Traditionally used for
- Digestion
- Bowel health
- Mood & calm
- Nerves & recovery
Cautions & contraindications
- Pregnancy
☯ TCM Properties
Relieves constipation, attacks toxins and disperses Blood Stagnation; Calms the Shen
Traditional Chinese Uses
Qiang Lang is the dried body of the dung beetle Catharsius molossus (Scarabaeidae), a salty, cold, slightly toxic animal substance entering the Stomach, Large Intestine, and Pericardium channels. Traditionally it breaks up Blood stasis, disperses masses, and attacks toxins, and relaxes the bowels in stubborn constipation and abdominal fullness. Its downward-draining, stasis-moving nature was applied to abdominal masses, hemorrhoids and anal swelling, and traumatic swellings, while its ability to calm the Shen and arrest convulsions saw use in childhood convulsions and fright. Given its toxicity it is used in small doses, often powdered, and is contraindicated in pregnancy and in weak patients without stasis. As a minor, potentially toxic folk material of variable quality, it should be used only under qualified supervision.
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Qiang Lang, also written Qiang Lang Chong, is the dried whole body of the dung beetle Catharsius molossus (L.) (Scarabaeidae), a robust black coleopteran 2 to 4 cm long with a forward-projecting cephalic horn in the male and broad spade-like fore tibiae adapted for rolling balls of mammalian dung. Distributed across southern China, Taiwan, and tropical Asia, the insect is collected from summer through autumn, killed by scalding, and sun-dried. In traditional Chinese medicine it is salty and cold with mild toxicity, entering the Liver, Stomach, and Large Intestine channels; classical indications include convulsions and tetanus in children, abdominal masses, hemorrhoidal swelling, and topical application for malignant sores and anal fistula. Modern practice limits its use to specialist prescriptions.
Active Constituents
Molossusamides A, B and C
N-acetyldopamine dimersConcentration: not quantified in the crude drug
Three new N-acetyldopamine dimers isolated from C. molossus in 2015 alongside two previously known congeners. Of the five, one of the known compounds inhibited COX-1 and COX-2. N-acetyldopamine dimers are cuticular sclerotisation products and are the best-characterised small molecules of this drug.
Catharsius protease-1 (CPM-1)
Serine protease, 27 kDa, isoelectric point 4.4Concentration: isolated from whole-body extract; yield not expressed as a proportion of the crude drug
A trypsin-like serine protease that digests the A-alpha and gamma chains of fibrinogen readily and the B-beta chain more slowly, and raises D-dimer from cross-linked fibrin, indicating genuine fibrinolytic activity. It is inhibited by TLCK, soybean trypsin inhibitor, aprotinin, benzamidine and alpha-1-antitrypsin, and is not neutralised by antiplasmin or antithrombin III.
Chitin and chitosan of the exoskeleton
AminopolysaccharideConcentration: not quantified
Structural material of the beetle body that makes up much of the mass of the whole dried drug. It has no established pharmacological role in this preparation and is largely indigestible.
Melanin
Polyphenolic pigmentConcentration: not quantified
The cuticular pigment of the beetle, reported among the constituents of C. molossus. No pharmacology has been established for it in this drug.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Warfarin, heparin, direct oral anticoagulants and thrombolytics
Catharsius protease-1, purified from whole beetles, hydrolyses fibrinogen chains and generates D-dimer from cross-linked fibrin, and is not neutralised by antiplasmin or antithrombin III - meaning the body's ordinary brakes on fibrinolysis do not act on it. This is a purified-enzyme in vitro finding; no study has shown that the enzyme survives preparation of the crude drug or is absorbed intact after oral dosing.
Clinical note: Treat as additive with anticoagulant and thrombolytic therapy and withhold before surgery. Avoid in active bleeding, peptic ulcer and thrombocytopenia.
NSAIDs and aspirin
One of the N-acetyldopamine dimers isolated from C. molossus inhibited both COX-1 and COX-2 in vitro. COX-1 inhibition is the mechanism that links NSAIDs to gastric injury and platelet suppression, so additive effects are plausible, but the concentrations achieved in a patient taking the crude drug are unknown.
Clinical note: No dose adjustment is warranted on this evidence alone, but watch for dyspepsia and bruising if the herb is combined with regular NSAID use.
Immunosuppressants and other immunocompromising therapy
Catharsius molossus is a coprophagous beetle whose gut microbiota derives directly from mammalian dung and varies with geography and brood-ball transmission. A whole dried beetle that has not been adequately processed therefore carries an enteric microbial load that a plant drug does not. No infection attributable to this drug has been published, so this is a reasoned precaution rather than a documented event.
Clinical note: Use only properly processed material from a regulated supplier, and prefer decoction over raw powder in immunocompromised patients. Traditionally regarded as slightly toxic and contraindicated in pregnancy and in patients without genuine stasis.
Evidence Tier
Limited evidence · 2 studiesRecorded studies by study design, strongest design at the top. This is a study-design tier only, not a GRADE rating: it does not weigh risk of bias, consistency or precision.
Systematic review / meta-analysis
0
Randomized controlled trial
0
Other clinical trial
0
Observational / case report
0
In vitro / animal
2
0 verified · 2 unverified
Other / unclassified
0
Verified: design read from PubMed for a DOI that resolves to the cited paper Unverified: taken from the study's recorded description
Clinical Studies
Identification of N-Acetyldopamine Dimers from the Dung Beetle Catharsius molossus and Their COX-1 and COX-2 Inhibitory Activities
Three new N-acetyldopamine dimers, molossusamides A to C, were isolated from C. molossus together with two known compounds, and their structures established spectroscopically. One of the known compounds inhibited COX-1 and COX-2, giving the drug's traditional anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving use a plausible molecular basis.
Purification and characterization of a serine protease with fibrinolytic activity from the dung beetles, Catharsius molossus
A 27 kDa serine protease designated CPM-1 was purified to homogeneity from whole beetles. It preferentially hydrolysed chromogenic substrates with Arg or Lys at P1, cleaved the oxidised insulin B-chain between Arg22 and Gly23, digested the A-alpha and gamma chains of fibrinogen readily, and raised D-dimer concentration from cross-linked fibrin, confirming fibrinolytic activity. It was inhibited by classic serine protease inhibitors but not by antiplasmin or antithrombin III.
Historical Texts
Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing
Han dynastyBen Cao Gang Mu
Ming dynastyReferences
- Deyrup ST, Stagnitti NC, Perpetua MJ, Wong-Deyrup SW. Drug Discovery Insights from Medicinal Beetles in Traditional Chinese Medicine . Biomolecules and Therapeutics (2021) [DOI]
- Xu X, Fan X, Tong Y, Shen R, Tian Z, Wu S, Bai M. Chromosome-level genome assembly of the dung beetle Catharsius molossus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) . Scientific Data (2025) [DOI]
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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