Properties: Sweet, cold
Meridans Entered:
Primary: Lung, Liver
Traditional Actions/Indications:
- Disperses Wind and clears Heat
External Wind-Heat especially with loss of voice and a swollen, sore throat
- Vents rashes and relieves itching
Early stage measles with incomplete expression of the rash
- Clears the eyes and removes Superficial Visual Obstruction
Eye problems due to Wind-Heat such as red, painful, swollen eyes or blurry vision Liver and Kidney Yin Deficiencies with Liver Yang Rising
- Stops spasms and extinguishes Liver Wind
Childhood fevers in which Liver Wind causes convulsions, delirium, spasms, terror, tetanus, insomnia or nightmares
Suggested Daily Dosage: 6-15g in decoction.
Cautions: Animal products are prohibited from use in the UK under the Medicines Act 1968 ch. 67 which restricts herbalists to the use of plant products only. It is generally substituted with Bo He. Since it is mainly chitin which is the raw source for glucosamine a supplement could be suggested too, especially if it is the wheat germ agglutinin binding properties of N-Acetylglucosamine that are desired.
Notable Constituents:
- Melatonin
A hormone with powerful sleep regulatory, antioxidant and immunoregulatory properties. Chen et al (2003) found it in 3, 771 ng/g in this insect, the highest in all Chinese herbs they tested.
Appears in 9 formulae listed on this site: (click to display)
Research Links & References: (click to display)
Research Links:
Reference Notes:
Individual herb information has sourced mainly from TCM Wiki and American Dragon for basic data and then updated manually with my own notes. Zhou, Xie and Yan (2011): Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicines, Vol. 5, has been used for entries not available from those sources with additional material searched for and filled in where available. Western herbs not appearing in the Chinese literature have used Ross (2010): Combining Western Herbs and Chinese Medicine: A Clinical Materia Medica, White Rabbit Institute of Healing and therapeutika.ch. Choices of which source to use or combine have been my own.
These pages are intended to assist clinicians and are not intended for self-diagnosis or treatment for which a qualified professional should be consulted. Actions and indications are taken from traditional uses and do not necessarily reflect the evidence base which should be researched independently. Dosages are for guidance only and will vary dependening on the potency of the batch and the tolerance of the individual so should be evaluated by a professional based on individual needs.
