Centipede – 1 lb (454 g)

Centipede, known in Chinese as 蜈蚣 (Wúgōng) and scientifically as Scolopendra, 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 Centipede carefully sourced to preserve its therapeutic properties.

As a herbal supplement, Centipede 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, Centipede provides a safe, natural way to experience the benefits of traditional Chinese medicine.

Trusted for centuries, Centipede 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 Centipede, 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 item is also known as Tianlong, Wugong, Baijiao, Baizuchong. It is the whole body of the centipede species Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans L. Koch from the family Scolopendridae. It is mainly produced in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hubei, Shaanxi, Henan, and other regions. It is captured in spring and autumn, with bamboo sticks inserted through the head and tail to straighten it, then sun-dried or oven-dried.

[Properties] Pungent in taste, warm in nature, toxic. Enters the Liver meridian.

[Actions] Expels wind and stops convulsions; unblocks collaterals and relieves pain; detoxifies and disperses nodules.

[Applications] 1. Used for convulsions and spasms, facial paralysis with mouth and eye deviation. This herb can be used for convulsions and spasms caused by various reasons, often used together with Scorpio (Quanxie). For example, in the formula Zhijing San (止痉散). For pediatric high fever convulsions, it can be combined with Gou Teng and Bo He; for acute and chronic pediatric convulsions with intermittent spasms, it can be ground with musk and administered nasally in small amounts, or combined with Cinnabar (Zhusha) as pills; for tetanus with trismus, clenched teeth, and opisthotonos, it can be combined with Tian Nan Xing, Fang Feng, and fish maw, as in the formula Wugong Xingfeng San (蜈蚣星风散); for epileptic convulsions with phlegm retention, it can be combined with Tian Zhu Huang and Bei Mu; for wind affecting the meridians causing facial paralysis, it can be combined with Bai Fu Zi, Fang Feng, and Jiang Can.

2. Used for stubborn wind-damp bi syndrome and hemicrania. For stubborn wind-damp bi with limb numbness and pain, it is often combined with Bai Hua She, Ru Xiang, and Mo Yao; for stubborn hemicrania, it is often combined with Chuan Xiong, Di Long, and Jiang Can.

3. Used for ulcers, carbuncles, scrofula, phlegm nodules, and poisonous snake bites. For painful ulcer carbuncles, it can be used alone or combined with Chuan Shan Jia and Lu Jiao Pian, ground into powder and taken with wine. For painful hemorrhoids, it can be soaked in wine and applied topically. For scrofula and phlegm nodules before ulceration, it can be ground into powder and applied topically or taken with Xia Ku Cao decoction; after ulceration, it can be mixed with tea leaf powder for external use. For poisonous snake bites, it can be combined with Da Huang, Gan Cao, Huang Lian, etc. Additionally, this herb combined with Wu Shao She powder can treat wind-related tinea and itching.

[Dosage and Administration] Internal use: decoction, 3–5 g; or incorporated into pills or powders. External use: appropriate amount, ground powder sprinkled, soaked in oil or mixed into a paste for topical application.

[Cautions] This herb is toxic; dosage should not be excessive. Contraindicated in blood deficiency with wind and in pregnancy.

[Modern Research] 1. Chemical constituents: Scolopendra contains bee venom-like and histamine-like substances, hemolysins; also contains fats and formic acid. δ-Hydroxylysine has been isolated. It also contains various amino acids. The exoskeleton contains chitin, deacetylated chitin, glucosamine, glutamic acid, acid phosphatase, etc.

2. Pharmacological effects: Extracts of Scolopendra show significant antagonistic effects against convulsions induced by strychnine but not against those induced by maximal electroshock or pentylenetetrazol; water-soluble protein-free extracts significantly enhance myocardial contractility without obvious effects on atrial spontaneous rate; at 0.3 μg/μl concentration, Scolopendra venom induces rabbit platelet aggregation, which is lost after heating at 90°C for 50 minutes; decoctions inhibit various dermatophytes and Mycobacterium tuberculosis to varying degrees; also exhibit liver-calming effects, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and immune-enhancing activities.

3. Clinical reports: 1) Facial paralysis: used 2 whole centipedes (ground to fine powder) and 30 g Fang Feng. Taken after dinner with Fang Feng decoction; 10 days per course. In 28 cases, 16 cured, 6 markedly effective, 5 improved, 1 ineffective; total effective rate 96.16%. [Shandong Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1986,(3):26] 2) Recurrent oral ulcers: prepared as a powder, 6 g taken twice daily with hot water; 1 week per course. In 231 cases, 104 markedly effective, 102 effective, 25 ineffective; total effective rate 89.2%. [Journal of PLA Medicine, 1987,12(5):372] 3) Corns: 30 centipedes and 9 g Wu Mei ground into fine powder, mixed with tea oil or sesame oil into a paste for topical use. In 87 cases, 71 cured, 15 effective, 1 ineffective; total effective rate 98.9%. [Jiangsu Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1984,(2):10] 4) Pediatric convulsive cough: centipede and licorice powders mixed equally, taken with honey or sugar water, 1–3 g per dose, for 7–10 days. In 52 cases, effective rate 90.4%. [Journal of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1987,(3):62] 5) Scabies: 3 g centipede and 10 g rock sugar stewed in water bath; after boiling, centipede removed and taken orally once; whole body disinfected. In 186 cases, 174 cured, 5 improved, 4 ineffective, 3 relapsed; total effective rate 96.24%. [Shanghai Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1999,(2):25] 6) Herpes zoster: centipede roasted and ground fine, mixed with equal amount of realgar powder, water added to paste, applied to lesions 5 times daily. In 36 cases, 29 cured, 6 effective, 1 ineffective; total effective rate 97%. [Shandong Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1997,16(12):569]