Sang Piao Xiao
StarTenodera sinensis Saussure / Statilia maculata (Thunberg) / Hierodula patellifera (Serville)
Traditionally used for
- Urinary & fluids
- Menstrual & women's health
- Fertility & vitality
- Sleep
- Mood & calm
- Energy & fatigue
☯ TCM Properties
Tonifies Kidney Yang; Secures Essence and Stops Seminal Emission; Secures Essence and Stops Enuresis; Astringes to Stop Vaginal Discharge
Traditional Chinese Uses
Sang Piao Xiao (mantis egg case) is a neutral-warm, astringent substance used in Chinese medicine to tonify Kidney Yang and secure the Jing and Essence. It is used for spermatorrhea, urinary incontinence and bedwetting, frequent urination, and excessive vaginal discharge from Kidney deficiency failing to consolidate the lower burner. Its gentle tonifying and astringent action also calms the Heart for insomnia and restlessness in Kidney-Heart disharmony. As both a tonic and an astringent, it addresses deficiency-leakage patterns comprehensively.
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Sang Piao Xiao is the dried egg case (ootheca) of praying mantises, principally Tenodera sinensis (Chinese mantis), Statilia maculata, and Hierodula patellifera (family Mantidae). Females deposit oothecae in late autumn, attaching them to twigs, shrub stems, or wooden surfaces; in traditional collection, oothecae found on mulberry (Morus) branches are considered highest quality, giving the substance its Chinese name 'mulberry-bough-drifting'. Each ootheca is an ovoid to elongated foamy mass, 2-4 cm long, formed by an air-whipped, hardened proteinaceous secretion that protects the internal rows of eggs through winter. Color ranges from pale tan to grayish brown; the surface is finely ridged or grooved. Collected oothecae are steamed to kill the developing eggs, then dried for medicinal use.
Active Constituents
Ootheca structural protein
Structural proteinConcentration: the great majority of the dried egg case by weight
The egg case is essentially a proteinaceous foam hardened by sclerotisation, so protein and its hydrolysis products dominate the decoction. Peptide fractions of the ootheca are the subject of most recent pharmacological work on the drug.
N-Acetyldopamine
N-Acyldopamine (catecholamine derivative)The sclerotising agent of the egg case and the parent of its characteristic dimeric constituents. Isolated together with 2-oxo-N-acetyldopamine.
Tenoderins A and B
N-Acetyldopamine derivativeThree new N-acetyldopamine derivatives, reported as the enantiomers (+)- and (-)-tenoderin A plus tenoderin B, isolated from mantis egg cases. They showed antioxidant activity with IC50 values of 19.45-81.98 micromolar and inhibited intracellular reactive oxygen species generation. Note that they were isolated from Tenodera angustipennis, which is not one of the three Pharmacopoeia source species listed for this drug.
Protocatechuic acid
Phenolic acid (hydroxybenzoic acid)One of the small phenolic constituents recovered from the egg case, contributing to its measured radical-scavenging activity.
4-Hydroxybenzoic acid and 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde
Phenolic acid and phenolic aldehydeSimple phenolics isolated from the ootheca alongside apocynin and benzoic acid; markers of the drug rather than established active principles.
Oleic acid and related fatty acids
Fatty acidThe lipid fraction of the ootheca. A lipid extract of Mantidis ootheca showed antibacterial and anti-biofilm activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa in vitro.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Egg cases of non-Pharmacopoeia mantis species, notably Mantis religiosa and Tenodera angustipennis, supplied as Sang Piao Xiao
The Chinese Pharmacopoeia admits only three source species, sold as tuan piao xiao (Tenodera sinensis), chang piao xiao (Statilia maculata) and hei piao xiao (Hierodula patellifera). Because the drug is field-collected and the egg cases of different species are hard to tell apart by eye, market origin is confused. DNA barcoding of commercial material has repeatedly recovered species outside the official three, including Mantis religiosa in chang piao xiao lots, and rapid COI-based PCR assays have had to be developed specifically to police this. Most of the published chemistry of the drug, including the tenoderins, was in fact done on Tenodera angustipennis.
Clinical note: Buy from suppliers who can state the source species and, for critical prescribing, who can show molecular authentication. Treat the published pharmacology as species-uncertain.
