What it is:
This herb is the lining membrane ofthe gizzard of Gallus gallus domesticus Brisson. (family Phasianidae). It is washed clean after separation from the gizzard, dried in sunlight, and used unprepared, powdered or stir-baked.

Property:
Sweet in flavour, neutral in pro-perty, acting on the spleen, stomach,small intestine and urinary bladderchannels.

Effects:
Activating the spleen toimprove digestion, treating spontaneous emission, dissolving hard masses and inducing decomposition of calculi.

Used for:
1.Abdominal distension and anorexia due to indigestion and retention of food, and infantile dyspepsia and mal-nutrition. It can be used either alonein powder or withh hawthern fruit, medicated leaven and germinated barley;if the above symptoms are accompanied with lassitude and other symptoms due to deficiency of the spleen, it can be used incombination with white atrac-tylodes rhizome, Chinese yam and poria.

2. Enuresis and seminal emission.For the former,it is often used together with mantis egg-case and raspberry; and for the latter, often with lotus seed and dodder seed.

3. Various kinds of lithiasis. To treat lithiasis of the liver and gall-bladder, it is usually used with ly-simachia and curcuma root; for kidney and urinary bladder lithiasis, it isoften used in conjunction with walnutkernel, climbing fern spore and lysi-machia.

Dosage and administration: 3-10g,decocted in water for an oral dose; if1.5-3g of its powder is infused for anoral dose, the therapeutic effect willbe better than the decoction form.