Delicious Snail, Beware of Poisoning
Snails belong to the phylum Mollusca, a vast group with over 25,000 species. The largest snail weighs over 400 grams, comparable in size to an adult fist, while the smallest is smaller than a sesame seed.
Several dozen snail species are used in traditional Chinese medicine, including *Bradybaena similaris*, *Achatina fulica*, *Achatina fulica* (brown clouded snail), and *Cochlodonta tridens*. The flesh and shell of snails have effects such as clearing heat and detoxification, reducing swelling, relieving asthma, treating hernia, and softening hard masses. They are used to treat deafness, sore throat, asthma, dehydration, infantile umbilical wind, hemorrhoids, rectal prolapse, and hernia. Recently, research institutions have experimented with snail powder for contraception with good results. In the late 19th century, German scholars like Petermann discovered over 30 types of mixed enzymes—including cellulase, hemicellulase, mannase, and proteolytic enzymes—in snail digestive fluid. These enzymes convert ingested food into proteins, fats, and sugars stored within the snail's body. In the 1920s, scientists isolated a mixture called "snail enzyme," which is now used in cell biology and genetics research.
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Recently, scientists have extracted clotting factors and oxytocin from snails for clinical and blood research applications. According to Chinese reports, the brown clouded snail (*Achatina fulica*, also known as African snail or "east wind snail") exhibits strong bioaccumulation capacity for radioactive isotopes like radium, making it an excellent biological indicator for environmental monitoring. The mucus secreted by this snail also has strong adsorption capacity for water contaminated by radioactivity, potentially serving as an auxiliary water purifier.
Snails not only have broad medical uses but are also a delicacy on dining tables. Analysis shows that 1 kg of French snail meat contains 140–180g protein, compared to 125g in 1 kg of eggs. Snail meat is rich in amino acids, vitamins, and minerals like calcium and iron; its texture is tender and chewy, with flavor rivaling shark fin, sea cucumber, and abalone. Thus, it has become a famous foreign dish widely enjoyed by food lovers.
In Western countries, especially France, eating snail meat is a tradition. Reports indicate that France alone consumes over 100,000 tons of snail meat annually. In France, snail meat is used to create many exquisite dishes. For example, "baked snail" involves mixing snail meat with garlic, cream, and pepper, placing it back into cleaned shells, then baking and serving with the shell. Another method is slicing snail meat thin, frying with oil, and seasoning with various condiments—a popular style in Taiwan and Guangdong. Even today, some ethnic minority groups in China still regard deep-fried snail meat as a rare tonic. During summer and autumn, fresh large snails are washed in salt water, boiled in boiling water for about 8 minutes, then removed using a pin along the spiral groove, internal organs discarded, seasoned with spices, onion, boiled, lifted out, coated with cream, and mixed with minced garlic, salt, mustard, pepper, and monosodium glutamate—resulting in a refreshing seasonal cold dish.
Though delicious, snails must be handled carefully to avoid poisoning. Their mucus contains toxins; before eating, snails must be starved for several days to expel the toxic mucus.