What Kinds of Snakes Are There? A Detailed Guide to the Medicinal Benefits of Different Snakes

The snakes we usually picture are either fierce and venomous or cute pet snakes, but from Liu Zongyuan's "The Snake Catcher" we can learn that many snakes have good medicinal value, and surely many elders in your family have used snakes to make medicinal liquor. In fact, there are many species of snakes used for medicine, and below the editors of Nongxun Net have compiled a summary of some of them for you.

1. Qishe (five-paced pit viper)

Morphological characteristics: Qishe, also known as Baihuashe (white-flowered snake), belongs to the Viperidae family. Its head is slightly raised in the middle and is triangular and flat. The belly may be spread open or not; the scales are grayish white and relatively large. The tail narrows abruptly, and the tip bears 1 triangular dark gray keratinous scale.

Medicinal benefits: It is mainly used to treat stubborn rheumatic arthralgia, paralysis and numbness, infantile convulsions, tetanus and other diseases, and has good wind-dispelling and collateral-unblocking effects.

2. Wushaoshe (Chinese beauty snake / black-striped snake)

Morphological characteristics: Wushaoshe, also known as Wushe, is mainly distributed in Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan and other places in China. Its body is relatively thick and large, the distinction between head and neck is not obvious, and the back is grayish brown or dark brown with 2 black lines running lengthwise through the whole body.

Medicinal benefits: It is mainly used to treat stroke with deviated mouth and eyes, hemiplegia, twitching and spasms, and loss of skin sensation, and has good wind-dispelling, spasm-relieving and urticaria-relieving effects.

3. Cobra

Morphological characteristics: The cobra, also known as Pipashe, mostly lives in plains and hilly areas. Its body is also relatively stout, the head is oval and dark brown, the back of the neck bears spectacle-shaped markings, and the back of the body is dark brown.

Medicinal benefits: It is mainly used to treat polio, stroke-induced paralysis and other diseases, and has good anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory effects.

4. Many-banded krait

Morphological characteristics: The many-banded krait, also known as Baijieshe, inhabits plains, hills or near-water areas at the foot of mountains and is highly venomous. The whole body of the many-banded krait has alternating white and black rings along the back, the ventral surface is dirty white, the top of the head is dark brown, and the subcaudal scales are in a single row.

Medicinal benefits: It is mainly used to treat stubborn rheumatic arthralgia, numbness and contracture, twitching and spasms and other diseases.

The above is an introduction to common snake species. These snakes basically all have good medicinal benefits, and some are even species on the IUCN Red List. Overall, snakes are not terrifying, and most snakes will not actively attack humans. Even so, do not casually capture and kill snakes for pharmaceutical use and the like.

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