The medicinal value of the ground beetle is reflected in promoting blood circulation to remove blood stasis and reconnecting tendons and bones

The ground beetle, also known as the soil turtle insect or tuyuan, is a traditional insect-based medicinal material. The medicinal part is mainly the dried whole body of the female insect, with common sources including the Chinese ground beetle (Eupolyphaga sinensis) and the Jizhong ground beetle (Steleophaga plancyi). It likes to live in dark, damp soil layers, and after being captured and killed by scalding, it is sun-dried or oven-dried before use as medicine. It has long held a certain place in traditional Chinese medicine.

From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, the ground beetle is salty in taste, cold in nature, and slightly toxic. Its core effects are breaking blood and expelling stasis, and reconnecting tendons and bones. It is often used for traumatic injuries, tendon and bone fractures, blood stasis swellings and pain, and other conditions, as well as for amenorrhea, abdominal masses, and other problems caused by blood stasis obstruction. In traditional formulas, the ground beetle is mostly used together with medicinal materials that invigorate blood and treat injuries, in order to enhance the overall therapeutic effect.

In practical application, the ground beetle can be used in decoctions, ground into powder for internal use, or made into medicinal wine or applied externally to the affected area. Today, it can be seen in many Chinese patent medicine formulas for traumatic injuries. Besides its medicinal use, the ground beetle is also a medicinal insect that can be artificially bred. Breeding is not difficult, and the market mostly uses female adults as the source of medicinal material.

It should be noted that the ground beetle is slightly toxic and is prohibited for pregnant women. People with weak constitutions or a tendency to bleed should use it with caution. Whether taken internally or applied externally, it is recommended to use it under the guidance of a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner according to syndrome differentiation and to control the dosage. It should not be taken on one's own in large amounts over a long period, so that its medicinal value can be safely brought into play.