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Latin pharmacognostic name: Scolopendra

Alternate Chinese names: 千足 qiān zú

Kingdom: Plant

Origin in PRC Pharmacopoeia: Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans L. Koch. (PRC Pharmacopoeia)

Origin (other sources): Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans L. Koch.

Use: Medicinal

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

Properties: Acrid; warm; toxic.

Channel entry: Liver channel.

Indications:

• Extinguishes wind and checks tetany: Chronic and acute fright wind; lockjaw; wind-strike; epilepsy.
• Attacks toxin and disperses binds: Toxin swelling of welling-abscesses and sores; scrofula.
• Frees the network vessels and relieves pain: Enduring wind-damp impediment with hypertonicity of the sinews.
• Additional uses: Finally, wú gōng may be used to treat stubborn cases of medial headache (regular headache) or hemilateral headache (migraine).
• For this, it is often combined with Quán xiē (全蝎 Scorpio , scorpion).

Dosage & Method: Oral: 1–3g in decoctions. When swallowed as a powder, each dose should be 0.6–1.0g.

Warnings: Wú gōng is toxic and should not be taken in excessive quantities. It is contraindicated in pregnancy.

Quality: Long centipedes with undamaged red heads, reddish-brown legs, and black bodies are the best.

Product Area: Sìchuān, Húběi, Zhèjiāng.

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