Seahorses, named for their horse-like heads, are the dried bodies of marine animals like the striped seahorse, thorny seahorse, three-spot seahorse, or dwarf seahorse. They are unique and precious small fish found in shallow coastal waters, as well as valuable medicinal herbs with high economic worth. Pregnant women and those with yin deficiency and excessive heat should avoid consumption.
Seahorses possess medicinal properties including strengthening the body, tonifying the kidneys and enhancing virility, relaxing tendons and activating meridians, reducing inflammation and relieving pain, calming the mind, and suppressing coughs and wheezing. They are particularly effective for treating neurological disorders and have been highly prized since ancient times, especially favored by men. There is a saying: "Ginseng in the north, seahorses in the south."
Beyond being a key ingredient in various synthetic pharmaceuticals, seahorses can be consumed directly for health and therapeutic purposes.
Seahorse Preparations
1. Ginseng Seahorse Powder
Combine equal parts ginseng, seahorse, and fennel seeds. Grind into a fine powder and add a pinch of salt. Take 1g per dose with warm water or mix with cooked meat.
This formula uses ginseng and seahorse to replenish vital energy and strengthen kidney yang, while fennel warms the kidneys and aids yang. It addresses kidney yang deficiency, insufficient vital energy, impotence with lower back soreness, and fatigue with shortness of breath.
2 Seahorse and Cistanche Chicken
1 pair of seahorses, 30g cistanche, 15g dodder seeds, 1 young rooster.Remove entrails from young rooster, wash thoroughly, cut into pieces. Simmer with seahorses in water. Decoct Cistanche and Dodder seeds to extract concentrated juice. Add to stew when chicken is tender. Season with ginger, pepper, and salt.
This formula uses seahorse to tonify the kidneys and strengthen yang, cistanche and dodder seed to nourish kidney yang and enrich yin essence, while chicken meat replenishes essence and blood. Indicated for kidney deficiency with impotence, scanty semen, or liver-kidney deficiency causing infertility.
3 Seahorse and Wood Fragrance Decoction
Ingredients: 1 male and 1 female seahorse, 30g wood fragrant,60g each of stir-fried rhubarb and stir-fried white ipomea seeds, 49 castor beans, 60g green tangerine peel.
Preparation: Soak wood fragrant, rhubarb, and white ipomea seeds in boy's urine until softened. Wrap castor beans in this mixture, then soak in boy's urine for 7 days. Remove, stir-fry with bran until yellow, discard castor beans. Grind green tangerine peel into powder (also grind seahorse into powder).Decoct in water once daily, 6g per dose, taken warm before bed. Indicated for chronic masses due to deficiency-excess accumulation.
4 Seahorse Wine
Ingredients: Seahorse 50g, white wine 500ml.
Preparation: Crush seahorse and steep in liquor for 10 days before consumption. Take 10ml twice daily.
Efficacy: Warms kidneys and strengthens yang, invigorates blood and dispels cold. Indicated for cold aversion, low back soreness, fatigue, impotence, premature ejaculation, male infertility, urinary urgency/frequency, and traumatic injuries due to kidney yang deficiency.
Note: Seahorse wine, with a sweet and warm nature, functions to warm the kidneys and strengthen yang, regulate qi and invigorate blood. Clinically used for impotence, premature ejaculation, lower back pain, infertility, and trauma injuries caused by kidney yang deficiency, it possesses excellent tonifying and strengthening effects.
5. Seahorse and Young Chicken
Ingredients: 1 young chicken,10g seahorse, 100g shrimp, cooking wine, salt, MSG, scallions, ginger, and other seasonings to taste.
Preparation: Pluck and gut the young chicken. Place the chicken in a steaming bowl, arrange shrimp around it, add scallions, ginger, cooking wine, salt, and MSG. Steam until cooked. Consume the chicken meat, shrimp, and drink the broth.



























































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Benefits: Replenishes essence and qi, warms the middle burner, and strengthens yang. Suitable for qi deficiency, yang deficiency, physical weakness, fatigue, cold intolerance, and premature ejaculation.The combination of these three ingredients not only yields tender, flavorful meat with an aromatic scent and rich nutrition, but also provides excellent kidney-warming, yang-strengthening, and deficiency-tonifying effects. It is an ideal tonic for those with kidney yang deficiency, impotence, premature ejaculation, or general physical weakness. 6. Sea Horse and Young Chicken Steamed Rice Ingredients: 250g young chicken, 3g seahorse, 50g shrimp,scallions, ginger, cooking wine, salt, MSG to taste, 250g cooked japonica rice.
Method: Rinse chicken, cut into small pieces, and place in a steaming bowl. Soak seahorse and shrimp in warm water for 10 minutes, then layer over chicken. Add scallions, ginger, cooking wine, and a small amount of water. Steam until cooked, then remove.Remove scallions and ginger, season with salt and MSG, thicken with wet starch slurry, then "cover" over hot cooked rice.
Benefits: Tonifies kidney yang, invigorates qi, and promotes blood circulation. Suitable for kidney yang deficiency, impotence, enuresis, and asthma due to deficiency.
Seahorse: Sweet and salty in taste, warm in nature, non-toxic.Rich in protein, vitamins, and tyrosine. Entering the liver and kidney meridians. Possesses medicinal functions including strengthening the body, nourishing liver and kidneys, invigorating yang and calming the spirit, regulating qi, relaxing tendons and activating meridians, reducing inflammation and relieving pain, promoting blood circulation and removing stasis, calming the mind, and alleviating coughs and wheezing. Particularly effective for treating nervous system disorders, it has been cherished since ancient times, with men holding a special fondness for it.