Skip to content
Cura x Cura

Sang Piao Xiao桑螵蛸

Mantidis Oötheca · Mantis Egg Case

Astringent Herbs 收涩药《神农本草经》

Overview

The dried egg case of the praying mantis, collected from twigs in late autumn or winter and steamed before drying so that the eggs cannot hatch — an unsteamed case is not fit to dispense. Sweet, salty and neutral, entering Liver and Kidney, it does two things at once that usually need two herbs: it warms and supplements the Kidney's yang, and it astringes, holding in essence and urine. That combination makes it the herb most reached for in childhood bedwetting, in night-time urination in older adults, and in seminal emission with a cold, weak lower back. Salt-frying steers it further into the Kidney.

Nature & Flavor

Sweet, salty · Neutral

Channels

Liver · Kidney

Typical Dosage

6–10 g in decoction
桑螵蛸Photography for this entry is on its way.

Actions

3 core actions

  • Secures essence and reduces urinationBedwetting in children, frequent or night-time urination, dribbling incontinence, seminal emission and premature ejaculation where the pattern is a Kidney that cannot hold.
  • Supplements the Kidney and assists yangA cold, sore lower back and knees, low libido, impotence, and clear copious vaginal discharge — it supplements while it astringes rather than merely blocking.
  • Preparation mattersThe case must be steamed (or otherwise heat-treated) before use. Salt-frying deepens its entry into the Kidney and is the form usually chosen for frequent urination and a weak lumbus.

In Formulas

Formulas containing Sang Piao Xiao

Indications & Clinical Uses

  • Childhood bedwetting and daytime urinary frequency
    - Night-time urination and dribbling incontinence in older adults
    - Seminal emission, premature ejaculation, spermatorrhoea
    - Clear, copious vaginal discharge from Kidney deficiency

Western Medical Keywords

Searchable condition terms

Nocturnal enuresisUrinary frequencyUrinary incontinencePremature ejaculation

Contraindications

Cautions

Warming and astringent, so it is the wrong herb where frequent urination comes from damp-heat in the bladder — burning, urgency, cloudy or dark urine — or from yin-deficient heat, and it should not be used while an infection is active. It is an insect product: anyone with a known allergy to insect or crustacean proteins should approach it cautiously and stop at any rash, swelling or wheeze. New night-time urination in an adult, or bedwetting that starts after a dry period in a child, should be medically assessed first — diabetes, urinary infection and prostate disease all present this way.

Contraindicated in pregnancy: No specific restriction — practitioner judgment applies

For licensed practitioners’ reference only

References

  1. Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing《神农本草经》(classical source, public domain).
    2. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
    3. 《中华人民共和国药典》.

Professional reference notice. Entries are scholarly references for licensed TCM practitioners and students — not medical advice, and not a recommendation to self-prescribe. Chinese herbal formulas should be used under the guidance of a qualified practitioner. Content is an original editorial compilation by Cura x Cura, cross-checked against the cited references.