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Chapter 20 of 33
神农本草经
This chapter collects seventeen medium-grade insect and fish medicinals, including hedgehog hide, wasp nest, turtle shell, crab, cicada, grub, cuttlefish bone, stiff silkworm, alligator hide, lychee bug, slug, lizard, deer fly, horse fly, cockroach, ground beetle, and bat. The ancients classified these animal-based medicinals as "medium grade," believing that most of them are neutral in nature or偏向 cold and salty, capable of both dispelling pathogens and supporting vital energy. Their primary indications cover blood disorders (stasis blood, metrorrhagia, hemafecia), abdominal masses (masses in the abdomen), convulsions (infantile convulsions and spasms), five kinds of hemorrhoids and genital ulceration (hemorrhoids and ulceration of the genitals), and other conditions.
In terms of medicinal properties, the medicinals in this chapter are predominantly salty in taste and cold in nature. 🌊 The ancients believed that "saltiness can soften hardness, dissipate accumulations, and enter the blood aspect," so these insect and fish medicinals were mostly used to "break stasis blood and resolve hard accumulations"—that is, to target hardened masses and lumps formed by stagnation of qi and blood. Meanwhile, many medicinals are indicated for "abdominal masses" (masses within the abdomen), "blood blockade" (menstrual obstruction), and "evil blood" (stagnated dead blood), reflecting the ancients' core approach of "using insect medicinals to search and unblock the channels and collaterals, breaking blood and expelling stasis."
Individual medicinals such as crab, which can "defeat lacquer" (counteract lacquer toxin), and bat, which can "brighten the eyes for night vision," reflect the ancients' mode of thinking based on "categorical analogies": the crab, living in water, can resolve damp-heat toxins; the bat, active at night, can aid human night vision—claims of this kind lack scientific basis from today's perspective and should be viewed rationally.
Bitter in taste, neutral in nature. Mainly treats the five kinds of hemorrhoids (various hemorrhoid conditions), genital ulceration, hemafecia and bleeding from below, incessant discharge of red, white, and five-colored blood fluids, genital swelling and pain radiating to the lower back. To be used after boiling with wine. Grows in mountain streams and river valleys.
Bitter in taste, neutral in nature. Mainly treats convulsions and epileptic seizures (jingxian: infantile convulsions and epilepsy-type paroxysmal disorders), cold and heat pathogenic qi, manic disorders (dianji: mental-behavioral disorders), ghost essence and gu toxin, and intestinal hemorrhoids. Fire-roasting before use yields better results. Also known as Fengchang (bee intestine). Grows in mountain valleys.
Salty in taste, neutral in nature. Mainly treats cardiac and abdominal masses with hardness and accumulations (zhengjia: abdominal masses that are fixed and immovable), alternating chills and fever, removes abdominal masses and polyps, genital ulceration, hemorrhoids with necrotic flesh. Grows in ponds and marshes.
Salty in taste, cold in nature. Mainly treats pathogenic qi in the chest, heat accumulation with pain, facial paralysis with deviated mouth and eyes (kouwaipi: facial paralysis, deviated mouth angle), facial swelling, and can counteract lacquer toxin (baioi: resolving allergic poisoning caused by raw lacquer). Burning a crab can repel rats. Grows in ponds and marshes.
Salty in taste, cold in nature. Mainly treats infantile convulsions, night crying, manic disorders, cold and heat. Grows on willow trees. Harvested in the fifth month, steamed and dried in the sun.
Salty in taste, slightly warm in nature. Mainly treats evil blood, blood stasis with impediment qi (biqi: blockage and obstruction of qi and blood), breaks hypochondriac stasis blood with hardness, fullness, and pain, menstrual obstruction, ocular surface overgrowths, and cloudy corneas with membranes (qingyi baimo: corneal opacities and occlusive eye diseases). Also known as Fenqi. Grows in plains and marshes.
Salty in taste, slightly warm in nature. Mainly treats women's leaking below (louxia: abnormal vaginal bleeding outside menstruation), red and white vaginal discharge and menstrual blood, blood blockade (menstrual obstruction), genital ulceration, swelling and pain, cold and heat, abdominal masses, and infertility. Grows in ponds and marshes.
Salty in taste. Mainly treats infantile convulsions and night crying, expels the three worms (sanchong: the ancients' general term for internal parasites), reduces dark facial spots (hegan: facial dark spots), improves the complexion, and treats sores on the male genitalia. Grows in plains and marshes.
Pungent in taste, slightly warm in nature. Mainly treats cardiac and abdominal masses, hidden hard accumulations (fujian: deeply concealed hard nodes), cold and heat, women's uterine hemorrhage (bengzhong: sudden profuse bleeding outside menstruation), five-colored vaginal discharge with bleeding, pulling pain in the lower abdomen radiating to the genitals, sores, scabies, and dead flesh (siji: numb and necrotic skin and flesh). Grows in ponds and marshes.
Bitter in taste, neutral in nature. Mainly treats pathogenic qi in the heart and abdomen, impotence (yinwei), supplements essence and strengthens willpower, promotes conception and good offspring, tonifies the middle and lightens the body. Grows in river valleys, on the Tree of Heaven (ailanthus).
Salty in taste, cold in nature. Mainly treats thief wind with deviated mouth and eyes, sinew and vessel spasms (yijin: muscle and tendon convulsions), as well as rectal prolapse, convulsions, and contractures. Also known as Lingli. Grows in ponds and marshes.
