Ground beetles, a precious TCM herb to regulate blood condition

What are ground beetles(Tu Bie Chong)?
From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, it refers to the dried whole body of female Eupolyphaga sinensis Walk. or Steleophaga plancyi (Bol.). Both of them are animal in the family Corydiidae. Other common names of it are Eupolyphaga seu Steleophaga, Wingless Cockroach, Zhe Chong, Tu Yuan, and the like. It is produced in all over China and the one with higher medicinal value is from Hu Nan, Hu Bei, Jiangsu, Henan, and Jiangsu. The wild species can be captured in summer and the raised all year round. The steps are to kill them by dropping the living ones into a pot of boiling water and then dry in the sun or by the oven. By the way, clinically the Opisthoplatia orientalis Burmister (Jin Bian Tu Bie) is also used the same herb since it is believed with the same healing power. Besides, pay attention to tell it from Cybister tripunctatus orientalis Gschwendtner since is it is also called "Shui Bie Chong" but with different healing properties.

Ground beetle benefits
As a traditional precious Chinese herb of regulating blood condition and trauma, it is widely used for bruises, swelling, pain, injury, and so on. Thanks to its high medicinal value on dredging collaterals, treating injury, fixing injured tendon, and curing bone fracture, it is also known as "bonesetting beetle." In fact, it is an integral part of hundred kinds of proprietary Chinese medicines, including Dieda Wan, Zhishang powder, swelling paste, dark tanning oil, and more. In recent years, many upscale restaurants are also used it to make haute cuisine called "fried silver beetle" and "braised beetle" since it is delicious and with very high nutritional value.

Modern pharmacology
1) Its extract reduces thrombus formation and its solution with traditional technique of water extraction and alcohol precipitation dissolves an intravascular thrombus;

2) Its extract inhibits platelet aggregation and adherence rate and reduces the aggregation number;

3) Its total alkaloids may improve myocardial and cerebral ischemic tolerance, reduce the oxygen consumption of the heart and brain tissue;

4) Its decoction is with lipid-lowering effect, which can delay the formation of Atherosclerosis;

5) Its extract has hepatoprotective effect by inhibiting D-galactose-induced liver damage.