Ci Wei Pi

Ci Wei Pi is the dried prepared skin of the hedgehog, principally Erinaceus europaeus L. or Hemiechinus dauricus Sundevall (Erinaceidae). The drug consists of pieces of dorsal skin bearing the characteristic densely packed sharp banded spines, typically curled, gray-brown to yellowish, with the spines hard, smooth, and pointed. Animals are collected in autumn and winter, killed, the spiny dorsal skin removed, scraped free of fat, and sun-dried; processed forms include scorched or sand-roasted preparations. In traditional Chinese medicine the substance is bitter and neutral, entering the Stomach and Large Intestine channels; it descends qi, stops pain, harmonizes the stomach, and is the classical drug for hemorrhoidal bleeding, anal prolapse, hematochezia, gastric pain with vomiting, and seminal emission. Use is limited in modern practice given conservation concerns surrounding wild hedgehog populations.