Cicada Slough – 1 lb (454 g)

Cicada Slough, known in Chinese as 蝉蜕 (Chántuì) and scientifically as Periostracum Cicadae, 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 Cicada Slough carefully sourced to preserve its therapeutic properties.

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

Trusted for centuries, Cicada Slough 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 Cicada Slough, 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 Cicada Shell, Cicada Molt, Cicada Skin, and Zhiliaopi. It is the exuviae shed by the nymph of the cicada insect Crytotympana pustulata Fabricius of the Cicadidae family during molting. It is mainly produced in Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Sichuan, and other regions. It is collected in summer and autumn from the ground or tree trunks where cicadas reside. After collection, dirt and impurities are removed, and it is sun-dried.

[Properties] Sweet in taste, cold in nature. Enters the Lung and Liver meridians.

[Actions] Disperses wind and clears heat, promotes eruption of rashes, benefits the throat, dispels nebula (corneal opacity), relieves spasms, and releases the exterior.

[Applications]
1. Used for externally contracted wind-heat or early-stage warm diseases causing fever, cough, sore throat, and hoarseness. For wind-heat common cold with fever and chills, often combined with Chrysanthemum flower, Mint, and Forsythia; for fever and sore throat, often combined with Mint, Arctium fruit, and Scrophularia; for hoarseness, combined with Magnolia flower, Platycodon root, and Sterculia seed.
2. Used for incomplete eruption of measles and pruritus of urticaria. For measles, often combined with Arctium fruit, Pueraria root, and Mint, as in Zhuyeliuliang Tang (Bamboo Leaf and Willow Bark Decoction); for urticaria, often combined with Schizonepeta, Saposhnikovia, and Tribulus.
3. Used for wind-heat in the Liver meridian causing red eyes with excessive tearing or corneal nebula. For liver heat with red eyes and tearing, often combined with Mulberry leaf and Chrysanthemum; for wind-heat nebula obstructing vision, often combined with Eclipta, Buddleja flower, and Horsetail herb.
4. Used for pediatric convulsions, mouth and eye deviation, and tetanus, often combined with Uncaria, Bambusa bezoar, Silkworm, Scorpion, and Centipede.

[Dosage and Administration] Internal use: decoction, 3–6 g; or incorporated into pills or powders. External use: appropriate amount, decocted water for washing or ground into powder for topical application.

[Cautions] Contraindicated in deficiency-induced loss of voice; use with caution during pregnancy.

[Modern Research]
1. Chemical constituents include chitin, red cicada pigment, isoflavonoid cicada pigment, proteins, amino acids, organic acids, phenolic compounds, etc.
2. Pharmacological effects: extracts of Periostracum Cicadae can antagonize convulsions and death induced by strychnine, cocaine, and nicotine in experimental animals; alcohol extracts significantly reduce spontaneous activity in normal mice, antagonize caffeine-induced excitation, and have synergistic effects with barbiturates; decoctions show significant antipyretic effects in carrageenan-induced fever in rats; decoctions have immunosuppressive and anti-allergic effects; aqueous extracts show high antitumor activity against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells.
3. Clinical reports: 1) Tetanus: roasted and powdered Periostracum Cicadae (head and feet removed), adult dose 45–60 g twice daily, administered with 90–120 ml yellow wine or via gastric tube; pediatric dose reduced accordingly; combined with supportive therapy and antibiotics. Eight cases treated, all cured within 7–17 days. [Shaanxi Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1985,(7):322] 2) Postpartum urinary retention: 9 g Periostracum Cicadae (head and feet removed), decocted with water, plus brown sugar, taken once. If unable to urinate within 5–6 hours, repeat once. Combined with acupuncture and physiotherapy. 125 cases treated; 108 urinated within 1–6 hours after medication, 14 improved, 3 ineffective; total effective rate 97.6%. [Hubei Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1983,(5):40] 3) Pediatric rectal prolapse: roasted Periostracum Cicadae powdered finely. First wash prolapsed part with 1% alum water, then apply sesame oil, sprinkle with Periostracum Cicadae powder, and gently reduce prolapse. Thirty cases treated, all clinically cured. [Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine Research, 1989,(1):20]