Wiseman’s Chinese Medical Database

quán xiē / 全蝎 / 全蠍 / scorpion

Latin pharmacognostic name: Scorpio

Alternate English names:

Alternate Chinese names: 全虫 quán chóng; 全蝎 quān xiē; 蝎 xiē; 干蝎 gān xié

Origin: Plant

Use: medicinal

Category: Liver-calming wind-extinguishing agents / Wind-extinguishing tetany-relieving agents

Properties: Acrid; balanced; toxic.

Channel entry: liver channels.

Indications:

• Extinguishes wind and checks tetany: Spasms and convulsions.
• Attacks toxin and disperses binds: Toxin swelling of sores; scrofula and goiter due to phlegm-fire.
• Frees the network vessels and relieves pain: Enduring wind-damp impediment; deviated eyes and mouth due to wind striking the channels and network vessels.
• Additional uses: Quán xiē may be used to treat stubborn cases of medial headache (regular headache) or hemilateral headache (migraine). For this, it is taken alone as a powder or may be combined with tiān má (天麻 Gastrodiae Rhizoma, gastrodia [root]), wú gōng (蜈蚣 Scolopendra , centipede), chuān xiōng (川芎 Chuanxiong Rhizoma, chuanxiong [rhizome]), and jiāng cán (僵蚕 Bombyx Batryticatus , silkworm;).

Dosage & Method:

Oral: 3–6g in decoctions. If swallowed as a powder, each dose should be 0.6–1g.

Warning:

Quán xiē is toxic, so it should not be taken in excessive quantities. It should be used with care in pregnancy.

Quality:

Best are scorpions with undamaged bodies and tails, that are yellow in color with a good sheen.

Product Area:

Hénán, Shāndōng.