Centipede is the dried whole insect of the Centipede family, Centipede, or its related animals. It has pungent, warm and toxic nature and taste. It returns to the liver meridian and has the functions of calming wind and relieving spasm, detoxifying and dispersing stagnation, and relieving pain. The effect of collateral pain relief. Centipede has a wide range of clinical applications and has definite curative effect. Unfortunately, few people know that it is used. Therefore, we collected the opinions of various experts and combined them with the author's clinical experience to collect them here for everyone's reference and study.
Searching for wind and relieving spasm
Expelling wind and relieving spasm is the most important effect of centipede. Because of its good nature, it can circulate internally, connect the internal organs, and externally reach the limbs and Xuanfu meridians. It can reach everywhere, so it is an important medicine for calming wind and relieving spasm. "Medicine Zhongshen Xilu" says: "Its nature is particularly good at searching for wind. It can internally treat the onset of liver wind, epilepsy, dizziness, cramps, and umbilical wind in children; externally, it can treat meridian stroke, crooked mouth and eyes, and numbness of hands and feet." Modern Research has found that the water decoction of this product has central inhibitory and anticonvulsant effects, which may be one of the modern pharmacological basis for its effect of calming wind and relieving spasm.
Children with acute and slow convulsions have a strong liver but a weak spleen. When external pathogenic factors turn into heat and enter the body, or they are violently frightened, liver wind can often be induced. Sudden acute convulsions can cause stiffness of the neck and stiffness of the limbs. Convulsions, even opisthotonus, eyes hanging in the sky, confusion; or spleen deficiency and liver hyperactivity, or spleen and kidney yang deficiency, earth deficiency and wood shaking, deficiency wind moving internally, then slow convulsions, and symptoms include squirming of the hands and feet, She is tired and has diarrhea, and her limbs are not warm. Since this product has the effect of calming wind and relieving spasm, it can be combined with other drugs to treat acute and chronic convulsions. For those with acute fright, it is often used with antelope horn, Uncaria, buffalo horn, bezoar, cicada slough, and silkworm. For those with slow fright, it is often used with ginseng, Gastrodia elata, white peony root, and licorice. For example, "Sleep An Powder" in "Guidelines for Syndrome and Treatment" combines centipede with whole scorpion, cinnabar, frankincense, anthracnose, etc. to treat acute and chronic convulsions, with symptoms such as headache, strong nape, coma, convulsions, twitching of hands and feet, and inability to sleep peacefully.
Epilepsy: During the attack of this disease, you are unconscious, with twitching of hands and feet, and salivation from the mouth. This is an internal movement of liver wind. This product calms liver wind, calms epilepsy and stops convulsions, so it is effective for this disease. The author has found in clinical practice that traditional Chinese medicine can achieve good results in treating various types of epilepsy. Simply using traditional Chinese medicine to treat the disease can control seizures for a long time, and some people even have no seizures for several years after stopping the medication. For the treatment of epilepsy, centipede is one of the necessary medicines. Its compatibility with whole scorpion will give better effect. The author's clinical experience shows that among centipede, whole scorpion, cicada slough, zombie silkworm, Gastrodia elata, Dannanxing, magnet, Qingmao stone, coarse porcelain shards, raw keel, raw oyster, turmeric, alum and other medicines, choose five or six flavors for compatibility. With a little more medicine that targets the pathogenesis, the effect of treating this disease is satisfactory.
For hemifacial spasm, I often use white peony root, licorice root, whole scorpion, centipede, cicada slough, and silkworm as the main medicines. If there is heat, add Shuanghua, Forsythia; if there is severe cold, add ephedra, aconite, etc. Asarum; for blood stasis, add Ligusticum chuanxiong and Tuyuan; for those with strong liver, add Uncaria, Loranth and chrysanthemum. Zeng Zhiyi, a 35-year-old woman, suffered from stress at work and cold, which caused her facial muscles to spasm at a slow pace but extremely severe, about 10 times a minute. During the spasms, her face was hideous and uncontrollable. The spasms lasted for three days and she felt deeply miserable. The author used a combination of peony, licorice and aconite decoction, ephedra, aconite and asarum decoction, plus whole scorpions, centipedes, and honeysuckle, to treat the problem in heavy doses. The effect was visible within 4 hours of taking the medicine, and the cramps stopped after 2 doses. After taking 3 doses, all the symptoms were eliminated.
