Cicada Shed Skin

Applications

Clinical Applications

1. Treatment of acute postpartum urinary retention: Combine 10 g of cicada slough, 5 g of Akebia stem, and 9 g of raw rhubarb (added later) to form the Cicada Slough and Akebia Decoction. Adjust the formula according to the specific condition; this treatment is effective for acute postpartum urinary retention.

2. Treatment of penile edema in children: Decoct cicada slough and raw licorice tips in water; use the warm decoction to wash the affected area and apply it topically. This is effective for treating penile edema in children.

3. Treatment of whooping cough: Using cicada slough—which dispels wind and relieves spasms—as the primary ingredient, supplemented with herbs that moisten the lungs, suppress cough, and resolve phlegm, the basic formula consists of: 10 g of cicada slough, 5 g of Stemona root, 5 g of white mulberry bark, 10 g of apricot kernels, 10 g of Zhebei fritillary bulb, 5 g of Magnolia bark, 10 g of Poria, and 5 g of tangerine peel. This formula is effective for treating whooping cough.

4. Treatment of partial status epilepticus: A combination of 20g each of cicada slough and Atractylodes lancea, 15g each of silkworm pupae and Ligusticum chuanxiong, and 10g of processed white Aconite root yields good results in treating partial status epilepticus.

5. In addition, cicada slough can also be used to treat acute nephritis, diabetic nephropathy, ascites, malaria, menstrual headaches, uterine prolapse, infantile diarrhea, laryngeal cough, intractable eyelid twitching, keratitis, facial nerve paralysis, rectal prolapse, herpes zoster, hydrocele, and chilblains.

Related Compatibility

1. Cicada Shedding Combined with Peppermint: Both herbs disperse wind-heat, promote the eruption of rashes, relieve itching, and soothe the throat. When used together, their therapeutic effects are enhanced. This combination is commonly used for wind-heat colds or the early stages of warm diseases; the initial stage of measles with poor rash eruption; rubella; skin itching; and sore throat caused by wind-heat ascending to the upper burner.

2.Cicada Shedding combined with Stiff Silkworm: Both have the effects of dispersing wind-heat, subduing wind, and relieving spasms. Cicada Shedding also promotes lung function and soothes the throat, while Stiff Silkworm resolves phlegm and disperses nodules. When combined, these two herbs can disperse wind-heat, resolve phlegm, and disperse nodules. They are commonly used to treat fever, sore throat, and red, cloudy vision caused by external invasion of wind-heat or warm-heat pathogenic toxins.

3. Cicada Shedding combined with Acorus tatarinowii: Cicada Shedding disperses wind-heat;Acorus tatarinowii is aromatic, dispels foul odors, resolves phlegm, and opens the orifices. When combined, these two herbs can disperse wind-heat, resolve phlegm and turbidity, eliminate dampness and turbidity, dispel foul odors and turbidity to open the orifices and restore hearing. They are commonly used to treat dizziness, tinnitus, and deafness caused by wind-heat mixed with phlegm obstructing the clear orifices.

4. Cicada Shedding paired with Phoenix Feather: Cicada Shedding is sweet and cold, clearing heat, promoting lung function, and soothing the throat; Phoenix Feather is sweet and neutral, moistening the lungs and restoring the voice. When combined, one promotes dispersion while the other provides moisture, thereby soothing the throat and restoring the voice. This combination is primarily used to treat hoarseness and a raspy voice resulting from a constitutional yin deficiency complicated by an exogenous wind-heat invasion.

5. Cicada Shedding combined with Dried Tangerine Peel: Cicada Shedding disperses wind-heat and clears and soothes the throat; Dried Tangerine Peel regulates qi, harmonizes the middle burner, dries dampness, and transforms phlegm. When combined, their light and dispersing properties can dispel wind, transform phlegm, and relieve cough. This combination is used for itchy throat and cough caused by external invasion of wind-pathogen.

