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Wu Gong蜈蚣

Scolopendra · Centipede

Herbs that Pacify the Liver and Extinguish Wind 平肝息风药《神农本草经》

Overview

The dried body of the large red-headed centipede, stretched on a bamboo splint and dried whole. Acrid, warm and toxic, it is one of the strongest of the wind-extinguishing, spasm-settling medicines, and it is used the way such medicines should be — in small amounts, on prescription, and for patterns that gentler herbs have failed. Its second reputation is for pain: as a creature that burrows and penetrates, it is understood to enter the collaterals and reach an entrenched, fixed pain that ordinary channel-opening herbs cannot. Chinese sources classify it as toxic, and this entry treats it as toxic throughout.

Nature & Flavor

Acrid · Warm · Toxic

Channels

Liver

Typical Dosage

3–5 g in decoction
蜈蚣Photography for this entry is on its way.

Actions

3 core actions

  • Extinguishes wind, settles spasmConvulsions, tetanic rigidity, opisthotonos and childhood convulsive disorders — classically paired with Quan Xie 全蝎, always as part of urgent conventional care rather than instead of it.
  • Opens the collaterals, stops painEntrenched, fixed headache and migraine, stubborn wind-damp joint pain, and post-stroke rigidity where the pain has become deep-seated.
  • Attacks toxin, dissipates nodulesScrofulous nodules, chronic non-healing sores and snakebite; often applied topically in oil or powder.

In Formulas

Formulas containing Wu Gong

Indications & Clinical Uses

  • Convulsions, spasm and tetanic rigidity (adjunct to urgent medical care)
    - Entrenched migraine and fixed head pain
    - Stubborn wind-damp joint pain and numbness
    - Scrofula, chronic sores, snakebite (usually topical)

Western Medical Keywords

Searchable condition terms

EpilepsyTetanusMigraineTrigeminal neuralgiaRheumatoid arthritis

Contraindications

Cautions

This herb is toxic and is for prescription use only — never self-prescribe it and never exceed the dose you were given. Its proteins are haemolytic and histamine-like: overdose causes nausea and vomiting, dizziness, a drop in blood pressure, red-brown urine from red-cell breakdown, and injury to the liver and kidneys. Allergic reactions, including rash and swelling, occur in people sensitive to insect and arthropod proteins, so the first dose deserves particular caution. It is contraindicated in pregnancy. It is also the wrong choice for convulsions arising from blood deficiency rather than stirring Liver wind, and it should not be given in long uninterrupted courses. Convulsions, tetanus, suspected stroke and snakebite are medical emergencies: this herb has a supporting role inside a treatment plan and no role as a first response.

Contraindicated in pregnancy: Contraindicated in pregnancy — toxic, and strongly moving.

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.