Centipede

Traditional Use

Primary Actions

• Extinguishes wind and stops spasms - Wu Gong is one of the stronger animal medicinals for convulsions, tetanus, epilepsy, severe muscle spasm, and stubborn internal-wind disorders, and is traditionally considered more forceful than Quan Xie in this role.
• Counteracts toxicity and dissipates nodules - it is classically used for sores, abscesses, scrofula, goiter, and toxic swellings, especially when the lesion is hard, painful, and resistant to milder treatment.
• Unblocks the collaterals and alleviates pain - Wu Gong is selected for severe wind-damp arthralgia, numbness, stubborn headache, and post-stroke channel obstruction when ordinary herbs have failed to penetrate deeply enough.
• Searches out stubborn, entrenched pathology - its strong penetrating nature makes it a medicine of refractory conditions rather than mild everyday use, whether the target is convulsive wind, painful obstruction, or fixed toxic masses.

Secondary Actions

• Wu Gong is commonly paired with Quan Xie, with centipede usually providing the more aggressive spasm-stopping and collateral-opening edge.
• Because it is warm and toxic, Wu Gong is usually given in small doses, often powdered or specially prepared, rather than in large decoction amounts.

Classic Formulas

• Zhi Jing San (止痉散) - classic convulsion-stopping powder pairing Wu Gong with Quan Xie for severe spasm, tetanus, and internal-wind presentations.
• Da Huo Luo Dan (大活络丹) - major collateral-unblocking formula in which Wu Gong contributes deep channel-opening action for wind-damp paralysis and post-stroke sequelae.
• Topical Wu Gong powder with tea leaves or other hardness-softening medicinals - traditional external approach for scrofula, abscesses, and stubborn nodules.

Classical References

• TCM Wiki records Wu Gong as pungent, warm, and toxic, entering the Liver channel and acting to extinguish wind, stop spasm, counteract toxin, dissipate nodules, unblock collaterals, and alleviate pain.
• The Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing tradition preserves Wu Gong as a recognized medicinal animal substance and later formula literature repeatedly pairs it with Quan Xie for severe convulsive or obstructive disorders.
• Traditional teaching repeatedly warns that Wu Gong is toxic and contraindicated in pregnancy, so dosage discipline is central to safe use.