Skip to content
Cura x Cura

Mu Li牡蛎

Ostreae Concha · Oyster Shell

Herbs that Pacify the Liver and Extinguish Wind 平肝息风药《神农本草经》

Overview

Oyster shell, washed, dried and broken up, cooked in the pot before the other herbs go in so that the mineral has time to give something up. Salty and slightly cold, the raw shell settles a restless spirit and draws down rising Liver yang, while its saltiness softens lumps and nodules. Calcined it changes character altogether: the cooling and softening recede and it becomes an astringent, used to hold in sweat, semen and discharge and to take the burn out of an acid stomach.

Nature & Flavor

Salty · Slightly cold

Channels

Liver · Gallbladder · Kidney

Typical Dosage

9–30 g in decoction
牡蛎Photography for this entry is on its way.

Actions

4 core actions

  • Settles the spiritRestlessness, palpitations, insomnia and being easily startled.
  • Subdues rising Liver yangDizziness, tinnitus, headache and irritability where yang rises against a background of yin deficiency.
  • Softens hardness, disperses nodulesScrofula, thyroid nodules and other palpable lumps — a use that follows from its salty flavour.
  • Calcined form astringesSpontaneous and night sweating, seminal emission, vaginal discharge and uterine bleeding; the calcined shell is also used to neutralise stomach acid and ease reflux pain.

In Formulas

Formulas containing Mu Li

Indications & Clinical Uses

  • Palpitations, insomnia and anxiety with a restless spirit
    - Dizziness, tinnitus and headache from Liver yang rising
    - Scrofula, nodules and palpable masses
    - Excessive sweating, seminal emission, vaginal discharge (calcined form)

Western Medical Keywords

Searchable condition terms

InsomniaAnxietyHyperhidrosisThyroid nodulesAcid reflux

Contraindications

Cautions

A mineral that is slow to digest: it is cooked first and used cautiously where the Spleen and Stomach are weak. It is not appropriate for cold-deficiency patterns without heat, and its astringency means it is held back while an exterior pathogen or damp-heat still needs clearing. It is shellfish-derived, so patients with a shellfish allergy should be asked before it is dispensed, and because minerals can bind other medicines in the gut, doses are best separated by a couple of hours from prescription drugs.

Contraindicated in pregnancy: No specific restriction — practitioner judgment applies

For licensed practitioners’ reference only

References

  1. Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing《神农本草经》(classical source, public domain).
    2. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
    3. 《中华人民共和国药典》.

Professional reference notice. Entries are scholarly references for licensed TCM practitioners and students — not medical advice, and not a recommendation to self-prescribe. Chinese herbal formulas should be used under the guidance of a qualified practitioner. Content is an original editorial compilation by Cura x Cura, cross-checked against the cited references.