This product is the white serous fluid secreted by the postauricular and skin glands of the toad species Bufo gargarizans Cantor or Bufo melanostictus Schneider, which is then processed and dried. It is widely distributed across most regions of the country, primarily produced in Hebei, Shandong, Sichuan, Hunan, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang. The toads are mostly captured during the summer and autumn seasons. After capture, the toads are washed and dried, and the white serous fluid from the postauricular and skin glands is extracted. This fluid is collected in porcelain containers (avoid contact with ironware, as it may turn black) and immediately filtered through a copper sieve to remove soil and impurities. It is then spread on glass plates, bamboo mats, or scraped into round molds and dried in the sun for storage. When used, the dried pieces are dissolved in alcohol or fresh milk, then air-dried or sun-dried, finely ground, and incorporated into pills or powders.

bubble_chart Properties and Meridians

Acrid, warm, toxic. Act on heart meridian.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Resuscitation, refreshing, pain relief, detoxification.

bubble_chart Indications

1. Used for filthy-attack eruptive disease abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea, unconsciousness. Toad Venom is pungent and warm, with the ability to move quickly and has the effects of resuscitation, awakening the spirit, and dispelling filth. Therefore, it can treat summerheat injury, damp filthy turbidity, and improper qi caused by unclean food, leading to filthy-attack eruptive disease abdominal pain, incessant vomiting and diarrhea, and even syncope. It is often combined with musk, Clove, Atractylodes Rhizome, and other medicinal combinations, such as Toad Venom Pill.
2. Used for malignant sores, scrofula, sore throat, and various toothaches. This product is toxic and has a good effect on subduing swelling to relieve pain. It is effective both externally and internally. For treating malignant sores, abscesses, and boils, it is combined with Realgar, dried alum, Cinnabar, and other medicinal combinations, made into pills the size of Mung Bean, taking five pills each time, taken with Fistular Onion Stalk decoction, which is very effective, such as Waike Zhengzong Toad Venom Pill. For treating scarlatina, throat wind, tonsillitis, and sore throat, it is often combined with Cow-Bezoar, Realgar, borneol, and other medicinal combinations, such as Liu Shen Wan.
3. In recent years, Toad Venom has been used to treat various cancers, with certain effects on attacking toxins and subduing swelling to relieve pain. For example, it is used to treat liver cancer, intestinal cancer, leukemia, skin cancer, etc., both internally and externally, achieving certain therapeutic effects. Clinically, it is also used for respiratory and circulatory failure, with a rapid and long-lasting blood pressure-raising effect and a significant respiratory stimulant effect.

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Yaoxing Lun: "On the Dragon Boat Festival, take eyebrow fat, make pills the size of hemp seeds with Cinnabar and musk, to treat infantile malnutrition and emaciation, take one pill on an empty stomach: for brain malnutrition, mix with breast milk and drip into the nose, very effective."
2. Bencao Huiyan: "Toad Venom, treats infantile malnutrition with accumulation, eliminates tympanites, and is a medicine that resolves toxic conditions. It can dissolve all kinds of stagnant and congested diseases, such as accumulated toxins, masses, and pus, and has the effect of attacking toxins in internal abscesses and swellings."
3. Bencao Biandu: "Good for resuscitation, warding off evil and searching for pathogens, used in emergency formulas for various pattern of obstruction to open blockages. However, taking medicine should always be done with caution. Test a small amount on the skin, and it will immediately cause blisters and erosion, showing its nature. When grinding it, if smelled through the nose, it causes continuous sneezing, hence it is used in sneezing-inducing medicines."

bubble_chart Usage and Dosage

Take 0.015～0.03g in pill or powder form each time. Apply an appropriate amount externally.

bubble_chart Cautions and Contraindications

This product is toxic; do not exceed the recommended dosage for internal use. Avoid contact with eyes when applying externally. Pregnant women should not use this product.

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

The main components contained in this product belong chemically to the family of compounds, collectively known as bufadienolides, which include bufotalin, cinobufagin, cinobufotalin, bufalin, among others. The cinobufotoxin isolated from Chinese toad venom; upon acid hydrolysis, it produces cinobufagin, suberic acid, and amino acids. In addition, it also contains indole alkaloids such as serotonin, bufotenine, as well as resibufogenin, bufalin, adrenaline, etc. Toad venom has a digitalis-like cardiotonic effect, bufalin and cinobufagin have pressor effects similar to adrenaline and central respiratory stimulant effects. The 80% alcohol extract of toad venom has a surface anesthetic effect, with bufalin being the most potent, equivalent to 90 times that of cocaine; the total bufadienolide injection has inhibitory effects on Proteus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Tetracoccus, Staphylococcus albus, and Catarrhalis; toad venom also has analgesic effects, stimulates striated muscle, uterus, and fallopian tubes, and has anti-asthmatic, antitussive, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-radiation, and leukocyte-elevating effects.

Toad skin: It is the skin of animals from the Bufonidae family, such as the Chinese giant toad or the black-spectacled toad. It has a pungent taste, cool nature, and is slightly toxic. Its functions include clearing heat and removing toxins, promoting diuresis, and relieving distension. It is suitable for conditions such as Yongju sores, infantile malnutrition with accumulation abdominal distension and fullness, scrofula, and tumors. For decoction, use 3-6g. For powder in pills or powders, use 0.3-0.9g each time. For external use, an appropriate amount can be ground into powder and applied to the affected area, or fresh toad skin can be directly applied to the affected area.

Recent reports indicate that toad skin has shown certain efficacy in treating chronic bronchitis and malignant tumors, such as stomach cancer, esophageal cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer, and lymph fleshy tumors.