Storage-pest insect material contaminating commercial Sang Piao Xiao
DNA metabarcoding of commercial Mantidis Ootheca samples found the material carries a diverse load of storage-pest species in addition to the mantis itself. The egg case is a dry, porous, protein-rich substrate that is stored for long periods, which makes it particularly prone to infestation. Untreated cases can also still contain viable eggs, which is why the classical instruction is to steam or dry-fry the drug before use.
Clinical note: Use only material that has been properly steamed or dry-fried, and reject visibly infested lots. Take care with patients who have insect or crustacean protein allergy, since this is an animal drug.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 5–10 g | Daily | — | — | 中国药典 2020 【用法与用量】5～10g。 【性味与归经】甘、咸，平。归肝、肾经。 — Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020, quoted verbatim; route and cautions preserved. Replaces a cleared category-filler value. |
Dui Yao — Herb Pairs
The classical two-herb combinations this herb appears in, each with an action neither herb has alone.
Tonifying the Kidney and securing essence combined with heavy settling astringency, the pair stops enuresis, frequent urination and seminal emission while calming the spirit.
Heart-Kidney disharmony with frequent cloudy urination, poor memory and a restless mind.
Core pair of a classical formula — Sang Piao Xiao San, Ben Cao Yan Yi (Kou Zongshi)
Evidence Tier
Moderate evidence · 4 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
4
2 verified · 2 unverified
Show 4 studies
- Chemical Constituents of the Egg Cases of Tenodera angustipennis (Mantidis ootheca) with Intracellular Reactive Oxygen Species Scavenging Activity
- Ootheca mantidis mitigates renal fibrosis in mice by the suppression of apoptosis via increasing the gut microbe Akkermansia muciniphila and modulating glutamine metabolism
- Two-Week Repeated Oral Dose Toxicity Study of Mantidis Ootheca Water Extract in C57BL/6 Mice
- Antibacterial and anti-biofilm activity of the lipid extract from Mantidis ootheca on Pseudomonas aeruginosa
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
Chemical Constituents of the Egg Cases of Tenodera angustipennis (Mantidis ootheca) with Intracellular Reactive Oxygen Species Scavenging Activity
Fifteen compounds were isolated from commercial mantis egg cases, including three new N-acetyldopamine derivatives named tenoderins. They scavenged radicals with IC50 values of 19.45-81.98 micromolar and inhibited intracellular reactive oxygen species generation. The source material was identified as Tenodera angustipennis, a species outside the three the Chinese Pharmacopoeia recognises for Sang Piao Xiao, so the results should not be read straight across to authenticated drug.
Ootheca mantidis mitigates renal fibrosis in mice by the suppression of apoptosis via increasing the gut microbe Akkermansia muciniphila and modulating glutamine metabolism
Mantis egg case reduced renal fibrosis in mice, with suppression of tubular apoptosis attributed to expansion of the gut commensal Akkermansia muciniphila and to changes in glutamine metabolism. This is the strongest mechanistic support so far for the drug's traditional Kidney-securing indications, but it remains a rodent study.
Two-Week Repeated Oral Dose Toxicity Study of Mantidis Ootheca Water Extract in C57BL/6 Mice
A water extract of Mantidis ootheca was given by repeated oral dosing to C57BL/6 mice for two weeks. No treatment-related toxicity was reported over that period. This is short-term rodent safety data only and says nothing about long courses or about the species-substitution and contamination problems that dominate the real-world risk with this drug.
Antibacterial and anti-biofilm activity of the lipid extract from Mantidis ootheca on Pseudomonas aeruginosa
A lipid extract of mantis egg case inhibited growth and biofilm formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in culture. The finding is of interest for the drug's chemistry but has no bearing on its clinical use for enuresis and seminal emission.
Historical Texts
Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing
Han dynastyReferences
- Song JH, Cha JM, Moon BC, Kim WJ, Yang S, Choi G. Mantidis Oötheca (mantis egg case) original species identification via morphological analysis and DNA barcoding . Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2020) [DOI]
- Xu L, Zhang X, Guo H, Yang X, Xing Z, Yang W, Zhang J, Tian X. Species diversity analysis of commercial Mantidis Ootheca samples contaminated by store pests based on DNA metabarcoding . BMC Genomics (2022) [DOI]
- Noh S, Kim WJ, Cha JM, Choi G, Yang S, Song JH, Moon BC. Rapid Diagnostic PCR Assay Method for Species Identification of Mantidis Ootheca (Sangpiaoxiao) Based on Cytochrom C Oxidase I (COI) Barcode Analysis . International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2024) [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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