Tongbi and relieve pain
"Medicine Zhongshenxilu" records: "(centipede) has the fastest running power, internally it is the internal organs, externally it is the meridians, where the qi and blood are condensed It can be used anywhere. "This product unblocks meridians and relieves pain. It can be used for patients with stubborn rheumatism, head wind, and strokes with meridian syndrome and distortion of the mouth and eyes." Modern pharmacological research has found that this product can improve blood circulation, reduce blood viscosity, and relieve pain.
Headache: Intractable headache or migraine caused by liver yang transforming into wind and blood stasis blocking collaterals is a common disease among young and middle-aged mental workers today. This disease is lingering and difficult to heal. It is more likely to occur when there is excessive stress, poor sleep, emotional excitement, or during menstruation. The pain affects work and is unbearable. Because the centipede moves quickly and is good at searching and removing blood collaterals, and it can calm wind and relieve spasm, it is suitable for headaches caused by blood stasis and liver yang transforming into wind. To treat this type of headache, the author often uses centipede and whole scorpion in combination. Among the herbs such as Gastrodia elata, Uncaria, Bombyx mori, Ligusticum chuanxiong, Angelica dahurica, White peony root, Zhigancao, Asarum, Chrysanthemum, etc., five or six of them are selected based on syndrome differentiation. If blood stasis is severe, Ligusticum chuanxiong and Angelica dahurica are the main ingredients; if liver yang is severe, Uncaria, white peony root, licorice, and chrysanthemum are the main ingredients; if phlegm is severe and obstruction of the collaterals is severe, silkworm and asarum are the main ingredients. . The author has done a lot of clinical treatments for this disease, and after adding and subtracting the above, there are few cases that are ineffective.
Bi disease: wind, cold, and dampness combine to form paralysis. The evil Qi of this disease is restrained for a long time, focuses on the meridians, and flows to the joints, blocking Qi and blood. Symptoms include numbness and pain in the limbs, severe discomfort, difficulty in flexion and extension, and even joint deformation, affecting activities. Centipede is good at running around and "can open up wherever Qi and blood condense", so it is an effective medicine for this disease. It is often combined with medicines for dispersing wind, removing dampness and relieving numbness to achieve effective results. There are numerous reports on modern clinical use of this product to treat paralysis. For example, Feima Dan, mixed with Nux Vomica and ground into powder, can be used to treat joint pain and has a good analgesic effect; combined with Duhuo, Guizhi, Scutellaria baicalensis, etc., it can clear away heat and dispel wind, and treat rheumatoid arthritis. For patients with active arthritis, it can dehumidify and relieve pain; Added and Subtracted Aconitum Decoction (this product is combined with Aconitum, Guizhi, Chuanxiong, etc.) is effective in treating sciatica; Gastrodia Centipede Decoction (this product is combined with Gastrodia, Chuanxiong, Clematis, etc.) Genie, Radix Polygonum multiflorum, Duhuo), effective in treating cervical vertebrae hyperplasia pain caused by wind-cold, damp-heat.
In clinical practice, for patients with severe pain and difficulty in flexion and extension of limbs caused by wind-cold-dampness evil that invades the meridians, this product is used with Zhicaowu, Zhichuanwu, Dioscorea, Asarum, Ephedra, Rehmannia glutinosa, Xu Changqing, Frankincense, Myrrh, etc. Compatible, the results are satisfactory. When using drugs such as nux vomica and aconitum, the dosage must be strictly controlled and the processing method should be rationally used to reduce toxicity and increase effectiveness.
Sequelae of stroke: This product can be used in conjunction with the sequelae of stroke caused by the internal organs or meridians. To treat stroke with paralysis of the left and right sides, crooked mouth and eyes, stiff speech, cramped muscles and veins, and numbness all over the body, this product can be combined with whole scorpion, zombie silkworm, frankincense, etc., such as the frankincense in "Taiping Huimin Heji Bureau Prescription" for pain relief pill. Zhang Xichun's "Medical Zhongshen Xilu" also records that Zhufeng Decoction uses centipede combined with astragalus, angelica, Qianghuo, Duhuo, Quanxiao, etc. to treat stroke and cramps. There are many modern cases of using this product to treat the sequelae of stroke. For example, taking Buyang Huanwu Decoction as the basic formula, adding this product and earthworm, it is effective in treating coma, aphasia, hemiplegia, and crooked eyes and mouth due to cerebral hemorrhage.
