Witnessed by: TCM
Hawksbill shell (Eretmochelys imbricata), of the Cheloniidae (Reptilia) family. The hawksbill sea turtle — a marine turtle of the Cheloniidae with a hooked, bird-like beak and overlapping carapace plates; native range: formerly the coral reefs and coasts of the tropical Indian and Pacific oceans; the animal is CITES Appendix I and the trade is prohibited. Globally recognized as dai mao (玳瑁) in Chinese, and hawksbill shell, tortoiseshell in English. The part used is the horny plates of the carapace (shaved or filed). Translucent horny plates mottled amber and dark brown, shaved to thin flakes, faintly salty, near odourless cold and acrid when heated.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
HAWKSBILL SHELL
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- hawksbill shell
- Scientific name
- Eretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus)
- Family
- Cheloniidae (Reptilia)
Form
- Part used
- the horny plates of the carapace (shaved or filed)
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- sweet (甘) · salty (鹹)
Temperature
- TCM
- cold (寒)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Heart · Liver
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- clears heat and resolves toxicity, cools the blood, and settles the Liver and calms fright
Cautions
- Contraindications
- cold patterns and Spleen-Stomach deficiency; the substance is in any case not to be obtained
- Toxicity
- low intrinsic toxicity; the decisive caution is legal and conservation, not pharmacological
- Sourcing status
- cites-i
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