Herb

Centipede (Wu gong)

蜈蚣wu gong
1 sourceSafety notes recordedScolopendra

Modern safety information is being compiled for this entry.

Recorded in Bencao Gangmu for malign influences and gu-toxin, counteracting snake, insect and fish toxins, malaria, expelling the three worms, abdominal accumulation, malign blood, childhood fright epilepsy, navel-wind and lockjaw, erysipelas, scrofula, hemorrhoids and snakebite; classical texts also record it as abortifacient. Recorded in the source as toxic.

Source

Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu)卷四十二·虫部·湿生类·蜈蚣·主治

References
  • functions_en self-translated from 本草纲目 traditional_functions (public domain; the Chinese tf carries verbatim excerpt_hash citations). No modern work consulted.
  • WHO IST-TCM terminology-aligned for the English rendering.
  • public pharmacopoeia & zoological facts (public-domain reference facts; no proprietary modern source).
Traditional functions

Classical source text (Chinese) — English summary above.

传统中医记载：鬼疰蛊毒，啖诸蛇、虫、鱼毒，杀鬼物老精温疟，去三虫；疗心腹寒热积聚，堕胎，去恶血；小儿惊痫风搐，脐风口噤，丹毒秃疮瘰疬，便毒痔漏，蛇瘕蛇瘴蛇伤。

Nature, flavor & meridians

Nature & flavor: 辛，温，有毒。

Citations
  • Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷四十二·虫部·湿生类·蜈蚣·条名Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its classification.
  • Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷四十二·虫部·湿生类·蜈蚣·气味Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its nature & flavor.
  • Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷四十二·虫部·湿生类·蜈蚣·主治Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its traditional functions.
  • Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷四十二·虫部·湿生类·蜈蚣·安全Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its safety notes.