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Omphalia
雷丸 〔雷丸〕léi wán
Latin pharmacognostic name: Omphalia
Alternate Chinese names: 雷矢 léi shǐ; 雷实 léi shí; 白雷丸 bái léi wán
Kingdom: Plant
Origin in PRC Pharmacopoeia: Omphalia lapidescens Schroet. (PRC Pharmacopoeia)
Origin (other sources): Omphalia lapidescens Schroet.*; Polyporus mylittae Cook. et Mass.
Use: Medicinal
Category: Worm-expelling agents
Properties: Bitter; cold; slightly toxic.
Channel entry: Stomach and large intestine channels.
Indications:
Kills worms and disperses accumulation.
worm accumulation (tapeworm, hookworm, roundworm) with abdominal pain.
Dosage & Method: Oral: Decoct (6–15g); use in pills or powders. For tapeworm, 12–18g of powder form mixed with water 3 times a day after meals for 3 days.
Warnings: Use with care in the presence of worm accumulations and spleen-stomach vacuity cold.
Product Description: This dried sclerotium is a hard mass, roughly spherical or oval in shape, with a diameter usually of 0.8–2.5 cm, and rarely as much as 4 cm. The exterior surface is brown-black with fine, dense creases. The interior is dense and fibrous, wax-white in color, semitranslucent, and slightly sticky. It produces a new fructification after the winter.
Quality: Large, full, hard sclerotia with gray skins and white interiors are the best.
Product Area: Sìchuān, Húběi, Yúnnán, Guìzhōu.
Etymology: The name léi wán 雷丸, literally thunder pill (or ball),
is traditionally explained by the belief that this item is binding of surplus qì of bamboo, formed by the action of thunder.