Abstract

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.