus and blood; hoarse voice; progressive wasting; and loss of appetite.