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(From *Bencao Gangmu*)

[Names] Niu Shi (Bovine Louse, pronounced "bei").
Li Shizhen states: It is also written as "Pi". According to Lü Chen's *Zilin*: "Pi refers to the louse that bites cattle."

[Collected Explanations] Li Shizhen states: Bovine lice grow on the body of cattle. They resemble castor beans and come in white and black varieties. When their bellies are full of blood, they naturally fall off.
For medicinal use, the white variety is employed.

[Flavor and Properties] Information missing.

[Therapeutic Actions] To preemptively resolve the toxicity of smallpox/rash in children, bake until dry, grind into powder, and ingest (Li Shizhen).

[Elucidation] Li Shizhen states: Bovine lice were not used in ancient prescriptions; however, modern formulas for preemptively resolving smallpox toxicity occasionally employ them. Reviewing records reveals that while common practice uses bovine lice to treat smallpox, pharmacopoeias do not record this. I suspect that since bovine lice feed on blood, their nature is similar to that of horseflies (Meng Chong). Ultimately, they are not detoxifying agents, and it is unlikely they can truly resolve toxicity.

[Attached Prescriptions] Two new prescriptions.
To preemptively resolve smallpox toxicity: Tan Yeweng's prescription: Use one one-year-old white water bovine louse, mix with rice flour to make a cake, and have the infant eat it on an empty stomach. This expels foul feces and prevents smallpox for life. Another method: Use 49 white bovine lice (baked), 49 mung beans, and 4.9 fen of Cinnabar (Zhusha). Grind into powder, form pills the size of small beans using refined honey, and swallow with mung bean soup.

(From *Bencao Shiyi*)

[Names] Ren Shi (Human Louse).
Li Shizhen states: The character "Shi" implies swift movement and prolific reproduction, hence the common name "Shi".

[Collected Explanations] Shen Wei states: According to *Youyang Zazu*: When a person is near death, lice leave the body. Some say taking lice from the patient's bed can be used to divinate the illness.
Li Shizhen states: Humans and animals all harbor parasites, though their forms differ. They originate from Qi transformation and subsequently lay eggs that hatch into nits. *Caomu Zi* states they have six legs and always walk north. *Baopuzi* states: Head lice are black but turn white when attached to the body; body lice are white but turn black when on the head, due to gradual adaptation. There are cases of "louse disease," where broken combs and hairpins are half burned to ash and half boiled in water for oral administration, causing lice to exit from the lower orifices. Xu Xuan's *Jishen Lu* records: Li Sheng of Fuliang had a tumor on his back like a basin, extremely itchy. Over a dou of lice were extracted, and he felt light immediately. However, the small wounds did not heal, countless lice continued to emerge, and he eventually died. *Yu Ji Tang Xiaoshuo* records a case in Huatai. Duke Jia Wei stated: Only thousand-year-old wooden combs could cure such tumors. The itching was unbearable, treated only by heating. A scar remained; this is a "louse tumor." Additionally, pubic lice often grow in the pubic hair of people today, causing unbearable itching. Extracted from the flesh, these lice have eight legs and are flat, varying in color from white to red. Ancient formulas do not record this. Physicians treat it by rubbing with Ginkgo Biloba seeds (Yinxing) or fumigating with Vermilion (Yinzhu), both of which are curative.

[Flavor and Properties] Salty, neutral, slightly toxic. Averse to Mercury (Shuiyin), Vermilion (Yinzhu), Stemona Root (Baibu), Acorus Tatarinowii Rhizome (Changpu), Louse-building Grass (Shijian Cao), Bamboo Leaves in Water (Shuizhong Zhuye), Red Dragon Water (Chilong Shui), and Da Kong.

[Therapeutic Actions] For severe heat in the human head causing fissures in the cranial sutures, take 300-500 black lice, crush, and apply externally. Also treats carbuncles (Ding Zhong): Make moxa cones from reed matting strings, apply moxibustion on the lice, and the root of the lesion will emerge. Also treats corns/calluses between toes: Apply black lice externally, and the root will emerge (Zangqi).
For inverted eyelashes: Pluck the lashes, apply louse blood to the point, and it heals after several applications.

[Attached Prescriptions] One new prescription.
Toe Corns: First puncture the skin. Place one black louse and one white louse on the spot and bind it. Repeated use leads to spontaneous healing. (*Bianmin Tucuan*).