Leech
(Shuizhi)
Pharmaceutical Name : Hirudo seu whitmaniae
Zoological Name : 1. Whitmania pigra (Whitman);
2. Hirudo nipponica Whitman; 3. Whitmania
acranulata (Whitman)
Common Name : Leech
Source of Earliest Record: Shennong Bencao
Jing
Part Used & Method for Pharmaceutical
Preparations: The leeches are caught from
May to June or in autumn. They are killed
and dried in the sun, and then pounded into
powder or carbonized.
Properties & Taste : Salty, bitter,
neutral and slightly toxic
Meridian : Liver
Functions:
1. To invigorate blood and remove stagnation;
2. To promote menstruation
Indications & Combinations:
1. Amenorrhea or abdominal and epigastric
masses caused by blood stagnation. Leech (Shuizhi)
is used with Peach seed (Taoren), Burreed
tuber (Sanleng) and Chinese angelica root
(Danggui).
2. Chest pain, abdominal pain and constipation
caused by blood stagnation due to external
injury. Leech (Shuizhi) is used with Pharbitis
seed (Qianniuzi) and Rhubarb (Dahuang) in
the formula Duoming Dan.
Dosage: 3-6 g; 0.3-0.5 g for baked powder
Cautions & Contraindications: This substance
is contraindicated during pregnancy. |
