Pangolin Scales

Traditional Use

Primary Actions

• Activates Blood and dissolves Blood Stasis — amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, Blood Stasis masses, and post-partum lochia retention; one of the strongest Blood-activating drugs in classical TCM pharmacopoeia; salty-cold nature penetrates deeply into Blood level
• Reduces swelling and expels pus — unruptured abscesses, carbuncles, mastitis, and swollen lymph nodes; the principal classical use for promoting abscess suppuration and drainage; promotes ripening of unruptured sores
• Unblocks lactation vessels — insufficient lactation (agalactia) from Qi and Blood obstruction; classical first-line herb for post-partum lactation promotion, often combined with Wang Bu Liu Xing (Vaccaria seeds)
• Disperses nodules and scrofula — thyroid nodules, lymph node enlargement, and abdominal Blood Stasis masses; the 'channel-opening, nodule-dispersing' action of the scaled drug

Secondary Actions

• Opens channels and dispels Wind-Damp — severe Bi syndrome with numbness, pain, and joint obstruction; Chuan Shan Jia penetrates channels and disperses obstruction deep in connective tissue
• Historically used for Zheng Jia (abdominal masses) — teratoma-type solid masses from Blood Stasis and Phlegm accumulation

Classic Formulas

• Xian Fang Huo Ming Yin (仙方活命饮) — classical abscess and carbuncle formula; Chuan Shan Jia as a key channel-opening, swelling-dispersing ingredient; combined with Bai Zhi, Fang Feng, Jin Yin Hua, Ru Xiang, Mo Yao, and Gan Cao; one of the primary formulas for unruptured hot abscesses in classical surgery
• Tong Ru Dan (通乳丹) — lactation-promoting formula; Chuan Shan Jia combined with Wang Bu Liu Xing (Vaccaria), Bei Mu, and Mu Tong for post-partum insufficient lactation from Blood and Qi obstruction
• Tou Nong San (透脓散) — promotes suppuration in chronic recalcitrant abscesses; Chuan Shan Jia with Huang Qi, Dang Gui, Chuan Xiong, and Zao Jiao Ci

Classical References

• Ben Cao Gang Mu (Li Shizhen): 'Chuan Shan Jia (穿山甲, the mountain-traversing armadillo/pangolin) — salty, slightly cold; enters Liver and Stomach; activates Blood, reduces swellings, expels pus, opens lactation channels; the scales are the medicinal part — roasted in sand and ground to powder; treated with vinegar to enhance Blood-activating penetration; this animal burrows through mountains and swims through rivers — hence its power to penetrate and open obstructions in channels'
• CONSERVATION AND LEGAL STATUS — CRITICAL: Chuan Shan Jia (穿山甲) is derived from the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) and related species — the world's most trafficked mammals. All eight pangolin species are listed on CITES Appendix I (international commercial trade banned since 1975); Chinese pangolin (M. pentadactyla) is classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Chuan Shan Jia was removed from the official Chinese Pharmacopoeia (ChP) in the 2020 edition due to the species' critically endangered status — it is now a protected species under Chinese national law. Any clinical prescription, dispensing, or sale of Chuan Shan Jia is illegal in China and under international wildlife law. Clinically validated substitutes: Zao Jiao Ci (Gleditsia spines) for abscess/swelling; Wang Bu Liu Xing (Vaccaria seeds) alone for lactation; San Leng/E Zhu for Blood Stasis masses.