Gadfly (Mengchong)
| Pharmaceutical Name: | Tabanus |
| Botanical Name: | Tabanus bivittatus Mats. |
| Common Name: | Gadfly |
| Source of Earliest Record: | Shennong Bencao Jing |
| art Used & Method for Pharmaceutical Preparations: | The female gadfly is caught in May or June. It is boiled or steamed, and then dried in the sun. |
| Properties and Taste: | Bitter, slightly cold and slightly toxic |
| Meridian: | Liver |
| Functions: | To invigorate blood and remove stagnation |
| Indications and Combinations: | 1. Amenorrhea or abdominal and epigastric masses caused by blood stagnation. *Use with Leech (Shuizhi), Cockroach (Chechong), Peach seed (Taoren) and Rhubarb (Dahuang) in the formula Dahuang Chechong Wan. 2. Pain due to external injury. *Use with Frankincense (Ruxiang), Myrrh (Moyao) and Peach seed (Taoren). |
| Dosage: | 1-1.5 g; 0.3 g for baked powder |
| Cautions: | This substance is contraindicated during pregnancy. |