The Efficacy and Effects of Pangolin Scales

Pangolin scales are a type of traditional Chinese medicinal material, also known as jia pian, chuan jia, chuan jia pian and lin jia pian. The pangolin is a national first-class protected animal in China, and pangolin scales are the fish-scale-like protective shell on the pangolin's body, with a very high market value. So what are the efficacy and effects of pangolin scales? Let us introduce them below.

The Efficacy and Effects of Pangolin Scales

[Nature, Flavor and Meridian Entry] Salty, slightly cold. Enters the Liver and Stomach meridians.

[Efficacy and Effects] Invigorates the blood, disperses abscesses and expels pus, expels wind and activates the collaterals, unblocks menstruation and promotes lactation. Mainly treats carbuncles and cellulitis, sores and swellings with toxin, wind-cold-damp impediment, blood-stasis amenorrhea, abdominal masses and accumulations, and insufficient lactation.

1. Unblocking menstruation and promoting lactation: Pangolin scales can promote milk secretion and lactation, and have a very good milk-promoting effect for insufficient milk secretion in postpartum women and failure to produce milk caused by later environmental factors. Generally, about ten grams can be added when stewing pig trotters. It can also treat breast swelling in women, lobular hyperplasia, and swelling caused by blocked milk ducts during lactation.

2. Menstruation-regulating effect: Pangolin scales also have the effect of invigorating the blood and regulating menstruation, and are used to treat reduced menstrual flow, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, dark menstrual blood and so on in women.

3. Expelling wind and removing dampness: Pangolin scales have a very good therapeutic effect on waist and leg bone and joint pain, rheumatic impediment pain, difficulty in bending and stretching, stroke paralysis, scabies and tinea, and wind leprosy caused by wind-cold-damp pathogens obstructing the meridians and qi and blood congealing and failing to flow freely.

4. Invigorating the blood and reducing swelling: For early-stage carbuncle swelling with redness, heat and pain, traumatic injuries, joint swelling, hypochondriac pain, hemiplegia, as well as various enlarged lymph nodes, tumor masses and various cancers, pangolin can be used for treatment.

5. Hemostatic function: Grind prepared pangolin into powder, dry the bleeding area when using it, and quickly sprinkle the pangolin powder evenly over the bleeding site; it can produce a rapid hemostatic effect and can also be used for nosebleeds and so on.

Traditional Applications of Pangolin Scales

1. Pangolin combined with gleditsia thorn: Pangolin can invigorate the blood, reduce swelling and cause pus to discharge, while gleditsia thorn has the effect of drawing out toxin, reducing swelling and expelling pus. When the two are combined, they can promote the bursting and discharge of abscesses and act synergistically, and are used for carbuncles and cellulitis where pus has already formed but has not yet ruptured, as in the formula Tounong San.

2. Pangolin combined with honeysuckle: Pangolin has the effect of invigorating the blood and reducing swelling, while honeysuckle can clear heat and remove toxin. When used together, the power to clear heat and remove toxin and the effect of invigorating the blood and reducing swelling complement each other, and can treat early-stage heat-toxin carbuncle swelling with redness, swelling and pain, as in the formula Xianfang Huoming Yin.

3. Pangolin combined with earthworm: Both have the effect of unblocking menstruation and activating the collaterals. Pangolin tends to travel throughout the whole body, reaching everywhere, while earthworm tends to move downward. Used together, they free the upper and lower meridians, invigorate the blood and disperse stasis, and are therefore used for soreness and pain of the waist, knees, legs and feet, and for joint stiffness and contracture.

4. Pangolin combined with peach kernel: Both can invigorate the blood and transform stasis, and pangolin is especially good at moving and piercing through the meridians. When the two are combined, they are used for long-standing amenorrhea due to blood congelation and accumulation, where various medicines have failed.

5. Pangolin combined with cowherb seed: Pangolin invigorates the blood, transforms stasis and frees the meridians; cowherb seed invigorates the blood and unblocks menstruation. Both medicines specialize in freeing and disinhibiting the meridians and reaching the site of disease directly. Used together, they enhance each other's effects, have a relatively strong action of freeing, disinhibiting and dispersing, can promote lactation and disperse carbuncles, and are used to treat insufficient lactation due to postpartum meridian stasis, as well as breast carbuncles.

6. Pangolin combined with turtle shell: Pangolin invigorates the blood, removes stasis, softens hardness, disperses nodules, reduces swelling and eliminates toxin; turtle shell nourishes yin, nourishes the blood, softens hardness and disperses nodules. The two medicines have a strong power to invigorate the blood and soften hardness. Used together, they attack and break blood stasis without harming healthy qi, and tonify and nourish without retaining toxin. They complement each other and jointly achieve the effects of invigorating the blood, softening hardness, nourishing yin and eliminating toxin. They are used to treat abdominal masses and accumulations, malarial nodules, and masses below the ribs.

How to Consume Pangolin Scales

1. Usage and Dosage

For internal use, decoct in soup 5-10 g, or grind into powder 1-1.5 g. For external use, grind into powder and sprinkle on, or mix and apply.

2. Precautions

Contraindicated in pregnant women; use with caution in those with insufficient qi and blood, or in those whose carbuncles and cellulitis have already ruptured.