The meat or whole body of the carp, a species of the Cyprinidae family. It is widely distributed, found in the Heilongjiang, Yellow River, Yangtze River, Pearl River, Minjiang River basins, as well as lakes and rivers in Yunnan and Xinjiang.

bubble_chart Morphological Characteristics

The body of the carp is spindle-shaped and laterally flattened, with a slight bulge on the back before the dorsal fin. Adult fish can reach over 90 cm in length. The mouth is terminal and horseshoe-shaped; the snout is blunt and the lips are thick. There is a pair of short barbels on either side of the upper jaw and a pair of long barbels at the posterior corner of the mouth; the long barbels are about twice the length of the short ones. The pharyngeal teeth are in three rows, with the inner teeth being molar-like. The gill openings are wide. There are 15-22 gill rakers, mostly 18-21. The scales are large, round, tightly attached to the skin, and arranged in an imbricate pattern; there are 33-39 lateral line scales. The dorsal fin has III-IV 15-22 rays, starting before the origin of the pelvic fin; the anal fin has III 5-6 rays; both the dorsal and anal fins have a strong, serrated hard spine; the pectoral fin has I 15-16 rays; the pelvic fin has II 8-9 rays; the caudal fin has 17-19 rays. The back of the body is pure black, the area below the lateral line is nearly golden yellow, the abdomen is pale white, and the base of the dorsal and caudal fins is slightly black. The caudal and anal fins of male fish are orange-red. They mostly inhabit the soft bottom layers and areas with dense aquatic vegetation in rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and ponds. They are highly adaptable. They mainly feed on snails, clams, insect larvae, aquatic plants, and filamentous algae. The spawning period is from April to May. In winter, they migrate to the deep bottom layers to overwinter.

Sweet, neutral.

1. Bielu: "sweet, cold."
2. Yaodui: "neutral."

1. Leigong Paozhi Yaoxing Jie: "act on spleen, lung and liver meridians."
2. Bencao Zaixin: "act on liver, lung and kidney meridians."

bubble_chart Efficacy

Promotes urination, reduces swelling, lowers qi, and promotes lactation.

bubble_chart Indications

To treat edema, fullness, beriberi, jaundice, cough with qi counterflow, and agalactia.

1. Bielu: "Mainly treats cough with dyspnea, jaundice, quenches thirst; raw ones mainly treat edema and fullness of the feet, lowering qi."
2. Yaoxing Lun: "Burn to ashes. Grind into powder, sticky rice cook porridge (take with adjustment), treats cough."
3. Bencao Shiyi: "Mainly calms the fetus. For fetal movement, pregnancy with body swelling, make soup and eat. Breaks cold qi, abdominal mass, and qi lumps, treats disease due to latent stagnation of qi and blood, make a thick garlic paste and hold in the mouth."
4. Diannan Bencao: "Treats dysentery, watery diarrhea, cold qi in the stomach, make soup and eat."
5. Gangmu: "Boil and eat, reduces water qi, promotes urination; burn to ashes, can induce sweating, relieve panting and cough, promote lactation, and reduce swelling."
6. Benjing Fengyuan: "Treats bloody stool, cook with white wax and eat."

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Bencao Yanyi: "Carp, Suwen says: 'Fish causes internal heat.' Wang Shu-he said: 'Heat generates wind, and eating it often leads to wind-heat.' The explanations from various scholars do not mention this. The Rihuazi states: 'Carp is cooling.' Now, we do not adopt this view but directly take Suwen as the correct source. If those prone to wind disorders are made to eat fish, it will bring endless harm."
2. Gangmu: "Carp, its efficacy lies in promoting urination, thus it can reduce swelling, jaundice, beriberi, cough, and dampness-heat diseases. When made into sashimi, it has a warming nature, so it can treat cold qi and lumps. When roasted, it transforms with fire, thus it can disperse wind-cold, soothe the lungs, promote lactation, and resolve toxins in the intestines and stomach as well as swelling."

