Xi Shuai
StarVelarifictorus aspersus (Walker, 1869)
Synonyms: Gryllus aspersus Walker, 1869, Scapsipedus aspersus (Walker), Gryllulus chinensis Weber, Velarifictorus micado (Saussure, 1877)
☯ TCM Properties
Promotes diuresis; Facilitates parturition
Traditional Chinese Uses
Xi Shuai is the dried field cricket Velarifictorus aspersus (Gryllidae), a pungent, salty, warm, and toxic substance traditionally used as a diuretic that enters the Bladder, Small Intestine, and Large Intestine channels. It strongly promotes urination and unblocks obstructed water pathways, and is applied to edema, difficult or dribbling urination, urinary stones and gravel (lin patterns), and ascites, and to help move a stalled labor. Because it is warm, dispersing, and toxic, it is reserved for genuine severe fluid retention or obstruction and is not a casual tonic. It is used in small doses, often powdered, and combined with other diuretic and stone-expelling herbs. It is contraindicated in pregnancy (it promotes delivery) and in weak, deficient patients lacking true obstruction, and should be avoided by anyone with insect or crustacean allergy.
Botanical Description
Xi Shuai is the dried whole body of the burrowing field cricket Velarifictorus aspersus (Orthoptera: Gryllidae), a nocturnal, burrow-dwelling omnivore widespread across China and East Asia. Adults are about 13-20 mm long, dark reddish-brown to nearly black, with a broad rounded head, long filiform antennae, robust chewing mandibles, and greatly enlarged hind femora for leaping; two long terminal cerci project from the abdomen and the female bears a needle-like ovipositor. Males have leathery, stridulatory forewings that produce the characteristic chirping song. For medicinal use the insects are collected in summer and autumn, killed by scalding in boiling water, then sun-dried or oven-dried whole. Acrid, salty and warm with mild toxicity, the drug promotes urination, breaks Blood stasis and facilitates parturition.
Terrestrial; in burrows, under stones, in field margins, gardens and grassland across warm-temperate to subtropical East Asia.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 9-15g | Daily | — | — | — |
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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