Pharmaceutical Name:

Scolopendra

Zoological Name:

Scolopendra subspinipes mutilams L. Koch

Common Name:

Centipede

Source of Earliest Record:

Shennong Bencao Jing

Part Used & Method for Pharmaceutical Preparations:

The centipede is caught in spring, and then it is boiled, dried and pounded into powder, or fixed to bamboo slats to dry.

Properties and Taste:

Pungent, warm and toxic

Meridian:

Liver

Functions:

To subdue endogenous wind and stop spasms
To dispel toxins
To clear collaterals and stop pain

Indications and Combinations:

1.     Acute and chronic convulsions or tetany manifested as spasms, convulsions of the limbs and ophisthotonos.
*Use with Scorpion (Quanxie), White-stiff silkworm (Baijiangcan) and Uncaria stem (Gouteng).

2.      Stubborn headache and rheumatic pain.
*Use with Scorpion (Quanxie), Gastrodia tuber (Tianma), White-stiff silkworm (Baijiangcan) and Chuanxiong rhizome (Chuanxiong).

Dosage:

1-3 g; 0.6-1 g for powder

Cautions:

This substance is toxic and overdosing should be avoided.  This substance is contraindicated during pregnancy.