Causes impotence and promotes yang
Impotence is related to liver stagnation and kidney deficiency, and the penis is the main muscle dominated by the liver. Modern medicine believes that in addition to psychological factors, this disease is also directly related to insufficient congestion of the corpus cavernosum of the penis. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, centipedes dredge the liver veins and connect the liver's tendons. From the perspective of modern pharmacology, this product can strengthen myocardial contractility, improve microcirculation, reduce blood viscosity, and help increase congestion of the corpus cavernosum of the penis. In recent years, centipede has been used to treat impotence and has achieved good results. According to some research reports, the combination of Angelicae Sinensis, White Peony Root, and Zhigancao is effective in treating impotence. There are also studies reporting that 65 cases of impotence were treated with Zhuyang Powder (Haima, Gecko, Centipede, Asarum), with a total effective rate of 96.92%. The author adds this product to the syndrome differentiation prescription and takes 2 to 3 pills in powder form every day, and the effect is reliable.
Calming spasm and relieving cough
Wind cough in traditional Chinese medicine is more common in whooping cough and cough variant asthma. Its symptoms are usually less coughing, but severe itching in the throat, and dozens of coughs. The cough is continuous and unremitting, and the expectoration is less and thick, with a transparent gelatinous consistency, and is most severe at night. Generally, cough medicine is not effective. Because the cough is spasmodic and itchy in the throat, it has the characteristics of wind evil and good deeds in traditional Chinese medicine, and it is consistent with the theory that there is no itching without wind, so it should be treated with wind-relieving and antispasmodic drugs. Centipede is good at calming wind and relieving spasm, so it is effective for this disease. For example, there are reports that 500 children with whooping cough were treated by dividing centipede and licorice into powder, 3 times a day, 1.5-2 grams each time, and taking it continuously for 5-7 days, with an effective rate of 90%. The author treats cough variant asthma with medicinal inula, ephedra, white peony root, licorice, schizonepeta, cicada slough, silkworm, platycodon, asarum, centipede, and whole scorpion, and the effect is satisfactory. It usually takes 1 to 2 days to take effect and recover in 7 to 10 days.
Detoxify and treat sores
Although centipedes are slightly poisonous, they are good at fighting poison with poison and are effective in treating sores, swelling, scrofula, phlegm cores, etc.
To treat sores, boils and carbuncles caused by the accumulation of heat and poison, centipedes can be used to attack and remove the poison, which can be taken internally or externally. Oral administration, such as Xiao Chan Su Pills (Toad Su, Realgar, Centipede) in "Encyclopedia of Ulcer Medicine", can be used to treat a variety of ulcers and boils that are red, swollen, hot and painful at the beginning, have deep and hard roots, or are accompanied by aversion to cold and fever. For external use, such as Bajiangdan in "Yaoqianqimi", this product is mixed with bezoar, borneol, musk, etc. as a powder, mixed with plaster and applied to the affected area to treat severe carbuncle. .
Scrofula, tuberculous lymphadenitis and other diseases are relatively rare today, but there are many records of people using this product to treat this disease in ancient books. It can be used both externally and internally. Modern pharmacological research has found that this product has a certain inhibitory effect on Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Ecthyma is a chronic ulcer on the front of the lower leg. "Surgery Authentic" uses this product to combine Duhuo, Angelica dahurica and licorice, add it to tung oil and fry it open, then apply it to the affected area, which has the effect of removing toxins, removing putrefaction and promoting muscle growth. Some studies have reported that using centipede with light powder, borneol, and blood root, grinding them into fine powder, and applying it externally on the sore surface, the effect is satisfactory for the treatment of chronic ulcers and pressure ulcers of the lower limbs.
Venomous snake bites: roast this product into yellow powder, grind it into fine powder, and drink it with boiling water to treat poisonous snake bites. You can also mix this product with Angelica dahurica, realgar and camphor, grind it finely, mix it with oil and apply it on the affected area. However, if you are bitten by a venomous snake, this can only be used as a stopgap measure. You should go to the hospital for rescue as soon as possible to avoid delaying the condition.
In addition, this product is also effective in treating chronic osteomyelitis.
