bubble_chart Source

This product is the whole female insect of the gadfly species (Tabanus bivittatus Mats.) or other insects of the same genus. It is sourced from Bencao Jing Jizhu. Bielu states: "Gadfly, found in the valleys of Jiangxia. Collected in May, those with blood in the abdomen are of good quality." It is distributed across most regions of the country, with medicinal materials produced in Guangxi, Sichuan, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Hunan, Hubei, Shanxi, Henan, Liaoning, and other areas. It is captured between June and August. Gently caught with a fly swatter, strung with a thread, and dried in the sun or shade. Those that are large, dry, and intact are considered the best.

bubble_chart Properties and Meridians

Bitter, cool, toxic.

• Benjing: "bitter, slightly cold."
• Bielu: "toxic."
• Yilin Zuanyao Tanyuan: "acrid, bitter and salty, cold."

act on liver meridian.

• Gangmu: "Act on liver meridian blood fraction."
• "Essential Medicine Distribution": "Act on liver meridian."

bubble_chart Efficacy

Dispel stasis, break accumulation, and unblock meridians.

bubble_chart Indications

To treat abdominal mass, abdominal mass, lower abdominal blood accumulation, blood stagnation amenorrhea, and traumatic static blood.

1. Combined with leech, one sinking and one flying, both blood-sucking creatures, they expel malignant blood, disperse masses, and are particularly effective in treating blood stasis affecting both the upper and lower body. The breaking and expelling blood stasis power of these two herbs is greater than Sparganium Rhizome, Zedoary Rhizome, and is often used to treat static blood amenorrhea, abdominal mass, fractures, falls, and blood accumulation pain.
2. Combined with Peach Kernel, they have a synergistic effect, transforming static blood and promoting amenorrhea, removing stasis and generating new blood, treating various static blood pain syndromes in women accompanied by constipation, and menstrual irregularities belonging to blood stasis excess pattern.
3. Combined with Moutan Cortex, it clears heat and cools blood, breaks and expels blood stasis, treating traumatic injuries, static blood swelling and pain, accompanied by fever.
4. Combined with Chinese Angelica, one warm and one cold, one tonifying and one purging, they complement each other, treating menstrual irregularities, static blood amenorrhea, abdominal masses, etc.

bubble_chart Usage and Dosage

For internal use: decoct in water, 0.5 to 1 qian; grind into powder: 1 to 2 fen; or incorporate into pills or powders.

bubble_chart Cautions and Contraindications

Pregnant women should avoid taking it.

• Yaoxing Lun: "Ephedra is harmful."
• 《Pin Hui Jing Yao》: "Should not be taken during pregnancy, as it may cause early abortion."
• Bencao Jingshu: "For cold-damage disease with jaundice, deep and rapid pulse, hard lower abdomen, if there is difficulty in urination, it indicates no hemorrhagic syndrome, and it is not due to blood accumulation, thus should not be used; if static blood is not clearly identified, it should not be used; for women with blocked menstruation due to weak spleen and stomach, and exhaustion of liver blood, rather than blood stasis and blockage, it should not be used; pregnant women with abdominal masses should not use it. Those with severe pestilent qi and blood deficiency, and emaciated constitution should avoid it."

bubble_chart Processing and Storage

1. Purification: Remove impurities, sift out mud and debris, and eliminate the legs and wings (Pharmacopoeia 63).
2. Processing:
   1. Stir-frying: Place the purified gadfly in a pan, heat with mild fire, stir-fry slightly, then remove and let cool (Specifications).
   2. Rice processing: Place the purified gadfly and rice in a pan, heat with mild fire, stir-fry until the rice turns deep yellow. Remove, discard the rice, and let cool. Use 20kg of rice for every 100kg of gadfly (Specifications).
   3. Wine processing: Wash the gadfly with wine, then bake until dry (Sichuan).

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

Contains protein, amino acids, cholesterol, and 24 inorganic elements such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and copper.

The decoction of Tabanus bivittatus with water can significantly prolong the bleeding time in rats, markedly reduce the fibrinogen content in plasma, and significantly inhibit platelet aggregation; it can enhance the hypoxia tolerance in mice, dilate the blood vessels in rabbit ears to increase blood flow, and also strengthen the contraction force of isolated frog hearts, providing a certain improvement effect on acute myocardial ischemia caused by posterior pituitary hormones.