Library

White-necked Earthworm (Baijing Di Long)

Taste: Salty. Nature: Cold, Great Cold. Toxicity: Non-toxic.
Indications: Primarily treats Shejia (abdominal masses caused by snake venom or parasites), expels the "Three Worms" (general term for various internal parasites), Fuschi (latent blood stasis or accumulations), Guizhu (chronic consumptive diseases attributed to ghostly or infectious pathogens), Gudú (poisoning or parasitic diseases), kills Changchong (intestinal worms such as Ascaris), and naturally transforms into water. Treats Shanghan Fure (latent heat pathogens in Typhoid-like conditions), Kuangmiao (manic delirium), Dafu (abdominal edema/distension), and Huangdan (jaundice). Also known as Tulong (Earth Dragon). Grows in flat soil; harvested in the third lunar month. Dried in shade.

Tao Hongjing states: The white neck indicates an older earthworm. After harvesting, slit it open, remove the soil, salt it, and expose it to the sun for a moment; it quickly turns into water. This is frequently used in Daoist alchemical practices. For Wenyi (warm diseases) presenting with high fever and manic speech, drinking its juice leads to recovery, which is similar to the therapeutic effect of using Huanglong Tang (Yellow Dragon Decoction). Its feces are called Yinlou (sound: Lou); since it consumes fine soil without sand or stones, it is used in mixing cinnabar paste and medicinal cauldrons. If dry earthworms are ingested, they should be roasted into powder; this is very effective for expelling Ascaris lumbricoides. The Commentary on the Tang Materia Medica notes: The Classic of Famous Physicians records that dipping earthworms in salt to extract juice treats deafness. Salt dissolves Ascaris, with efficacy similar to earthworms. Its feces applied to rabies bite wounds are miraculous, especially if dog hair protrudes from the wound. Minister Yuxi et al., consulting the Shu edition commentary, add: It can detoxify Shewang poison (a plant toxin). The Book of Medicinal Properties states: Earthworms can also be used alone; they have slight toxicity. Roasted dried earthworms in powder form treat snakebite poisoning. Also known as Dilongzi (Son of the Earth Dragon).

Ri Huaizi states: Earthworms treat Zhongfeng (wind-stroke) and Xianji (epilepsy), expel the Three Worms, treat Chuanshi (consumptive diseases like tuberculosis), Tianxing Reji (epidemic febrile diseases), Houbi (throat obstruction/swelling), and snake/insect bites. Also known as Qianren Ta (Trampled by Thousands), referring to those crushed by pedestrians. For medicinal use, they must be burned. Its feces treat snakebites, dog bites, and hot sores; grind with salt and apply externally. For sudden deficiency-heat swelling and pain of the pediatric scrotum, mix with raw Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (Gancao) juice and apply gently.

The Illustrated Classic of Materia Medica states: White-necked earthworms grow in flat soils and are found everywhere in plains, marshes, and lowlands. The white neck indicates age. Harvested in the third month, dried in shade; another method requires slitting, removing soil, salting, and sun-drying. Medical texts refer to them as Dilong (Earth Dragon). They are essential guiding agents in formulas treating Jiaofeng (wind-damp affecting the lower limbs), but they possess toxicity. There was a case where a patient used this in medicine for foot disease, achieving remarkable results. However, upon continued use after recovery for over twenty days, the patient experienced irritability and confusion, excessive thirst, and eventual prostration. When using toxic drugs to attack disease, administration should cease immediately upon cure. Its feces, Yinlou, mixed with salt and applied to sores, removes heat toxins.

Chen Cangqi records: Earthworm feces treat Chibai Jiuli (chronic dysentery with red and white discharge). Select particles without sand, grind one sheng into powder, stir-fry until smoke ceases, add water, steep, take half a dasheng, filter out coarse dregs, and consume on an empty stomach. Lei Gong's processing method: After collection, soak in glutinous rice water overnight. Drain the next day, soak in non-ash wine for one day. Drain at night, bake until dry, and finely slice. Take Sichuan peppercorns (Shujiao), glutinous rice, and sliced earthworms; simmer together until the rice is cooked. Remove water and peppercorns, pick clean, and use. For two liang of processed earthworms, use one part rice and one part peppercorn as standard.

