Wingless Cockroach — Classic Formulas
Tu Bie Chong · Eupolyphaga Seu Steleophaga
Primary Actions
- Breaks up blood stasis and dispels accumulations - Tu Bie Chong is a strong blood-breaking medicinal used for amenorrhea, fixed abdominal masses, postpartum stasis pain, and other entrenched stasis disorders that gentler movers may not resolve.
- Relieves pain caused by obstructive blood stasis - its traditional sphere includes stubborn menstrual pain and focal pain with hardness or palpable mass.
- Reconnects sinews and bones after traumatic injury - beyond gynecologic and mass-dispersing use, it is classically valued for fractures, contusions, and tissue damage where stasis prevents recovery.
Classic Formulas
- Da Huang Zhe Chong Wan - one of the defining classical blood-stasis formulas for chronic stasis with abdominal fullness, emaciation, or fixed masses.
- Xia Yu Xue Tang - classical postpartum or lower-abdominal blood-stasis formula logic in which strong stasis-resolving herbs are required.
- Trauma and fracture formulas using Tu Bie Chong with Gu Sui Bu or Zi Ran Tong - traditional pairing logic for sinew-bone repair after injury.
Classical Text References
- Modern TCM summaries place Tu Bie Chong among the strongest blood-stasis-breaking medicinals and emphasize amenorrhea, palpable masses, and traumatic injury as the core indications.
- The Jin Kui Yao Lue formula tradition is especially important for this herb, particularly Da Huang Zhe Chong Wan and related stasis formulas.
- Later materia medica also preserve the 'joins sinews and bones' reputation that keeps the insect relevant in trauma and fracture discussions.