Understanding Blattodea—April 12, 1997

Understanding Blattodea—April 12, 1997

It refers to the dried whole body of the female adult cockroach of the Blattidae family. Males have wings, so they should not be used. It has a salty-cold nature and slight toxicity, breaking up blood stasis, removing blood clots, dissolving masses, and treating injuries from falls. According to "Jin Gui Yao Lue," the Rhubarb and Blattodea Pill is used to treat "internal dry blood, skin scaling, abdominal distension and amenorrhea"; according to "Pocket Prescriptions," grinding it with natural copper and decocting it treats injuries from falls; according to "Zheng Zhi Jun Sheng," grinding it with salt and decocting it treats tongue-tie; according to "Compendium of Materia Medica," it treats severe tongue-tie, tongue-tie, and night crying in children. Each dose is 3–6g. Leeches, horseflies, and blattodea are all insects, all having the effects of breaking up blood stasis, removing blood clots, and dissolving masses. Besides treating women's amenorrhea and injuries from falls, from a modern pharmacological perspective, these three drugs can all improve blood rheology, reduce blood viscosity, and inhibit platelet aggregation, thus being effective in treating arteriosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Given that the Rhubarb and Blattodea Pill in "Jin Gui Yao Lue" combines these three drugs to treat liver diseases such as hepatosplenomegaly, it can be extended to various patients with hepatosplenomegaly. These three drugs can also be used to treat renal failure and chronic nephritis.