Viper Bone

Category: Chinese Herbs

Viper Bone, a name in traditional Chinese medicine. It is the skeleton of the viper Agkistrodon halys (Pallas) from the Viperidae family. It has detoxifying properties. It is used to treat bloody dysentery.

Chinese Name : 蝮蛇骨

Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Sweet, warm. Entering the Large Intestine Meridian

Benefits & Efficacy

Benefits

Detoxifying.

Indications

Used to treat dysentery.

Usage and Dosage

Oral use: Burn to a fine powder; take 1–3 g.

Relevant Discussions

*Supplement to the Materia Medica*: “Treats bloody dysentery; take the bone, burn it to a black powder, and swallow three qian bi with liquid.”

Applications

Related Compatibility

For treating bloody dysentery: Take the bone, burn it to a black powder, and take three qian with water. (*Supplement to the Materia Medica*)

Processing & Preparation

Harvesting & Processing

After slaughtering the viper, remove its bones and dry them.

Crude Drug Identification

Botanical Information

Morphological Characteristics

The viper is approximately 60 cm in total length. The head is slightly triangular and distinctly separated from the neck. The dorsal surface is light brown to reddish-brown, with two rows of dark brown circular spots along the midline that are arranged in an interlaced, slightly parallel pattern. The outer edges of the dorsal scales and the spaces between the ventral scales feature a row of irregular, coarse, blackish-brown spots that are slightly star-shaped;The ventral surface is grayish-white, densely covered with fine brownish or blackish-brown spots. The inter-nostral scales are short and wide, arranged in a “∧” shape; there are 2 preorbital scales and 2 (3) postorbital scales; the suborbital scales are crescent-shaped; and the temporal scales are 2+4 (3);The upper lip scales follow the 2-1-4 (2-1-3, 3-1-4) pattern. The dorsal scales consist of 21 (23)-21-17 (15) rows, with the outermost row of the mid-back being smooth or uniformly keeled; the ventral scales number 137–173, and the anal scale is intact; the subcaudal scales number 29–54 pairs, with a few occurring in a single row.

Distribution Area

Widely distributed throughout China.