Wu Ling Zhi

Wu Ling Zhi is the dried excrement of Trogopterus xanthipes (Milne-Edwards), the complex-toothed flying squirrel, a nocturnal arboreal rodent endemic to the mountainous forests of northern and western China. The squirrel deposits its droppings in characteristic latrines in rocky crevices or beneath roosting trees, where they harden into dark brown to blackish irregular masses or pellets. These are collected year-round, picked free of debris, and either left raw or processed by dry-frying or with vinegar before use. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wu Ling Zhi is bitter, sweet, and warm in nature, entering the Liver channel; it invigorates blood, dispels stasis, alleviates pain (especially abdominal and menstrual pain from blood stasis), and is the classical pairing with Pu Huang in Shi Xiao San.