Pharmaceutical name: 英文藥名﹕	Hirudo seu Whitmania
Botanical name: 學名﹕	Hirudo niponia Whitman,  Whitmania pigra (Whitman), W. acranulata (Whiteman), Hirudo medicinalis
Pron. in Japanese: 日語發音﹕	Suitetsu
Pron. in Korean: 韓語發音﹕	Suchil
Pron. in Cantonese: 粵音﹕	shui chat
Other Names: 別名﹕	ma huang
Common Name: 英文名﹕	leech
Distribution: 產地﹕
Properties (characteristics)﹕ 性味﹕	salty, bitter, neutral,  toxic 鹹﹐  苦 ﹐  平 ﹐ 有 毒 。
Channels (meridians) entered:   歸經﹕	liver, bladder 肝 ﹐ 膀 胱 。
Medical functions: 藥理﹕	blood thinning effect.  破 血 逐 淤 。
Actions & Indications: 主治﹕	For treatment of blood stasis, asthma, amenorrhea, physical injuries, unable to conceive, also used in abortion. Live shui zhi used externally in treating tumors, rid of swelling in boils, local blood clots (bruises),. 内服可以破血逐淤 ﹐治療月經不下，經水不利，血癜積聚，不懷孕，折傷疼痛﹐通利水道，亦可堕胎；作為蜞針外用，活水蛭可以吮吸腫毒、惡血，以治療瘤腫，局部瘀血，治哮喘。
Chemical ingredients: 化學成份﹕	hirudin, heparin 水蛭素﹐ 肝素
Dosage: 用量﹕
Samples of formulae :處方舉例﹕
Modern Research: 現代研究﹕
Toxicity & Cautions: 毒素與禁忌﹕	not to use in cases of blood deficient    , pregnancies, or without xue yu (blood stasis)  。 Large dosages can be toxic to the kidneys. 血虛 或懷孕期間﹐或無 血瘀 症狀者忌用。 大劑量可能對腎臟有毒。