• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.16 no.1_2
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• pp.55-60
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• 2000

Molluscan drugs have been traditionally used as a folk medicine mainly in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan and Korea. Medicinal mollusks commonly used in the Far Eastern countries including Korea were investigated in this study, through a search of old and modern Chinese and Japanese literatures. A total of 63 medicinal species were listed: 5 species of two families in land snails, 2 species of one family in freshwater gastropods, 9 species of three families in freshwater bivalves, 23 species of five families in marine gastropods, and 24 species of five families in marine bivalves. Of 63 species searched, 22 species are occurring in Korea: 1 species of one family in freshwater gastropods, 4 species of three families in freshwater bivalves, 7 species of four families in marine gastropods, and 10 species of four families in marine bivalves. At least, medicinal mollusks occurring in Korea should be conserved preferentially to keep our natural resources and biodiversity.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 1973

A score and more kinds of molluscan shells have been used as drugs in oriental medicine. The Korean Pharmacopoeia (K.P.) contains a monograph on oyster shell "Ostreae Testa" as an official drug. A huge deposit of the fossil shell Crassostrea gravitesta eoilensis has been recently excavated in the region of Wolsung, Kyong-Sang-Buk-Do. This study was conducted to determine the applicability of the fossil shell as a substiute for Ostreae Testa, K.P. The fossil shell not only met the K.P. requirements, but also exhibited an appropriate antacid activity. Amino acid survivals were also determined quantitatively with amino acid autoanalyzer.