The Holy惠民 Formulary (Shenghui Fang) treats Fengchiyan (wind-red eyes): Roast ten Dilong until dry, grind to powder, and take two qianbi with cold tea before sleep. Another formula treats Youyan (centipedes/millipedes entering the ear): Place one Dilong inside a scallion leaf, allow it to liquefy, and drip into the ear; the centipede will also liquefy. Another formula treats all types of Dandu Liuzhong (erysipelas and flowing swellings): Apply Dilong feces mixed with water. Another formula treats Daizhi (paronychia/acute infection of the nail bed): Pound earthworms into mud and apply. Another formula treats pediatric vomiting of milk: Take one liang of field earthworm feces, grind to powder, and take half a qianbi mixed with gruel drink on an empty stomach; effective within two or three doses.

The Essential Prescriptions of the Imperial Library (Waitai Miyao) treats Huodan (erysipelas): Use Qu chen (yeast residue) feces mixed with water as a poultice. The Essential Golden Cabinet (Qianjin Fang) treats Chiya Xuanlu (gum recession exposing tooth roots): Mix earthworm feces with water to form mud, fire-burn until extremely red, grind to powder, and apply with lard rendered in the twelfth lunar month, three times daily, for permanent cure. The Wing of the Golden Cabinet (Qianjin Yifang) treats cracked teeth pain: Apply powder from dead yeast residue to stop pain. The Doumen Formula treats Xiao Bian Bu Tong (urinary retention): Pound earthworms, filter through cold water, and drink half a bowl thick liquid; urination opens immediately. It also treats severe febrile diseases causing unconsciousness and near-death states, with immediate effect. The Shengjin Formula treats deafness with immediate effect: Place dried Dilong with salt inside the tail end of a scallion, let it turn to water, and drip into the ear. The Mother-Child Secret Record treats Erhou Yueshi Chuang (moon-eating sore behind the ear in children): Burn earthworm feces and mix with lard for application. Tan's Pediatric Practice treats spider bites with widespread sores: Take one scallion stalk, remove the tip to make a hole, insert an earthworm, pinch both ends tightly to prevent gas escape, shake frequently until it liquefies, and apply to the bite site for cure. Sun Simiao records for pediatric ulcerated ears discharging pus: Grind earthworm feces into powder, apply externally, and insufflate into the ear for immediate effect. The Baiyi Formula treats Jiaojie Laofu (relapse due to sexual exhaustion): Swollen or retracted testicles, abdominal colic, or urinary/fecal obstruction. Juice extracted from several earthworms taken orally is beneficial. Another formula treats Gudú poisoning or hematemesis/hematochezia resembling rotten liver: Soak fourteen earthworms in three sheng of Kujǐu (vinegar); once the worms die, consume only the juice. Even the dead can be revived.

Yanyi states: Naturally deceased white-necked earthworms are superior, though they should be heard calling according to the season. This creature is toxic. In the past, a patient with abdominal distension heard earthworms calling on his body at night; he was instructed to soak in salt water and recovered. At the end of the Chongning era, soldiers in Longzhou stood barefoot on the hall steps during summer heat and were bitten by earthworms, leading to fatal outcomes. Days later, another person suffered similarly; knowledgeable individuals advised drinking a cup of salt water first, then soaking feet in salt water, resulting in recovery. For current medicinal use, soil must be removed and lightly roasted. It is indispensable for treating Shenzang Feng Xia Zhu Bing (kidney wind and downward-infectious diseases) and must be taken with salt water. Wang Jinggong (Wang Anshi) wrote: "Soil and grand sacrifices both have flavor; can the earthworm alone be considered incorruptible?"