Hai Ma

Hai Ma comprises the dried bodies of seahorses, principally species of the genus Hippocampus (family Syngnathidae), and is therefore an animal- rather than plant-derived material. The seahorse is a small bony fish 5 to 30 centimetres long with a horse-like head set at an angle to a vertically held, segmented body sheathed in articulated bony plates, and a prehensile tail used to anchor to seagrass or coral. The dorsal fin provides slow forward propulsion and males brood eggs in a sealed ventral pouch. All Hippocampus species are listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), regulating their international commerce, and populations are widely considered overexploited; sourcing of medicinal material should comply with national and international conservation regulation.