What types of snakes are there? Learn about their medicinal and economic value in one article

Snake Farming Techniques

Snakes belong to the animal kingdom, phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Reptilia, order Squamata, suborder Serpentes. The distribution of snakes is greatest in tropical and subtropical regions, followed by temperate zones, and least in cold zones. There are more than 2,500 species of snakes in the world, of which about 650 are venomous. China has more than 200 species of snakes, of which about 51 are venomous, mainly distributed in the southern and southwestern provinces, especially in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and other provinces and autonomous regions.

Medicinal and Economic Value The medicinal use of snakes is not limited to snake venom; snake meat, snake gall, snake slough, snake skin and other internal organs (such as blood, reproductive system, etc.) are all well-known medicines. Fresh snake meat retains more biologically active substances than dried snake, giving it unique efficacy. Killing a live snake to obtain its meat, then drying and grinding it into powder for consumption, can treat rheumatoid arthritis, hemiplegia after stroke, prickly heat in children, itchy skin and so on. Injections made from active ingredients extracted from snake meat have anti-inflammatory and kidney-tonifying, yang-strengthening effects, and are suitable for treating chronic bronchitis, infiltrative pulmonary tuberculosis and so on. Dried Snake Dried snake is a dried body made by removing the internal organs from a whole snake and then sun-drying or oven-drying it. It has the effects of dispelling wind and detoxifying, relieving spasms and pain, and can treat rheumatic paralysis, numbness of the limbs, hemiplegia and other conditions. Snake Slough Snake slough is different from snake skin; it is the skin membrane (surface cuticle) that is naturally shed during the snake's growth process. Snake slough and snake slough wine have the effects of dispelling wind and clearing eye opacities, improving vision, detoxifying and killing parasites. They are mainly used to treat various stubborn skin diseases, such as stubborn ringworm, scabies, swellings and herpes zoster. In addition, they can also treat infantile convulsions, throat obstruction, eye opacities, low back pain, hemorrhoids and fistulas, acute mastitis, choriocarcinoma and other diseases. 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, search out wind and remove dampness, cool and improve vision, relieve cough and resolve phlegm, and treat rheumatoid arthritis, red eyes and blurred vision, cough with excessive phlegm, neurasthenia, clearing summerheat and dispelling cold, infantile convulsions, hemiplegia, red and swollen hemorrhoids, various corneal diseases, stomach problems, high fever and other conditions. Snake Oil Before hibernation, snakes store more fat in their bodies, which can be boiled and processed into snake oil. It is mostly used to treat frostbite, scalds, chapped skin, chronic eczema and so on.

Snake Blood Drinking fresh snake blood can treat joint pain and deformity, and has a blood-boosting effect. Snake Eggs In southern China, there is a method of salting snake eggs and then cooking them gently into porridge, which can treat red and white dysentery. The "Compendium of Materia Medica" records that the eggs of the black-tailed pit viper can treat "severe leprosy."

Snake Tongue Some regions believe that snake tongue has particularly good pain-relieving effects. Snake internal organs can be used to treat pulmonary tuberculosis.

Snake Venom Snake venom is the toxic liquid secreted from the venom glands of venomous snakes. Snake venom preparations can be used clinically to treat various neuralgias, infantile paralysis and its sequelae, extrapyramidal nerve paralysis, hemostasis or anticoagulation, preparation of antivenom serum, analgesia and so on.

Snake Penis The reproductive organs of a male snake are called the snake penis, including 1 pair of hemipenes, 1 pair of testes and their connected vas deferens. It contains male hormones, protein and other components. The snake penis has the functions of tonifying the kidney and strengthening yang, warming the middle and calming the viscera, and can treat impotence, kidney deficiency, tinnitus, chronic orchitis, cold uterus and infertility in women and so on. If other tonic Chinese medicines are added to the snake penis, the medicinal effect will be even better, and it can play a role in nourishing blood and essence. It is effective for infertility caused by low semen volume or low sperm content, poor survival rate, and low motility in men, as well as for female endocrine disorders, poor ovulation, secondary amenorrhea and infertility caused by low menstrual volume.

Snake skin is an important raw material for the leather industry, and can usually be made into small handbags, belts, small wallets, ties, leather shoes, leather bags, vests and other leather products. In addition, snake skin can also be used to make musical instruments. Because of its bright and beautiful patterns and its soft yet tough texture, it is highly attractive and has become a precious commodity deeply loved by people.

In recent years, due to the frequency of human economic activities and the improvement of living standards, wild snake resources have been heavily consumed, and the population density of snakes has greatly decreased. Limited wild resources cannot meet the ever-expanding needs of the market. Therefore, carrying out artificial breeding and reproduction of snakes plays an extremely important role and has broad prospects.