Can Oriental Fire-bellied Newts Be Eaten? A Comprehensive Analysis of Food Safety

The Oriental fire-bellied newt (Cynops orientalis), also called the Chinese fire-belly, is a species in the family Salamandridae of the amphibians, distributed in the central and eastern regions of China. Its upper skin is black and bumpy, while its underside is orange-red with black spots. Most are kept as ornamental newts. Because it contains tetrodotoxin, eating it and feeding it to others are prohibited. Let us take a look below at whether the Oriental fire-bellied newt can be eaten!

Can Oriental Fire-bellied Newts Be Eaten?

Oriental fire-bellied newts cannot be eaten. The Oriental fire-bellied newt is brightly colored and cute in appearance, and closely resembles the "giant salamander", but because it is itself poisonous, it can only be used for viewing and is not recommended to be kept as a pet. At the same time, the Oriental fire-bellied newt has been included in the "List of Terrestrial Wild Animals under State Protection That Are Beneficial or of Important Economic or Scientific Research Value", issued by China's State Forestry Administration on August 1, 2000.

Is the Oriental Fire-bellied Newt Poisonous?

The Oriental fire-bellied newt is poisonous. As early as the 1930s, an experimental embryologist discovered that a very strong toxin exists in the eggs and embryos of newts. If newt embryonic tissue is transplanted into a fire salamander, the latter will become paralyzed, though it will fully recover after a few days. In 1963, a professor at Stanford University isolated this toxin from newts for the first time and named it tarichatoxin, which was later proven to be the same substance as tetrodotoxin.

Medicinal Value of the Oriental Fire-bellied Newt

[Composition] Protein, peptides, amino acids, fats, etc.

[Nature and Flavor] Pungent and bitter in flavor, cold in nature, toxic.

[Meridians Entered] Lung, heart and spleen meridians.

[Efficacy] Removing dampness and relieving itching, clearing heat and relieving pain.

[Indications] Used for skin itching and rash, scald and burn injuries, etc.

[Usage] 1 to 2 taken orally in a decoction, appropriate amount for external use.

[Harvesting] Caught in summer and autumn, washed clean, suffocated to death with wine, and the whole body used as medicine, dried over a gentle fire or used fresh.