Knowledge Base/Herbs/Ark Shell

Educational and cultural reference only — not medical advice. We do not diagnose, do not prescribe, do not recommend medicines or doses, and make no claim to treat or cure any condition. Nothing here should delay you from seeking care. If you have a health concern, consult a licensed healthcare professional.

化痰止咳平喘药 · Phlegm-resolving, cough and breathing

Ark Shell wǎ léng zǐ · 瓦楞子

Arca subcrenata Lischke; Arca granosa Linnaeus; Arca inflata Reeve (Arcae Concha)

Nature and flavour. Salty and neutral; Lung, Stomach and Liver systems.

Traditionally classed as dispersing phlegm, softening hardness and dissipating masses, as breaking blood stasis, and as checking acid and relieving pain. The drug is the shell of ark clams, with the ridged surface that gives it its name. Recorded for stubborn, long-standing phlegm accumulations, for scrofula and goitre, for palpable abdominal masses, and for epigastric pain with acid regurgitation. The calcined form is traditionally preferred for the acid and pain uses, the raw form for the mass-dispersing uses.

性味归经。咸，平；归肺、胃、肝经。

传统归类为消痰软坚、化瘀散结、制酸止痛。药用部分为蚶科动物的贝壳，壳面有放射状纵肋如瓦垄，故名。古籍用于顽痰积结、瘰疬、瘿瘤、癥瘕痞块，以及胃痛泛酸。传统上煅制品偏于制酸止痛，生品偏于散结消痰。

Classical category · no formulas, no dosages, no herb-drug combinations are given.

Safety. A palpable abdominal or neck mass requires a diagnosis first; taking a shell for it and waiting is the one clearly wrong move. Shellfish allergy applies here as it does to any shellfish-derived drug, and neither calcining nor prolonged boiling removes the responsible proteins. Marine shells concentrate heavy metals from the water they grew in and content varies by source; the label will not tell you. Safety in pregnancy is not established, and the classical sources treat the blood-breaking action as a reason for caution — that caution is recorded, not proven. Safety in breastfeeding is not established.

腹部或颈部的可触及肿块必须先明确诊断；以贝壳类拖延等待是明确不当之举。贝壳类过敏风险与任何贝类来源药相同，煅制与久煎均不能去除致敏蛋白。海洋贝壳富集生长水域中的重金属，含量随产地而异，标签不会标明。孕期安全性未确立，古籍因其化瘀之性而列为慎用 —— 此为文献记载，并非已被证实。哺乳期安全性未确立。

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