Anti-cancer and elimination of diseases
In recent years, there have been increasing reports of using centipede in combination with other drugs to treat malignant tumors. For example, Zhang Zhiyuan, a master of traditional Chinese medicine, combined it with whole scorpion, goldenrod, Scutellaria barbata, Shi Jianchuan, dried toad's clothing, mountain arrowroot, celandine, sarsaparilla, wood turtle seed, diffusa, etc. to treat tumors. The author also often mixes this product with whole scorpion, dried toad's clothing, realgar, musk, artificial bezoar, diffusa diffusa, and gecko in a certain proportion, put into capsules and taken orally, and combined with syndrome differentiation decoction to treat various cancers, it can prevent diseases. With the effect of prolonging life, a few patients can achieve the effect of tumor disappearance or shrinkage. What needs to be emphasized is that according to Zhang Xichun's records, this product is very effective in treating choking diaphragm, that is, esophageal cancer, and can be observed and used clinically.
Various methods of external use
Centipede can be taken internally or externally. External use can sometimes achieve curative effects that cannot be achieved by internal use, so the external use of this product cannot be ignored. The selected clinical commonly used ones are introduced below.
Nipple wind (chapped nipples): Take Rufeng powder (centipede, frankincense, simmered black plum, puffball, and Panax notoginseng) and grind it into fine powder. It is effective to apply to the affected area.
For psoriasis, put centipede, black snake, black plum and cork into a casserole, soak in vegetable oil for 2 hours, fry over slow fire until yellow and slightly black, filter, apply 1 to 2 times a day on the skin lesions times, rub for 5 to 10 minutes after applying the medicine.
For aphthous ulcers, take a whole centipede or a large one, dry it until it is brown and fragrant, grind it into pieces and add it to 10 ml of sesame oil, bottle it for later use. When using it, dip a cotton swab in centipede oil and apply it to the aphthous area. The effect is good.
Herpes zoster: Divide centipedes and whole scorpions into powder, mix sesame oil into a paste, apply to the affected area 3 to 4 times a day, take 0.5 g orally.
When treating corns, soak your feet in warm water to remove the cuticle on the surface of the corns to expose the corns. Sprinkle a little centipede powder, then apply Vaseline oil, cover with external tape, remove the tape after 7 days, and use Soak your feet in hot water and wash, and it will usually come off. If it doesn't come off, use the above method again.
Centipede and scorpion are often used together. Both are arthropods and have basically the same effects. Both are pungent and poisonous medicines. Both belong to the liver meridian. It has three major functions: knotting, unblocking collaterals and relieving pain. The difference between the two is: the whole scorpion is flat in nature, has weak venom, has a slightly weaker effect of calming wind and relieving spasms, and is not as powerful as centipede in detoxifying and dissipating stagnation; centipede is fierce, warm and dry, good at running around, calming wind and relieving spasms. It has a stronger effect and greater toxicity. It is also excellent in attacking poison, treating sores, and relieving numbness and relieving pain. From the perspective of the effect of calming wind and relieving spasm, the whole scorpion is more effective for those with frequent twitching and trembling hands and feet; the centipede is more effective for those with opisthotonus and tonic spasms. Moreover, whole scorpion is generally used in internal medicine, while centipede is used in surgery.
It should be noted that centipedes contain toxic components similar to bee venom, namely histamine substances and hemolytic proteins, which can cause hemolytic effects and allergic reactions. Large doses can cause myocardial paralysis and inhibit the respiratory center. Individual patients may suffer liver and kidney damage or nervous system poisoning. When using centipede, even within the commonly used dosage range, some patients may experience symptoms such as dizziness, head swelling, and flushing of the head and face. If the dosage reaches 15~30 grams, it may cause poisoning. The incubation period of poisoning is 30 minutes to 4 hours. The main symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, general weakness, unconsciousness, slow heartbeat and pulse, difficulty breathing, and drop in body temperature and blood pressure. In severe cases, hemolysis may occur, and soy sauce-colored hematuria and hemolytic anemia may occur. People who experience allergic reactions may experience rashes, itching, and even anaphylactic shock. When centipede poisonous side effects occur, the drug should be stopped immediately and symptomatic treatment should be given. In severe cases, go to the hospital for treatment in time to avoid delays.
The common dosage of centipede for oral administration is 3 to 5 grams per day. It is best to grind it into powder and swallow it, or put it into a capsule and swallow it. An appropriate amount for external use. This product is toxic and the dosage should be strictly controlled. Do not take too much. Pregnant women should not take it.