Earthworm — Classic Formulas
Di Long · Pheretima
Primary Actions
- Clears heat and extinguishes internal wind - Di Long is classically used for high fever, spasms, convulsions, and heat-driven agitation in which internal wind has been stirred by replete heat.
- Unblocks channels and collaterals - it is a core animal medicine for hemiplegia, numbness, facial paralysis, red swollen painful obstruction, and post-stroke patterns where movement has been blocked by stasis and heat.
- Clears Lung heat and calms wheezing - traditional use extends to asthma, labored breathing, and stubborn wheeze when heat and obstruction bind the Lung.
- Promotes urination and reduces swelling - it can be added when bladder heat, edema, or difficult urination are part of the pattern.
Classic Formulas
- Bu Yang Huan Wu Tang - classic post-stroke formula in which Di Long helps reopen the channels and collaterals.
- Di Long with Gou Teng, Jiang Can, and Quan Xie - a traditional internal-wind combination for spasms, tremors, and convulsions.
- Di Long with Ma Huang and Xing Ren - a classic wheezing strategy for Lung heat with difficult breathing.
Classical Text References
- Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing and later materia medica preserve Di Long's reputation for treating heat, spasms, and channel obstruction.
- Traditional herbology links its animal, drilling, penetrating character to its ability to reach the collaterals and unblock what is stuck.
- Modern pharmacopoeias distinguish several official source species but preserve the same broad functional profile of clearing heat, stopping spasms, and opening the channels.