Agkistrodon – 1 lb (454 g)

Agkistrodon, known in Chinese as 蕲蛇 (Qíshé) and scientifically as Agkistrodon, is a valued herb in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). This TCM herb has been traditionally used to support natural wellness, maintain vitality, and encourage holistic balance. At TCMforyou.com, we provide premium-quality Agkistrodon carefully sourced to preserve its therapeutic properties.

As a herbal supplement, Agkistrodon helps promote overall well-being and supports natural energy, immunity, and balance. Integrating this herb into your wellness routine offers a gentle, time-tested approach to enhancing daily health. Whether brewed as tea, added to herbal remedies, or taken as part of a TCM formula, Agkistrodon provides a safe, natural way to experience the benefits of traditional Chinese medicine.

Trusted for centuries, Agkistrodon has been used in TCM to harmonize the body and encourage optimal functioning of key systems. At TCMforyou, we prioritize authenticity and quality. Each batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure purity and potency, delivering an herbal product aligned with traditional practices.

Experience the natural support of Agkistrodon, promoting immune health, vitality, and holistic well-being. Embrace the wisdom of TCM and incorporate this gentle, effective herbal remedy into your daily wellness journey.

[Overview] This herb is also known as White-Flowered Snake, Qizhou White-Flowered Snake, Sharp-Nosed Viper, and Qianbi Snake. It is the whole body of the five-step snake Agkistrodon acutus (Güenther) from the Viperidae family. It is mainly produced in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guangxi, and other regions. It is captured in summer and autumn each year; after removing the internal organs and cleaning, the abdomen is spread open with bamboo strips, coiled into a circle, and dried over low heat or sun-dried.

[Properties] Taste: sweet and salty; nature: warm; toxic. Enters the liver and spleen meridians.

[Actions] Dispel wind, unblock the collaterals, stop spasms.

[Applications]
1. Used for stubborn rheumatic bi syndrome, numbness of skin and flesh, muscle and tendon spasms, stroke with facial paralysis, hemiplegia. Commonly combined with Qianghuo, Duhuo, Fangfeng, Qin Jiao, Danggui, Chishao, Tianma, Wujapi, etc., soaked in wine for drinking. Formulas include Binhu White-Flowered Snake Wine and Shichuan White-Flowered Snake Wine.
2. Used for pediatric convulsions and tetanus. For high fever convulsions in children, wheezing with phlegm, and limb spasms, often combined with Lingyangjiao (antelope horn), Gou Teng, Huanglian, Tianzhuhuang or Quanxie (scorpion), Niuhuang (cattle bezoar), Shexiang (musk), Bingpian (borneol), as in the formula White-Flowered Snake Pills (Baihuashe Wan). For tetanus with neck and back rigidity and opisthotonos, often combined with Wushaoshe (black-tailed snake) and centipede, as in Dingming San.
3. Used for leprosy and scabies. For leprosy with eyebrow loss and skin itching, often combined with Cicada Molting, Dahuang (rhubarb), Zaojiaoci (Gleditsia sinensis thorn), Dafengzi oil, etc., as in Zhuidu San. For scabies, commonly combined with Jingjie, Fangfeng, Tianma, etc.

[Dosage and Administration] Internal use: decoction, 3–10 g; powdered, 1–1.5 g per dose, 2–3 times daily; soaked in wine, made into paste, or incorporated into pills and powders.

[Cautions] Contraindicated in cases of yin deficiency with internal heat and blood deficiency causing wind.

[Modern Research]
1. Chemical Constituents: The dried body of the snake contains three proteins: AaT I, AaT II, and AaT III, each composed of approximately 200 amino acid residues from 18 amino acids. The N-terminal four residues of AaT I are threonine; AaT II’s N-terminal is alanine; AaT III’s terminal is serine and contains only one N-terminal. High amino acid content includes aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, leucine, isoleucine, serine, and valine. It also contains hyaluronidase, hemorrhagic toxin I, hemorrhagic toxin IV, and others.
2. Pharmacological Effects: Ethanol extracts of Qishe have preventive effects on water immersion stress and ethanol-induced gastric ulcers in rats, and therapeutic effects on acetic acid-induced ulcers. In mouse carbon clearance tests, 50% ethanol extract administered orally stimulates macrophages, enhancing phagocytic ability and significantly increasing carbon clearance rate. Qishe injection produces significant hypotensive effects in anesthetized dogs. It also exhibits sedative, hypnotic, and analgesic effects in mice.
3. Clinical Reports:
1) Cervical spondylosis: Using 30 g of Qishe (head removed), 5 g of Shanggu Pian (bone slices), and 10 g of Gejie (Tokay gecko, head and claws removed), soaked in 600 ml of wine for 7 days. Dosage: 10–20 ml per dose, three times daily. In 26 cases of nerve root type cervical spondylosis, 9 cases were cured, 10 markedly effective, 5 improved, and 2 ineffective. [Zhejiang Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1984, 19(7):317]
2) Sciatica: Using 10 g each of Qishe or Wushaoshe (black-tailed snake), centipede, and Quanxie (scorpion), powdered and divided into 8 packets, taking 2 packets daily. In 54 cases treated, efficacy was satisfactory, with most showing effect or cure after 1–2 courses. [New Chinese Medicine, 1987, (3):25]