Salty in taste, cold in nature. Mainly treats the five urinary impediments (wulong: urinary obstruction diseases), binding qi, breaks urinary stones (shilin: urinary tract stones), moves blood downward, and facilitates the water passage of urination. Also known as Xiyi. Grows in river valleys and streams.
Bitter in taste, neutral in nature. Mainly treats red, painful eyes, canthus injury with tearing (zishang: ulceration of the eye corners), stasis blood, blood blockade, cold and heat, and infertility (wuzi: inability to conceive). Also known as Hunchang. Grows in rivers and marshes.
Bitter in taste, slightly cold in nature. Mainly treats the expulsion of stasis blood, breaks blood accumulations, hard masses and abdominal masses, cold and heat, and unblocks the blood vessels and the nine orifices. Grows in river valleys. Harvested in the fifth month; those with blood in the abdomen are considered superior.
Salty in taste, cold in nature. Mainly treats blood stasis, hardened masses, cold and heat, breaks accumulations, throat impediment with swelling and blockage (houyan bi), internal cold, and infertility. Grows in rivers and marshes.
Salty in taste, cold in nature. Mainly treats cold and heat in the heart and abdomen, blood accumulations and abdominal masses, breaks hardness, moves blood blockade downward, and promotes conception. Also known as Dibie. Grows in moist soil in river lowlands.
Salty in taste, neutral in nature. Mainly treats dim vision (muming: blurred vision), brightens the eyes, and enables night vision with luminous clarity. Long-term use brings joy and delight, charm, and freedom from worry. Also known as Bianfu (bat). Grows in river valleys and mountains.
I. "Saltiness enters the blood; insects break stasis"—The blood-activating and stasis-resolving approach of animal medicinals
Of the seventeen medicinals in this chapter, the largest number are salty in taste (eleven items: turtle shell, crab, cicada, grub, cuttlefish bone, stiff silkworm, slug, lizard, cockroach, ground beetle, and bat). The ancients believed that salty flavors can enter the blood aspect and soften hardness while dissipating accumulations, and since insects excel at "penetrating and searching" (moving through the crevices of the channels and collaterals), insect and fish medicinals were widely used for stasis blood, abdominal masses, and accumulations—diseases of qi and blood stagnation. This effectively initiated the later therapeutic principle of "unblocking the collaterals with insects," as exemplified by the Qing dynasty physician Ye Tianshi, who used ground beetles, leeches, and other insect medicinals to search and dislodge stasis from the collaterals—a theoretical lineage traceable to this source.
II. The "categorical analogy" approach to medicinal selection
The ancients often inferred therapeutic effects from a medicinal's form, habitat, and habits:
This mode of thinking is highly characteristic of the Shennong Bencao Jing and represents the projection of the ancients' worldview of "celestial-human correspondence" into pharmacology. While it contains elements of simple observational wisdom, it is largely associative analogy lacking support from modern pharmacological experimentation.
III. The positioning logic of "medium grade"
The Shennong Bencao Jing divides medicinals into three grades: upper, medium, and lower. The medium grade is positioned as "curbing disease and supplementing debility"—capable of both dispelling disease and supplementing deficiency. Most medicinals in this chapter can "break stasis blood and resolve accumulations" (dispelling pathogens), while simultaneously having supplementary effects for certain deficiencies (such as the lancet bug's "supplementing essence and strengthening will," or the bat's "bringing joy and delight"). This precisely embodies the distinctive characteristic of medium-grade medicinals: "attacking while also supplementing."
IV. The classificatory approach to blood syndrome treatment
This chapter records blood syndromes with remarkable detail: leaking below (bleeding outside menstruation), uterine collapse (profuse bleeding), blood blockade (menstrual obstruction), evil blood (stagnated dead blood), five-colored vaginal bleeding, hemafecia, and others. The ancients had already recognized that "blood syndromes" manifest in various forms requiring differentiated management. Since most insect and fish medicinals enter the blood aspect, they became the core pharmacopoeia for treating blood syndromes.
Components warranting consideration:
Historical limitations and points requiring caution:
| Concept | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Medium grade (Zhongpin) | A category in the Bencao Jing's three-grade classification characterized by "curbing disease and supplementing debility"—capable of both dispelling pathogens and supporting vital energy |
| Zhengjia (Abdominal masses) | Abdominal masses; those that are hard and immovable upon palpation are called "zheng," while those that gather and disperse irregularly are called "jia" |
| Blood blockade (Xuebi) | Menstrual obstruction; cessation of menstruation |
| Leaking below / Uterine collapse (Louxia/Bengzhong) | Abnormal vaginal bleeding outside menstruation; scant and drippy is called "lou," profuse and sudden is called "beng" |
| Five hemorrhoids (Wuzhi) | The ancients' classification of five types of hemorrhoids (male, female, intestinal, venous, and bleeding) |
| Convulsions (Jingxian) | A class of paroxysmal disorders primarily manifesting as spasms and loss of consciousness |
| Categorical analogy (Quxiang bilei) | One of TCM's core methodological approaches; inferring medicinal functions from forms, habitats, and habits |
| Saltiness softens hardness (Xian neng ruanjian) | Theory from the five flavors: salty medicinals can soften and eliminate hard masses and enter the blood aspect |
This content is based on classical Chinese medical texts and is provided solely for the study and appreciation of traditional culture. It does not constitute any form of medical diagnosis, medication recommendation, or treatment advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional if you experience any symptoms.