What are the functions and benefits of human fingernails?
Jul 14, 2025
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Sun Lianqing
Introduction
In traditional Chinese medicine, human fingernails are considered a traditional medicinal material, commonly referred to as "Ren Tui." Generally, the functions and effects of Ren Tui include clearing heat and detoxifying the body, stopping bleeding and promoting wound healing, promoting diuresis and relieving urinary difficulties, removing corneal opacity to improve vision, and softening and dispersing hardened masses. Ren Tui must undergo strict processing before use; the unprocessed raw product should not be used arbitrarily.
Human nail is a traditional Chinese medicinal material known as "Ren Tui" in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Generally, the functions and effects of Ren Tui mainly include clearing heat and detoxifying, stopping bleeding and promoting wound healing, promoting diuresis and relieving dysuria, removing corneal opacity to improve vision, and softening and dispersing nodules. The specific analysis is as follows:
1. Clearing Heat and Detoxifying
Ren Tui has a salty and neutral property and possesses certain effects of clearing heat and detoxifying. It can eliminate heat-toxin pathogens from the body and has an auxiliary therapeutic effect on heat-toxin conditions such as sore throat, oral ulcers, abscesses, and toxic swellings. In traditional usage, it is often calcined and then ground into powder for external or internal use, enhancing its heat-clearing and detoxifying effects and helping to alleviate local redness, swelling, heat, and pain caused by heat toxins.
2. Stopping Bleeding and Promoting Wound Healing
Ren Tui has the effect of stopping bleeding and promoting wound healing, providing some therapeutic benefit for traumatic bleeding, skin ulcers, and frostbite with ulceration. When calcined and used externally, it can help constrict the wound, reduce bleeding, and accelerate wound repair. It is often used as an adjunct in treating infections and slow healing after skin damage.
3. Promoting Diuresis and Relieving Dysuria
Ren Tui can promote urination and relieve dysuria caused by heat. It helps alleviate symptoms such as difficult urination, frequent urination, urgency, and pain associated with heat-induced urinary tract infections or urinary stones. It aids in expelling damp-heat pathogens from the body, improving the damp-heat condition of the urinary system, and thus relieving the discomfort caused by urinary disorders.
4. Removing Corneal Opacity and Improving Vision
In traditional TCM theory, Ren Tui has the function of removing corneal opacity and improving vision, and can be used as an adjunct in treating eye problems such as corneal opacity and blurred vision. It is often combined with other herbs that improve vision and remove opacity, helping to eliminate wind-heat or damp-heat pathogens from the eyes, promote the resolution of opacity, and improve visual function.
5. Softening and Dispersing Nodules
Ren Tui also has a certain effect in softening and dispersing nodules, providing auxiliary treatment for masses or nodules caused by phlegm and blood stasis intermingling. Its salty nature softens hardened masses and helps dissipate phlegm and blood stasis. It is commonly used in combination with other herbs to treat related conditions and enhance the effect of resolving nodules.
Ren Tui must undergo strict processing before use; the raw, unprocessed product should not be used arbitrarily. Pregnant women, children, and individuals with weak constitutions should use it cautiously and must consult a qualified TCM practitioner before use. Furthermore, human nail is not a commonly used herb in clinical practice and its effects must be applied in combination with specific conditions and complementary herbs. It should not be used blindly as a substitute for standard medical treatment.
