Ark Shell Classic Formulas — Natural Herb Library

Primary Actions

Softens hardness and disperses nodules — the classic salty-taste 'ruan jian san jie' (softens the hard, disperses nodules) action; scrofula, thyroid nodules, masses from Phlegm-Blood Stasis accumulation; combined with other nodule-dispersing herbs for benign masses
Dissolves Phlegm and resolves Blood Stasis — enlarged liver, enlarged spleen, and abdominal Zheng Jia masses from combined Phlegm-Blood Stasis; combined with San Leng, E Zhu, and Bie Jia
Neutralises stomach acid and relieves epigastric pain — gastric hyperacidity, peptic ulcer pain, acid reflux, and heartburn; the calcined shell calcium carbonate directly neutralises gastric acid; one of the most pharmacologically validated TCM stomach acid treatments
Stops bleeding — haematemesis and haematochezia from gastric ulceration; calcined Wa Leng Zi (Dan Wa Leng Zi) powder has astringent haemostatic action on gastric mucosal bleeding

Wa Leng Zi San (瓦楞子散) — for gastric hyperacidity with epigastric pain and acid regurgitation; calcined Wa Leng Zi combined with Yan Hu Suo and Wu Bei Zi; ground to powder and taken 3–5 g before meals; classical gastric ulcer formula validated by calcium carbonate antacid mechanism
Mass-dispersing formula combinations — Wa Leng Zi combined with Bie Jia (turtle plastron), San Leng (burreed rhizome), E Zhu (zedoary), and Mu Li (oyster shell) for abdominal masses and enlarged organs from Phlegm-Blood Stasis; salty drugs collectively 'soften the hard'

Ben Cao Gang Mu (Li Shizhen): 'Wa Leng Zi (瓦楞子, tile-ridged seed — named for the ribbed/ridged shell surface) — salty, neutral; enters Stomach and Spleen; calcined and powdered, dissolves Phlegm, disperses Blood Stasis, stops acid stomach pain; the ribbed shells of Arca subcrenata or Tegillarca granosa are collected from tidal flats; the ridged shell surface gives the drug its name; calcined (Dan Wa Leng Zi) increases the antacid and haemostatic actions'
MINERAL NOTE: Wa Leng Zi is the calcified shell (calcium carbonate matrix with trace minerals) of ark clams (Arca subcrenata Lischke, Arca granosa L., or Tegillarca granosa L.) — an inorganic mineral-shell drug. The primary medicinal action of calcined Wa Leng Zi has been validated by modern pharmacology as simple calcium carbonate antacid activity, making it one of the most directly understandable TCM-to-Western medicine mechanistic translations. Raw Wa Leng Zi retains more organic matrix protein and is used for Blood Stasis mass dissolution; calcined form (Dan) is used for acid neutralisation and haemostasis.