Wu Gong - 蜈蚣 - Scolopendra - Centipede
| Pharmaceutical Latin: | Scolopendra |
| Common English: | Centipede |
Category
Substances that Extinguish Wind and Stop TremorsProperties
| Taste | Temperature | Entering Meridians | Dosage |
| Acrid (Salty) | Warm Toxic | Liver | Decoction: 1-4g Powder: 0.6-1g 0.6-1g. when just the tail is used Tincture: 0.5-1ml |
Actions And Indications
| Actions | Indications/Syndromes |
Extinguishes Wind and stops spasms and convulsions | Liver Wind with acute and chronic childhood convulsions, opisthotonis, lockjaw and seizures Facial paralysis due to Wind |
Attacks and relieves Fire toxins, relieves abdominal masses and dissipates nodules | Toxic nodules including sores, scrofula, Carbuncles and neck lumps Chuang Yung (topical) Cancer Snake bites |
Unblocks the collaterals and stops pain | Stubborn headaches including migraines Bi pain |
Contraindications, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions
| CONTRAINDICATIONS |
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| INCOMPATIBILITIES |
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| HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS |
Major Combinations
| Scorpio | Scorpio | Rx. Glycyrrhizae |
Wind due to high fever leading to seizures and convulsions. Epilepsy. Toxic, swollen sores and scrofula. Submandibular lymphadenitis. (internal or topical) Stubborn migraines. Wind-Damp Bi pain. Twitching. Tetany. Opisthotonis. | Spasms, contractures, and opisthotonis associated with acute and chronic childhood convulsions. | Topically as a plaster for scrofula, sores and snakebite. |
| Tea | Realgar | Fish Liver Oil |
Topically for gangrene and ulcerations of the toes. | Toxic sores topically. | Topically as a salve, for pustules, of the fingertips which are called “snake head boils”. |
| Rz. Gastrodiae | Rx. Angelicae Pubescentis | Rx. Ligustici Chuanxiong |
Stubborn headaches, migraines or Bi pain. | Stubborn Bi. | Chronic headaches due to Blood Stasis. Trigeminal neuralgia. Angioneurotic headaches. Migraines. |
Squama Manitis | Cornu Saigae Tataricae | Scorpio |
Stroke. | Childhood convulsions with a high fever. | Epilepsy. |
Rz. Arisaematis Preparatum | Concretio Silicea Bambusae | Realgar |
Tetanus. | Delirium associated with a high fever, spasms, convulsions or clenched fists. | Topically as a powder, for toxic nodules. |
Scorpio | Rz. Coptidis | |
Tuberculosis of the bones. | Snakebite with dizziness, blurred vision and spasms. |
Notes
- Its uses resemble those of Scorpio Quan Xie for toxic sores and convulsions, but this herb is the more effective of the two.
- For submandibular lymphadenitis, it may be applied topically on its own.
- It is used for Stomach and Liver cancers.
- It eliminates hypochondriac masses.
- To treat scrofula and ulcerous sores, roast it with tea and grind it into a powder. First wash the lesion with a decoction of Rx. Glycyrrhizae Gan Cao , then apply the powder.
- For ulcers and tumors, grind one Wu Gong, with one loaf of Alumen Ming Fan, one Omphalia Lei Wan and 6g Rx. Stemonae Bai Bu into a powder and combine with vinegar.
- In female dactylitis with a protruding diabrotic polyp, apply powdered Wu Gong directly to the lesion, then cover it with a blend of Rz. Arisaematis Preparatum Zhi Tian Nan Xing and vinegar.
- Wu Gong , Scorpio Quan Xie, and Bombyx Batryticatus Jiang Can all dispel Wind and stop spasms, and they are frequently combined in severe cases. They can also reduce swelling and disperse clumping. Jiang Can is mainly for Phlegm-Heat and for treating throat Bi. Wu Gong is pungent and warm and the most intense of the three, making it better suited to opisthotonis, convulsions and rigid spasms. Quan Xie is pungent and neutral and works better for Heat. It extinguishes Wind and stops spasms more strongly and treats tremors of the hands and feet, twitching and torticollis more effectively. Wu Gong and Quan Xie both attack toxin and are used for Heat toxin sores, scrofula and phlegm nodules.