Jiu Xiang Chong

Jiu Xiang Chong (九香蟲) is the dried adult body of the brown stink bug Aspongopus chinensis Dallas (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae, also referred to in older literature as Coridius chinensis), a hemipteran insect native to southern China, where it feeds on cucurbitaceous and other cultivated plants. The insects are collected in autumn and winter, typically killed by brief immersion in hot water or wine, then dried. The dried insect is dark brown to nearly black, about 1.5–2 cm long, oval and somewhat flattened, with a strong characteristic odor from defensive secretions. In TCM, Jiu Xiang Chong is classified as salty and warm, entering the Liver, Spleen, and Kidney channels, and is used to regulate qi and relieve pain, warm the middle, and tonify Kidney yang for epigastric and chest pain from qi stagnation and cold, lumbar pain, and impotence. As an animal substance, plant fields do not apply.