Medicinal Identification

Cicada Shedding, Peppermint, and Burdock Seed: All three are cold in nature and can disperse wind-heat, promote the eruption of rashes, and soothe the throat. They are all suitable for treating exogenous wind-heat or the early stages of warm diseases, characterized by fever, slight aversion to wind and cold, headache, thirst, a red tip of the tongue, a thin yellow coating on the tongue, and a floating and rapid pulse; the early stages of measles with incomplete eruption;itching associated with rubella; wind-heat ascending to the upper burner, causing sore throat and pharyngitis, etc. The difference lies in the fact that Cicada Shedding is sweet, cold, and light in nature; its diaphoretic effect is not as strong as that of Peppermint, and its heat-clearing effect is not as potent as that of Burdock Seed;however, it can both disperse wind-heat from the Lung Meridian to relieve sore throat and hoarseness, promote the eruption of rashes, and alleviate itching, and excel at dispersing wind-heat from the Liver Meridian to clear the eyes and remove corneal opacities, as well as cool the Liver, subdue wind, and relieve spasms; therefore, it is often used for redness, swelling, and pain in the eyes caused by wind-heat ascending or Liver fire flaring up, as well as corneal opacities; acute and chronic convulsions; and tetanus. In addition, it can also be used to treat nighttime crying and restlessness in children.Peppermint is pungent, cool, and aromatic; it has a light, cooling, and dispersing nature and a relatively strong diaphoretic effect. Therefore, it is the first choice for external wind-heat invasion presenting with fever and absence of sweat. Furthermore, peppermint can clear and refresh the head and eyes, regulate the liver, and promote the flow of qi. It can also be used for wind-heat ascending, manifesting as headache, red, swollen, and painful eyes, and excessive tearing; as well as for liver qi stagnation, presenting with chest tightness, distending pain in the flanks, irregular menstruation, and a string-like pulse.Burdock seeds (Niúbàngzǐ) are pungent and dispersing, bitter and draining, cold in nature, and slippery and lubricating; they also promote lung function and eliminate phlegm. Therefore, they are particularly suitable for cases of exogenous wind-heat characterized by fever and a cough with difficult expectoration; they can also be used to treat lung-heat coughs with difficult expectoration;At the same time, burdock seeds disperse wind-heat externally and resolve heat-toxin internally; they also possess the ability to clear heat, resolve toxins, and reduce swelling, and are thus frequently used for conditions involving heat-toxin such as abscesses, boils, erysipelas, mumps, and sore throat; due to their slippery and lubricating nature, which also promotes bowel movements, they are particularly suitable for the aforementioned conditions when accompanied by constipation.

Related Medicines

Children’s Heat-Clearing Oral Solution, Huang’s Resonant Voice Pills, Jianmin Throat Tablets, Cloud-Dispelling and Cataract-Removing Pills, Damp-Toxin-Clearing Capsules.

Related Prescriptions

Xinliang Qingjie Decoction (*Essentials of the Treatment of Autumn Fever*), Cicada Flower Powder (*Essentials of the Silver Sea*), Bamboo Leaf, Willow, and Burdock Decoction (*Extensive Notes on Medicine*), Xiao Feng Powder (*Authentic Treatise on Surgery*), and Uncaria Powder (*Elucidations on Pediatrics*).

Medicinal Diet Therapy

Cicada Shedding, Burdock, and Platycodon Tea:

1. Benefits: Dispels wind-heat, relieves cough, and moistens the lungs. Used for wind-heat colds, cough with loss of voice, and sore throat.

2. Ingredients: 3 g cicada shedding, 3 g raw licorice, 9 g burdock seeds, 5 g platycodon.

3. Preparation: Grind the above four ingredients together into a coarse powder, place in a jar, pour boiling water over them, cover, and let steep for about 15 minutes.

4. Usage: Drink frequently as a tea substitute; one dose per day.

Notes

Patients requiring treatment with Chinese herbal medicine should first consult a licensed Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) hospital to receive a prescription following a professional TCM differential diagnosis.