How much does the Chinese rat snake cost? A look at the latest market prices
The Chinese rat snake (Zaocys dhumnades) is a relatively large snake of the genus Zaocys in the family Colubridae, also known as the black snake, black wind snake, and so on. It is rich in protein, carbohydrates, fat, and minerals, giving it very high food value; used as medicine, it has the effects of dispelling wind-damp, unblocking the meridians, extinguishing wind and stopping spasms, and relieving itching and detoxifying. Let us take a look below at how much the Chinese rat snake costs!
How much does the Chinese rat snake cost?
The price of the Chinese rat snake ranges from 25 yuan per jin to 100 yuan per jin. Farmed Chinese rat snakes on the market are usually more expensive the larger they are, because they are mostly used as food, so the larger the individual, the more meat it yields, and the more expensive the price. Medicinal Chinese rat snake material is the dried body of the colubrid animal Zaocys dhumnades, made by slitting the belly open or first stripping off the snake skin while keeping the head and tail, removing the internal organs, and coiling it into a disc shape to dry; the price is usually 300 yuan/kg.
Identification of counterfeit Chinese rat snake
1. Indochinese rat snake: The Indochinese rat snake is disc-shaped, with the head and neck and the snake body brown, 8 upper labial scales, 2 to 3 lower labial scales, an odd number of dorsal scale rows, smooth, and a short tail.
2. King rat snake: The king rat snake is disc-shaped, with the center of the scales on the top of the head and back yellow and the edges bearing black markings, the back of the snake body bearing yellow transverse bands, 8 upper labial scales, the scale edges bearing black spots, an odd number of dorsal scale rows, the rear part of the body and tail bearing black longitudinal lines, and the tail slightly long.
3. Oriental rat snake: The oriental rat snake is disc-shaped, with the neck and snake body brown, 8 upper labial scales, an odd number of dorsal scale rows, smooth, and a short tail.
4. Black-browed rat snake: The back of the black-browed rat snake's body is grayish brown with black markings, the sides of the head behind the eyes bear a black brow line, 9 upper labial scales, 1 loreal scale, an odd number of dorsal scale rows, the rear part of the body has 4 long stripes extending to the tail tip, and the tail is slightly long.
5. Jade-striped rat snake: The jade-striped rat snake is disc-shaped, with the top of the head and back bearing large black markings, the center of the snake's back bearing a row of black rhomboid spots, 7 upper labial scales, 1 or no loreal scale, an odd number of dorsal scale rows, the dorsal scales smooth, and the tail thick and short.
6. Red-banded snake: The red-banded snake is disc-shaped, with the scale edges on the top of the head and back bearing red markings, the back of the snake body black with more than 60 narrow transverse bands, 8 upper labial scales, 1 loreal scale entering the orbit, an odd number of dorsal scale rows, the top of the head brownish black, the scale edges red, the parietal scales bearing black lines that slant toward the sides of the neck in a "V" shape, the snake head short and flat, and the eyes mostly sunken. The tail gradually tapers.
7. Red-spotted rat snake: The red-spotted rat snake is disc-shaped, with the top of the head and back bearing irregular inverted “V”-shaped black markings, the sides of the snake's back bearing black longitudinal lines, 7 upper labial scales, 1 loreal scale, the dorsal scales reddish brown densely dotted with black square spots, the midline beneath the tail blackish brown, and the two sides milky white.
How to eat the Chinese rat snake
1. Safflower Chinese rat snake wine
[Ingredients] 15 grams of safflower, 1 Chinese rat snake, 1000 grams of baijiu.
[Method] Kill the Chinese rat snake alive, remove the internal organs, place in a bottle, add the safflower and baijiu, and seal for 2 months. Consume in portions, 2 times a day, 15 to 20 grams each time.
[Effects] Dispels wind-cold and invigorates blood to relieve pain; mainly treats wind-cold-damp type lumbar muscle strain. Safflower invigorates blood and resolves stasis, while the Chinese rat snake dispels wind-damp and strengthens the tendons and bones.
2. Chinese rat snake stewed with chicken
[Ingredients] 1 Chinese rat snake, 1 chicken, 10 grams of cooking wine, 5 grams of ginger, 10 grams of scallion, 3 grams of salt, 3 grams of chicken essence, 30 grams of chicken oil, 3 grams of pepper powder.
[Method] After slaughtering the Chinese rat snake, remove the head, tail, skin, and intestines, wash clean, and cut into 3-cm-long sections. Slice the ginger and cut the scallion into sections. After slaughtering the chicken, remove the feathers, internal organs, and claws. Put the Chinese rat snake meat, chicken, ginger, scallion, and cooking wine together in a stewing pot, add 3500 milliliters of water, place over high heat to boil, then simmer over low heat for 35 minutes, and add the salt, chicken essence, chicken oil, and pepper powder to finish.
[Effects] Dispels wind-damp and nourishes yin to reduce fever; suitable for symptoms such as rheumatic pain, bone-steaming emaciation, thirst, spleen deficiency, bone diarrhea, uterine bleeding, and leukorrhea.
3. Chinese rat snake stewed with pork ribs
[Ingredients] 1 Chinese rat snake, 500 grams of pork ribs, 10 grams of cooking wine, 5 grams of ginger, 10 grams of scallion, 3 grams of salt, 3 grams of chicken essence, 30 grams of chicken oil, 3 grams of pepper powder.
[Method] After slaughtering the Chinese rat snake, remove the skin, head, tail, and intestines, and wash clean. Wash the pork ribs clean and chop into 4-cm-long sections. Smash the ginger loose and cut the scallion into sections. Put the Chinese rat snake meat, pork ribs, ginger, scallion, and cooking wine together in a pot, add 200 milliliters of water, place over high heat to boil, then simmer over low heat for 35 minutes, and add the salt, chicken essence, chicken oil, and pepper powder to finish.
[Effects] Dispels wind-damp and nourishes qi and blood; suitable for symptoms such as rheumatic swelling and pain, damage to fluids from febrile disease, thirst, emaciation, and constipation.
4. Chinese rat snake stewed with dog meat
[Ingredients] 1 Chinese rat snake, 500 grams of dog meat, 10 grams of cooking wine, 5 grams of ginger, 10 grams of scallion, 3 grams of salt, 3 grams of chicken essence, 30 grams of chicken oil, 3 grams of pepper powder.
[Method] After slaughtering the Chinese rat snake, remove the skin, head, tail, and intestines, wash clean, and cut into 4-cm-long sections. Rinse the dog meat repeatedly until clean and cut into 4-cm-square pieces. Smash the ginger loose and cut the scallion into sections. Put the Chinese rat snake meat, dog meat, ginger, scallion, and cooking wine together in a pot, add 2800 milliliters of water, place over high heat to boil. Then simmer over low heat for 35 minutes, and add the salt, chicken essence, chicken oil, and pepper powder to finish.
[Effects] Dispels wind-damp and warms kidney yang; suitable for symptoms such as rheumatic pain, spleen-kidney qi deficiency, chest and abdominal distension and fullness, and weakness of the waist and knees.