Table 7.
Uses of different Muricidae family species in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) 1.
| Scientific Name | Method of Use | Traditional Uses and Claims |
|---|---|---|
| Genus Ceratostoma | ||
| C. rorifluum (Adams & Reeve) | Decoct the shell (10–50 g) and ingest. | Tranquilize and sedate the mind; astringe and preserve the essence; Use to treat insomnia, amnesia, spermatorrhea, uterine bleeding and leukorrhagia. |
| Genus Chicoreus | ||
| C. asianus (Kuroda) | Same as C. rorifluum | Same as C. rorifluum |
| C. brunneus (Link) | Decoct the shell (15–25 g) and ingest. | Resolve phlegm, disperse retention, tranquilize liver and wind; Use to treat stomach pain, scrofula and spastic muscles. |
| C. ramosus (Linnaeus) | Decoct the crushed shell (15–50 g); Ustulate (scorch) the shell, ground into powder and apply externally. | Clear heat, expel toxins, soften hard lumps, dispel nodes, reduce flatulence and pain; Use to treat pathopyretic ulcer, scrofula (infection of the lymph nodes), stomach pain, dyspepsia, stomach and duodenal ulcer. |
| Genus Murex | ||
| M. aduncospinosus (Beck) 2 | Decoct the shell (15–25 g) and ingest. Ustulate the shell, ground into powder and apply externally. | Clear heat, expel toxins, invigorate blood circulation. Use to treat pyretic toxicity, carbuncle, furuncle, otitis medium and ulcer of lower limb. |
| M. pecten (Lightfoot) 3 | ||
| M. rectirostris (Sowerby) 4 | ||
| M. ternispina (Lamarck) | ||
| M. trapa Röding | ||
| Genus Nassa | ||
| N. francolinus (Bruguière) 5 | Same as genus Murex | Same as genus Murex |
| Genus Purpura | ||
| P. rudolphi (Lamarck) | Same as T. alouina, etc. | Same as T. alouina, etc. |
| Genus Rapana | ||
| R. bezoar (Linnaeus) | Fresh meat: boil and eat the meat; decoct the shell (30–60 g) and ingest. Combine the juice and with other medicine as eye drops | Fresh meat: Remove heat to brighten vision; Use to treat hepatic heat and red eyes, ophthalmalgia, chest and abdomen heat and pain. |
| R. bezoar (Linnaeus) | Shell: Decoct the shell (15–30 g) and ingest, used as medicinal powder (3–6 g) and ingest; Ustulate the shell, ground into powder, mixed with sesame oil and apply externally. Operculum: Decoct the operculum (10–20 g) and ingest; Ustulate the shell, ground into powder and apply externally. | Shell: Relieve gastric hyperacidity to alleviate stomachache, resolve phlegm, disperse retention, tranquilize liver and wind; Use to treat stomach and duodenal ulcer, panasthenia, spastic hand and foot, chronic osteomyelitis, and scrofula. Operculum: Clear heat, expel toxins, remove dampness through diuresis, free strangury. Use to treat strangury (painful & frequent urination), swelling and ulcer on the body surface, hepatic coma, eye diseases, dysentery. |
| R. rapiformis (Born) | Decoct the shell (15–25 g) and ingest. | Eliminating phlegm and soften indurated mass, relieving convulsion and spasm, relieve gastric hyperacidity to alleviate stomach ache; Use to treat stomach pain, scrofula, spastic hand and foot. |
| R. venosa (Valenciennes) | same as R. bezoar | same as R. bezoar |
| Genus Thais | ||
|
T. alouina (Röding) 6 T. armiger (Link) 7 T. bronni (Dunker) 8 T. bufo (Lamarck) 9 T. clavigera (Kuster) 10 T. echinata (Blainville) 11 |
Decoct the shell (15–50 g) and ingest; used for making pills or medicinal powder; Ustulate the shell, ground into powder and apply externally. | Soften hard lumps, dispel nodes, clear heat, expel toxins; Use to treat pyogenic infection, swelling and ulcer on the body surface and scrofula. |
| T. gradate (Jonas) 12 | Decoct the crushed shell (15–25 g) | Soften hard lumps, dispel nodes, clear heat, expel toxins, clear expectoration, relieve cough, removing nebula to improve eyesight; Use to treat scrofula, phlegm and cough, scrofula, goitre, nebula, swelling and ulcer on the body surface. |
| T. hippocastanum 13 | Same as T. alouina, etc. | Same as T. alouina, etc. |
| T. luteostoma 14 | Same as T. gradate | Same as T. gradate |
| T. mutabilis 15 | Same as T. alouina, etc. | Same as T. alouina, etc. |
| T. tuberosa 16 | Same as T. alouina, etc. | Same as T. alouina, etc. |
1 The information of traditional uses are mainly retrieved from “Zhong Hua Ben Cao” or “The Chinese herbal” [23] and “Zhong Hua Hai Yang Ben Cao” [22]. Based on WoRMS, the accepted name should be 2 Murex aduncospinosus Sowerby II; 3 Murex pecten pecten Lightfoot; 4 Vokesimurex rectirostris (G.B. Sowerby II); 5 Nassa francolina (Bruguière); 6 Mancinella alouina (Röding); 7 Mancinella armigera (Link); 8 Reishia bronni (Dunker); 9 Purpura bufo (Lamarck); 10 This name is not found in WoRMS. However, it is also named as Purpura clavigera (Kuster). Based on WoRMS, the accepted name should be Reishia clavigera (Küster); 11 Mancinella echinata (Blainville); 12 Not found in WoRMS. It is also named as Purpura gradate, Purpura trigona (Reeve) and Thais trigona (Reeve). Only Purpura trigona (Reeve) was found in WoRMS. The accepted name should be Indothais gradata (Jonas); 13 Thais (Thalessa) virgata (Dillwyn); 14 Reishia luteostoma (Holten); 15 Indothais lacera (Born); 16 Menathais tuberosa (Röding).