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Wasp Nest, Feng Fang 蜂房

Feng Fang (TCM)
De Animalibvs Insectis, Ulisse Aldrovandi, 1602

Wasp Nest at the Chengdu Medicine Market (Adam, 2016)

Entomological name:
Vespa spp.
A large number of species supply the market:
  1. Polistes olivaceus,
  2. P. japonicus
  3. P. yokohamae
  4. P. mandarinus
  5. P. formosana
  6. P. olivaceus 
  7. Parapolybia varia

Parts used:
Nest of various species of Wasp

Temperature & Taste:
Neutral (slightly Warm), Sweet. Toxic.

Uses:
1. Resists Poison, Clears Wind, Stops Itching, Stops Pain:
-Skin rashes, Itching, Scabies, Tinea (externally)
-Sores, Boils, Carbuncles (externally)
-Sudden Childhood Epilepsy (as a bath)
-traditionally for Madness, Lunacy, Possession (internally)

2. Resists Poison, Resolves Swellings:
-internally for Lymphatic Swellings, Scrofula, Tumors
-Acute Suppurative Lymphadenitis
-Breast Abscess
-highly regarded by some TCM practitioners in the treatment of Cancer.

3. Clears Wind, Expels Damp, Eases Pain & Itching:
-Wind-Damp Joint or Muscle pain
-Wind-Damp Skin Rashes

4. Warms the Kidneys, Stimulates Yang:
-Impotence, Spermatorrhea
-Aphrodisiac
-ashed nest is taken with wine.

5. Promotes Milk:
-sometimes used to promote Breast Milk

6. Externally:
-washes for Toxic Swellings and Sores, Scrofula, Phlegm Nodules
-washes for Itching, Scabies, Tinea, Ringworm
-decoction held in the mouth for severe Toothache, including that due to caries
-topically to Wasp Stings


WASPS:
1. Promotes Urine (like Bees); Edema, Gravel and Stones
2. Ashes have bee given for Fevers (West)
3. Powder or ashes have been used topically to promote Hair Growth

DOSE:
1. It is advisable to only used the carbonised product internally.
3–5 grams in Decoction
1–3 grams of the carbonised or ashed nest internally. (Read said 2–3 drams)
Most used externally as a wash, 10 grams per liter, or as an appropriate amount of the powder.

PREPARATION:
1. Wasp Nest is usually gathered, then steamed or baked. Dead Wasps are removed, if steamed it is left to dry in the sun, and it is ready for use.
2. Calcined Wasp Nest:
  The nest is calcined in a sealed pot until red hot, then removed when cool and powdered. This enhances efficacy, reduces toxicity and also allows for it to be powdered easily.

Main Combinations:
1. Toxic Sores with redness, heat, swelling and pain:
i. Deep abscesses and Sores, Carbuncles, Internal Tumors, Osteoma, Wasp Nest (Feng Fang), Snake Slough, ashed Human hair. Ash them all together.
ii. Wasp Nest (Feng Fang) with raw Arisaematis Tian Nan Xing, raw Aconite (Cao Wu) and Alum (Bai Fan) mixed with rice wine to a paste for topical application
2. Toxic Swellings: Divide a nest in half; bake one half and keep the other half fresh. Then beat equal amounts of the 2 together. This can be taken orally in doses of 2-4 grams, or mixed with vinegar for local application. It is suitable for boils, carbuncles, as well as acute lymphadenitis, mastitis, tumors'
3. Itchy Wind Rash, Urticaria:
i. Wasp Nest (Feng Fang) with Cicada Slough (Chan Tui), made into a tincture.
ii. Roasted and powdered, it is mixed with Snake Skin, and taken in doses of 1 dram, three times daily. A wash made with Wasps nest and Sodium Sulphate can be used externally.
4. Swollen Sore Throat, Wasp Nest, White Dead Silkworms, Frankincense, equal parts. Ash them together.
5. Edema, the ashed Nest is taken with wine
6. Pain and swelling of the Joints, Wasp Nest, Scorpion
7. Severe pain:
i. of Rheumatism or Arthritis, prepare a tincture of Wasp Nest (Feng Fang) with raw Aconite (Aconitum Cao Wu, Aconitum Chuan Wu, or Aconitum napellus), to be painted on topically.
ii. severe pain of Arthralgia, Wasp Nest (Feng Fang) with Scorpion (Quan Xie) and Centipede (Wu Gong)
8. Fistulas, the powder is mixed with Pig fat and applied.
9. Scrofula:
i. Wasp Nest, Self Heal, Frankincense
ii.. Purulent Scrofula, Wasp Nest (Feng Fang) with Figwort (Xuan Shen) and Astragalaus Huang Qi as an ointment.
10. Breast Abscess, The ash is taken in water for breast abcesses
11. Hard sores or lumps of the breast, Wasp Nest (Feng Fang) with Dandelion (Pu Gong Ying) and Fosythia Lian Qiao applied topically.
12. Tumors:
i. Wasp Nest (Feng Fang) with Figwort (Xuan Shen) and Arisaematis Tian Nan Xing.
13. Cancer:
i. Breast Cancer, 6 grams of the ashed Nest are decocted in a small glass of water for 6 minutes and taken as a dose.
ii. Wasp Nest (Feng Fang) with Oldenlandia Bai Hua She She Cao and Scutellaria Bai Zhi Lian
14. Paralysis of the extremities, It is ashed and mixed with Garlic and soot and applied to the extremities.
15. Aphrodisiac, 2 drams of the ashed Nest 'stimulate erection of the penis, possible of copulation with ten woman'. It was also applied topically.
16. Equal parts of Wasps Nest and Prepared Rehmannia are roasted until charred and made into pills the size of a Sterculia seed with Honey. The dose is 50 pills taken with Barley Water or Decoction. The formula is taken for 2 weeks, in which time no meat or fish is taken.
17. Gum or Teeth pain, Wasp Nest, Myrrh. Decoct and use as a mouth wash.
18. To promote hair growth: 'Mice dung, with the ashes of burnt Wasps, and burnt Hazelnuts, made into an Ointment with Vinegar of Roses, do trimly deck a bald head with hairs, being annointed with it'. (Culpeper's School of Physick)

Major Formulas:


Cautions:
Not used in marked deficiency, impaired Renal function or open Sores.

TOXICITY:
Metabolites can be toxic, irritate the Kidneys which may lead to Nephritis.

Main Preparations used: