A Detailed Guide to the Medicinal Value and Processing Methods of Snakes
Snakes belong to the phylum Vertebrata, class Reptilia, suborder Serpentes. Snakes are most abundant in tropical and subtropical regions, fewer in temperate zones, and fewest in cold zones. There are more than 2,500 species of snakes worldwide, of which about 650 are venomous. China has more than 200 species of snakes, of which about 51 are venomous, mainly distributed in the provinces south of the Yangtze River and in the southwest, with the highest numbers in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and other provinces and autonomous regions.
The medicinal value of snakes is not limited to snake venom; other parts such as snake meat, snake gall, snake slough, snake skin and their internal organs all have high medicinal value.
Fresh snake meat: Because fresh snake meat retains more biologically active substances, it has unique effects compared with dried snake. Kill a live snake, take the meat, dry it and grind it into powder, then take it to treat rheumatoid arthritis, hemiplegia after stroke, heat rash in children, skin itching, etc. Extracting active ingredients from snake meat to make an injection has anti-inflammatory and kidney-tonifying, yang-strengthening effects, and is suitable for treating chronic bronchitis, infiltrative pulmonary tuberculosis, etc.
Snake slough: Snake slough is different from snake skin; it is the skin membrane (surface cuticle) naturally shed during the snake's growth process. Snake slough and snake slough wine have the effects of dispelling wind and removing eye opacities, improving eyesight, detoxifying and killing parasites. They are mainly used to treat various stubborn skin diseases, such as stubborn ringworm, scabies, swellings and toxic sores, and herpes zoster. In addition, they can also treat infantile convulsions, throat obstruction, eye opacities, low back pain, hemorrhoids and fistula, acute mastitis, choriocarcinoma, etc.
Snake gall: Snake gall has been a precious medicinal material since ancient times. It can promote the flow of qi and resolve phlegm, calm the liver and extinguish wind, clear heat and improve eyesight, relieve cough and resolve phlegm, and treat rheumatoid arthritis, red eyes and blurred vision, cough with copious phlegm, neurasthenia, clear summerheat and dissipate cold, infantile convulsions, hemiplegia, red and swollen hemorrhoids, various corneal diseases, as well as stomach problems, high fever and other conditions.
Snake venom: Snake venom is the toxic liquid secreted from the venom glands of venomous snakes. Snake venom preparations have the effects of dredging meridians and activating collaterals, stopping bleeding and relieving pain, and can be used clinically to treat various neuralgias, extrapyramidal paralysis, infantile paralysis and its sequelae; in addition, they can also be used to prepare antivenom serum, etc.
Snake penis: The reproductive organs of the male snake are called snake penis, including the penis, testes and the connected vas deferens. It contains male hormones, proteins and other components, and has the functions of tonifying the kidney and strengthening yang, warming the middle and calming the viscera. It can be used to treat impotence, kidney deficiency, tinnitus, chronic orchitis, cold uterus and infertility in women, etc. If other tonic Chinese medicines are added to snake penis, the medicinal effect is even better, and it can play a role in nourishing blood and essence. It is effective for infertility in men caused by low semen volume or low sperm content, poor survival rate, and low motility, as well as infertility in women caused by endocrine disorders, poor ovulation, secondary amenorrhea and low menstrual blood volume.
Dried snake: Dried snake is made by removing the internal organs from a whole snake, then drying it in the sun or by baking. It has the effects of dispelling wind and detoxifying, relieving spasms and stopping pain, and can treat rheumatic paralysis, numbness of the limbs, hemiplegia and other conditions.
Snake oil: Before hibernation, snakes store more fat in their bodies. After being rendered and processed, it can be made into snake oil, mostly used to treat frostbite, scalds, chapped skin, chronic eczema, etc.
Snake blood: Fresh snake blood can be used to treat joint pain and deformation, etc.
Snake eggs: In southern China, snake eggs are commonly salted and then cooked into porridge over a slow fire; this can be used to treat red and white dysentery. According to the Compendium of Materia Medica, the eggs of the black-tailed snake (Zaocys dhumnades) can treat "severe leprosy."
Collection and Processing of Snake ProductsProcessing of snake gall(1) Snake gall wine. Kill the snake and take the gall, wash away blood and dirt with water, soak and wash in a small amount of liquor for about 5 minutes, then put it into a bottle containing baijiu of more than 50 degrees, with the amount of liquor sufficient to prevent spoilage. Generally put in 1-2 snake galls, and it can be drunk after 3 months.
(2) Vacuum-dried snake gall powder. Place fresh bile into a vacuum dryer for vacuum drying to obtain a yellow-green crystalline powder, which can be bottled or bagged for later use.
(3) Snake bile wine. Take 1-2 fresh galls, cut them open, and put them into 500 ml of grain baijiu of more than 50 degrees; generally it is infused and drunk immediately; the fresh bile can also be squeezed directly into a cup containing liquor and drunk.
Processing of snake slough(1) Wine-processed snake slough. Brush the snake slough clean and cut it into small sections, spray 0.5 kg of yellow rice wine onto 5 kg of snake slough to moisten it, then put it into a pot and stir-fry over a slow fire until slightly dry and the color becomes rice-yellow. Take it out and dry it in the air for later use.
(2) Calcined snake slough. Wash away the mud and residue on the snake slough with yellow rice wine, place it in a jar, cover it and seal it firmly with clay, then calcine for about 1 hour. Open the seal the next day, and store the processed snake slough in a pottery vessel for later use.