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

Fresh carp meat contains approximately 86% meat plasma and 13% meat matrix (the former is the juice extracted under strong pressure, and the latter is the residue after pressing). The general chemical composition of carp meat varies depending on the origin, season, environment, age, and nutritional status. Per 100 grams of edible portion, it contains about 77 grams of water, 17.3 grams of protein, 5.1 grams of fat, and 1 gram of ash (including 25 mg of calcium, 175 mg of phosphorus, and 1.6 mg of iron).

In winter, the protein and some amino acid levels in carp meat decrease. In the muscle water extract, cystine, histidine, glutamic acid, glycine, α-alanine, and sarcosine decrease, while lysine, arginine, and asparagine remain relatively constant. The free amino acids in carp meat are the main components contributing to its flavor. Among more than ten free acids, glutamic acid, glycine, and histidine are the most abundant.

Carp meat contains about 0.35% creatine and 0.02% phosphocreatine (expressed as P); in older fish, creatine can increase to 0.46%. When carp meat is stored, it can produce volatile nitrogenous substances, volatile reducing substances, and histamine. For example, when stored at 18-22°C for 24 hours, it produces 17.4 mg% of volatile nitrogenous substances, 11.75 microgram equivalents/gram of volatile reducing substances, and <2.2 mg% of histamine.

Regarding vitamins, per 100 grams of edible portion, it contains 0.10 mg of riboflavin and 3.1 mg of niacin; another source indicates it contains 20 international units of vitamin A, 400 micrograms of B1, 80 micrograms of B2, and 2.0 mg of niacin; fresh muscle also contains 0.15 mg of vitamin C per 100 grams. Additionally, carp muscle contains cathepsins A, B, and C.

For diuresis and reducing swelling, take one fresh carp weighing about 1 pound, remove the scales and internal organs, and cook it with 1 tael of rice beans in water (first boil the red beans, then add the carp). Do not add oil, salt, vinegar, or any other seasonings. Consume it all at once before or with breakfast. For severe cases, two doses can be taken in one day, while for mild cases or during the consolidation phase, half a dose may suffice. Clinical observation of 9 cases of portal cirrhosis accompanied by edema or ascites showed that after taking the medication, urine output significantly increased, with the fastest effect seen in 3 days and the slowest in 10 days, averaging 5 days. As urine output increased, edema and ascites gradually subsided. However, the diuretic effect decreased after stopping the medication. Additionally, carp combined with tea leaves and vinegar has been used to treat 11 cases of chronic nephritis with edema, also achieving significant diuretic and swelling-reducing effects.

bubble_chart Selected Prescriptions

1. To treat generalized swelling and fullness, with the body and face greatly swollen: Take one large carp and three liters of pure wine. Boil until the wine is completely evaporated, then eat the fish. Do not use vinegar, salt, or other seasonings. (Buque Zhouhou Fang)
2. To treat edema with body swelling: Take one very large carp. Remove the head, tail, and bones, keeping only the flesh. Cook with two dou of water and one sheng of rice beans. Extract more than two liters of juice, strain through a cloth to remove residue. Administer in one draught. If unable to finish, divide into two doses. The second dose should be warmed. After taking, diarrhea will occur, and the condition will improve once the fluid is expelled. (Waitai Miyao Fang)
3. To treat edema and fullness: Take one jin of red-tailed carp. Split open without washing or salting, and insert five qian of raw alum powder into the belly. Wrap in fire paper, then cover with yellow mud, and roast in the stove until cooked. Remove the paper and mud, and eat as porridge, finishing within one day. ("Summary of Medical Prescriptions")
4. To treat abnormal rising of qi with cough, chest and diaphragm obstruction, and panting: Take one carp, slice into thin pieces, and eat with ginger and vinegar. Garlic paste can also be used. ("Mirror of Food as Medicine")
5. To treat jaundice: Take one large carp (remove the innards but keep the scales). Roast in fire until cooked, and consume in portions. ("Jilin Chinese Herbal Medicine")
6. To treat abscesses and swelling: Burn carp into ashes, mix with vinegar, and apply topically. (Qianjin Yifang)