Di Long - 地龙 - Pheretima - Lumbricus - Earthworm
| Pharmaceutical Latin: | Lumbricus Pheretima |
| Common English: | Earthworm Lumbricus |
Category
Substances that Extinguish Wind and Stop TremorsProperties
| Taste | Temperature | Entering Meridians | Dosage |
| Salty | Cold | Bladder Liver Lung Spleen (Stomach) (Kidney) | 4-15g |
Actions And Indications
| Actions | Indications/Syndromes |
Drains Heat, Extinguishes Wind, Settles convulsions, Stops spasms | Extreme Heat generating Wind with loss of consciousness, incoherent speech, convulsions and seizures It can be used alone It has recently been used to treat schizophrenia of the hot-manic type |
Clears Heat and unblocks and promotes movement in the channels and collaterals | Hot or Cold Bi (with appropriate herbs) with swollen, painful joints and a reduced range of motion Hemiplegia due to lack of flow in the channels such as the sequelae of Wind-Stroke |
Clears Heat and calms wheezing | Wheezing due to Lung Heat (can be taken alone as a powder, in capsules or decocted with sugar as a syrup) |
Clears Heat and promotes urination | Hot, painful urinary dysfunction, edema (severe cases), ascites and jaundice Especially useful for Heat clumping in the Bladder with urinary difficulty or inability to urinate (can be used alone) |
Anchors Liver Yang and lowers Blood pressure | Hypertension due to Liver Yang Rising |
Promotes healing topically | Acute parotitis, chronic ulcers of the lower limbs, burns, boils or carbuncles (powder, mix with sugar and apply topically) |
Contraindications, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions
| CONTRAINDICATIONS |
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| INCOMPATIBILITIES |
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| HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS |
Major Combinations
| Ram. cum Uncis Uncariae | Rx. Stephaniae Tetrandrae | Rx. Aconiti Preparata |
Infantile and adult convulsions and seizures associated with high fevers. | Heat Bi Syndrome. | Cold Bi. |
| Rx. Aconiti Preparata | Ram. Mori | Rx. Astragali |
Wind-Damp Bi. | Red, swollen, painful joints associated with Heat Bi. | Hemiplegia or hemiparesis following Wind-Stroke. |
| Scorpio | Hb. Ephedrae | Endoconcha Sepiae |
Hemiplegia. | Wheezing and coughing due to Lung Heat. | Powder to take with other decoctions to treat coughing and wheezing. |
Rx. Achyranthis Bidentatae | Sm. Plantaginis | Rx. Angelicae Sinensis |
Hot, painful urinary dysfunction with stones or edema. | Lin Syndrome with hesitant, painful urination. | Trauma induced pain of the lower back and legs. |
Rx. Scutellariae Or Rz. Gastrodiae | Rx. Salviae Miltiorrhizae | Cinnabaris |
Hypertension. | Hypertension associated with Liver Yang Rising. | Convulsions. (grind into a powder and serve as pills) |
Ram. cum Uncis Uncariae | Gypsum Fibrosum | Extremitas Rx. Angelicae Sinensis |
Seizures, twitching, spasms or meningitis with unremitting fever. Unconsciousness. | Lung Heat with dyspnea and coughing. | Bone fractures with swelling and pain |
Hb. Lysimachiae | Fr. Chaenomelis | |
Urinary stones. | Edema of the lower extremities. |
Notes
- As a single herb, it can stop spasms.
- Thanks to its opening and penetrating nature, it treats spasms and convulsions caused by Heat, and it is also effective for wheezing and Bi pain.
- Whooping cough or bronchial spasms with Phlegm may be treated with it.
- Abdominal masses are another indication.
- It suppresses the growth of cancer cells.
- Research has shown it to treat Colon and Liver cancers.
- Swelling and nasal polyps respond to it.
- High fever from External Wind Invasion is treated with this herb.
- According to some sources, it calms the Shen, stabilizes fright and suppresses astonishment.
- For burns, chronic ulcerations of the lower limb or mumps, fresh Pheretima Xian Di Long is ground with sugar and applied to the affected area.
- Ground with sugar and water, fresh Pheretima Xian Di Long is given for schizophrenia or mania accompanied by high fever.
- Di Long and Arisaema cum Bile Dan Nan Xing both settle jitteriness and convulsion and treat restlessness and convulsions from high fever, cough and wheezing from Fire and Heat in the Lungs, and impaired limb movement following Wind-Stroke or hemiplegia. Di Long is stronger at clearing Heat and calming the Liver, is used for asthma and dyspnea of bronchiolitis, and tends to unblock the collaterals; paralysis is its main indication. Dan Nan Xing is stronger at expelling Wind, transforming Phlegm and settling convulsions, and it is more often chosen for spasmodic cough and wheezing from hot Phlegm obstructing the Lungs, as in childhood pneumonia or acute bronchitis. Its tendency to expel Wind and transform Phlegm also makes it useful for Phlegm-Heat causing loss of consciousness in Wind-Stroke.
- Frying Earthworm in wine to make Jiu Chao Di Long makes it easier to grind into powder.
- Dui Yao pair with Bai Jiang Can: for chronic headache from Wind-Phlegm obstructing the channels, convulsions and seizures with a high fever, and Bell's palsy, trigeminal neuralgia and hemiplegia from impeded flow in the channels.
From Class
- Bu Yang Huan Wu Tang (hemiplegia): A large dose of Huang Qi raises qi to move blood to the brain, with Dang Gui Wei, Chi Shao, Di Long, Chuan Xiong, Tao Ren, Hong Hua; graduate Huang Qi 30→60 g. (Gioioso)