Li Shizhen's monumental pharmaceutical encyclopedia Bencao gangmu (Systematic Materia Medica) contains entries on 1892 medicinal substances and 1109 illustrations. The illustrations in the first edition (shown here) are credited to his son Li Jianyuan.
Illustrations of six types of shellfish -- muli (oyster), madao (razor clam), xian (clam), beng (freshwater mussel, clam), xianjin (a kind of clam) and zhenzhu mu (pearl oyster) -- are grouped together on the same page.
Muli are found by the seashore. The shell is used in medicine, either raw or calcined. It is salty in sapor, neutral in thermostatic character, and non-poisonous. It has the following medicinal properties: it settles the heart and calms the mind, controls involuntary ejaculation by exerting an astringent effect on the semen, relieves diarrhoea by exerting an astringent effect on the intestine, and exerts an astringent effect on vaginal discharge. It is used in the treatment of abnormal vaginal discharge,nocturnal emission, incontinence, mental agitation and infantile convulsions (jingxian, fright epilepsy).
Madao are a kind of small, elongated clam, found on sandy beaches with shallow water. The shell is used in medicine. It is pungent in sapor, slightly cold in thermostatic character, and poisonous. It dispels phlegm and dissolves accumulations, acts as a diuretic and relieves dysuria. It is used to treat water goitre (shuiying) and Qi goitre (qiying), phlegm-fluid retention (tanyin), stranguria, vaginal discharge and metrostaxis, etc.
Xian are mostly found in rivers, streams and lakes. Both the flesh and the shell are used in medicine. The flesh is sweet and salty in sapor and cold in thermostatic character, and non-poisonous. It has the medicinal properties of clearing heat and purging fire, dispelling poisons and draining dampness, and is used to treat cinnabar poisoning, boils, beriberi (jiaoqi), etc. The shell is salty in sapor, cold in thermostatic character, and non-poisonous. It resolves phlegm and stops coughing, resolves dampness and stops vomiting. It is used to treat coughs with wheezing and phlegm, stomach reflux and regurgitation of food, nausea and vomiting with acid swallowing (tun suan), genital sores (yin chuang) and eczema (shi chuang).
Beng are found in rivers, lakes and marshes. Both the flesh and the shell are used in medicine. The flesh is sweet and salty in sapor, cold in thermostatic character, and non-poisonous. It has the medicinal properties of clearing heat and relieving distress, dispelling poisons and improving the vision. It is used to treat fever with distress and wasting thirst (xiaoke, diabetes), red eyes and dim vision, metrorrhagia and vaginal discharge, drug and alcohol poisoning, etc.
Beng fen (powdered mussel) is the shell of the freshwater mussel, ground to a powder. It is salty in sapor, cold in thermostatic character, and non-poisonous. It has the medicinal properties of clearing heat and drying up dampness, resolving phlegm and relieving accumulations. It is used to treat ulcers, abscesses and inflammations, damp ulceration (shilan) of the toes, genital sores (yin chuang) and eczema (shi chuang), vomiting phlegm and mucus (tanxian), etc.
Xianjin are found by the seashore. They are similar to clams (ge) in appearance, and have a flat, elongated body. The shell is used in medicine; when calcined and powdered, it is effective against haemorrhoids.
Pearl oysters are mostly found by the seashore. Pearl is sweet and salty in sapor, cold in thermostatic character, and non-poisonous. Administered in powdered form, it has the medicinal properties of settling the heart and calming the mind, clearing heat and extinguishing wind, improving vision and removing nebula, dispelling poisons and healing wounds. It is used to treat mental derangement (shenhu bu shou, mind and spirit wandering from their abode), heart palpitations and fearful throbbing (xinji zhengzhong), ophthalmic nebula, pox and septic lesions (douchuang dingdu), etc.
