"Cuttlebone" (piāo xiāo): the egg mass of the praying mantis, i.e., the dried egg sheath of the praying mantis family insects Tenodera sinensisi?Saussure (Great Cutting Mantis), Statilia maculata (Thurlberg) (Lesser Cutting Mantis), or Hierodula patellifera (Giant Axe Mantis) The dried egg sheaths of Hierodula patellifera (Servi11e). (The above three species are habitually known as the "dough cuttlebone", "long cuttlebone", and "black cuttlebone", respectively.) The cuttlebone produced on mulberry trees is called "cuttlebone" and can be used as medicine. It is also known as "tick-octopus". Invertebrate insect praying mantis, the female before laying eggs, first in the branch or bark, secretion of a foamy mucus, and then will be fertilized eggs inside, many eggs arranged in rows, drying that is the formation of a kind of egg sheath, called cuttlebone. Each female can produce 4 to 5 egg sheaths of the same size and shape. Chinese medicine calls the egg sheath "cuttlebone", such as the egg sheath on the mulberry tree, known as "mulberry cuttlebone". Harvested in winter, steamed for 1 hour to kill the eggs, dried in the sun can be used in traditional Chinese medicine, the finished product is yellowish-brown, fluffy, light, for the weak, excessive urination, anti-diuretic (shrinkage) effect.

According to the ancient materia medica only produced in the mulberry tree is called cuttlebone, and produced in other plants can only be called cuttlebone, only produced in the mulberry tree is the only one to get the essence of the mulberry white skin fluids, and thus into the medicine is the best. Some old Chinese doctors in order to make up for these deficiencies in the formula to add some mulberry white bark, increase some of the effect of diuresis, but always feel a kind of "scratching the itch" flavor, the soft cuttlebone (big sheep) is often produced in the stone, the long cuttlebone is often produced in the reeds, the short cuttlebone is often produced in the acacia tree, willow and other trees and shrubs, some of the old Chinese doctors believe that this more "cuttlebone", the more "cuttlebone" is not the same as the "cuttlebone", but only produced on other plants can be called cuttlebone. Nowadays, some old Chinese medicine practitioners think that this kind of cuttlebone is of the best quality, and the one at the front end of the egg-laying process is often the blackest in color, which is considered to be the best quality among the cuttlebones. The mantis lays eggs, which are milky white at first, like hot melt glue, and turn black and hard after a while.

Chinese name

Bone cuttlebone

Also known as

"tick-octopus"