Medicinal Value and Processing of Snakes

Snakes belong to the vertebrate phylum, reptiles, serpents. The distribution of snakes is the most in the tropics and subtropics, followed by the temperate zone and the least in the cold zone. There are more than 2500 species of snakes in the world, including about 650 species of venomous snakes. There are more than 200 species of snakes in China, of which about 51 species are venomous snakes, mainly distributed in the south and southwest provinces of the Yangtze River, especially in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and other provinces and autonomous regions.

The medicinal value of snakes the medicinal value of snakes is not only limited to snake venom, but also has high medicinal value, such as snake meat, snake gall, snake slough, snake skin and its internal organs.

Fresh snake meat: because fresh snake meat retains more bioactive substances, it has its unique effect compared with dried snake. Kill live snakes to take meat, dry and grind it into powder and take it to treat rheumatoid arthritis, hemiplegia after stroke, fever in children, skin itching and so on. The injection extracted from snake meat has the effect of anti-inflammation, tonifying kidney and strengthening yang, and is suitable for the treatment of chronic bronchitis, infiltrating pulmonary tuberculosis and so on.

Snake exuviation: snake molt is different from snake skin, it is the skin membrane (cuticle) that comes off naturally during the growth of the snake. Snake slough and snake slough wine have the effects of dispelling wind and retreating nebula, eyesight, detoxification and insecticidal. Mainly used for the treatment of a variety of intractable skin diseases, such as stubborn ringworm, scabies, swelling and herpes zoster. In addition, it can also treat infantile convulsion, laryngeal arthralgia, eye nebula, low back pain, hemorrhoid leakage, acute mastitis, chorionic epithelial cell carcinoma and other diseases.

Snake gallbladder: snake gallbladder has been a precious medicine since ancient times, which can relieve qi and phlegm, calm the liver and extinguish the wind, cool the eyes, relieve cough and resolve phlegm, treat rheumatoid arthritis, red eye paste, cough and phlegm, neurasthenia, summer heat and cold, infantile wind, hemiplegia, hemorrhoids, various corneal diseases, stomach diseases, high fever and so on.

Snake venom: snake venom is venom secreted from the venom glands of poisonous snakes. Snake venom preparation has the effects of dredging menstruation and activating collaterals, hemostasis and analgesia, and can be used to treat all kinds of neuralgia, extrapyramidal nerve paralysis, poliomyelitis and its sequelae, and can also prepare antivenom serum.

Snake whip: the reproductive organs of male snakes are called snake whips, including the penis, testicles and their connected vas deferens. It contains androgen, protein and other ingredients, with the function of tonifying kidney and invigorating yang, warming and tranquilizing internal organs, and can be used to treat impotence, kidney deficiency, tinnitus, chronic orchitis, women's uterine cold infertility and so on. If other tonifying traditional Chinese medicine is added to the snake whip, the efficacy is better, which can play the role of tonifying blood and nourishing essence, for infertility caused by low semen or low semen, poor survival rate, low vitality, female endocrine disorder and poor ovulation. secondary amenorrhea and infertility caused by low menstrual volume are effective.

Dried snake: dried snake is a dried body made from the whole snake after being eviscerated, sunburned or baked. It has the effect of dispelling wind and detoxification, relieving spasm and pain, and can treat rheumatic paralysis, limb numbness, hemiplegia and other diseases.

Snake oil: snakes before hibernation, the body stores more fat, after suffering processing can be made into snake oil, mostly used for the treatment of frostbite, scald, chapped skin, chronic eczema and so on.

Snake blood: fresh snake blood can be used to treat arthralgia and deformation.

Snake eggs: salted snake eggs are commonly used in southern China and then cook porridge with gentle fire, which can be used to treat red and white dysentery. According to the Compendium of Materia Medica, the eggs of Zaocys dhumnades can cure "gale scabies".

Collection and processing of snake products processing of snake bile (1) snake bile wine. Kill the snake to take the gallbladder, wash the blood stain with water, soak in a small amount of wine for about 5 minutes, and then put it into a bottle containing more than 50 degrees of liquor, the amount of alcohol can reach the amount that can prevent deterioration. Generally put 1-2 snake gall, 3 months later can drink.

(2) Snake bile vacuum drying powder. Put the fresh bile into the vacuum dryer for vacuum drying, the yellow-green crystal powder can be achieved, which can be bottled or bagged.

(3) snake bile wine. Cut off 1 or 2 pieces of fresh bile and put them into grain spirits of more than 500 milliliters, generally soaking and drinking; fresh bile can also be squeezed into the cup of wine to drink directly.

The processing of snake slough (1) wine snake slough. Cut the snake molt brush into small pieces, spray 5 kg snake molt with 0.5 kg of rice wine to make it wet, then put it into the pan and stir-fry until slightly dry, until the color is beige, take out and dry.

(2) calcined snake slough. Wash off the mud residue from the snake slough with yellow rice wine, place it in the pot, cover it, seal it with mud, calcine it for about 1 hour, unseal it the next day, and store the processed snake slough in pottery.