Black Striped Snake (Wu Shao She')
Chinese rat snake
Pharmaceutical name: Zaocys Dhumnades
Zoological name: Zaocys dhumnades (Cantor)
Family: colubridae
Found: Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Fujian
Harvested: Winter or Summer
Good Quality: Firm, intact, with black skin and yellow meat.
This snake has the same medicinal properties as the White-Patterned snake but it is not as strong. This is also used to treat chronic eczema and joint pain due to wind-cold. It is used with Agkistrodon seu Bungarus for convulsions associated with tetanus. It has the same cautions as the above snake. The dosage is also similar: 3-9g. in decoctions and 3g. as powder.
Please remember it is best not to self diagnose or prescribe. All Chinese herbs should be prescribed by an acupuncturist trained in herbal medicine.
Chinese and Western Herbs are not to be taken without the personal advice of an Herbologist able to diagnose your condition. The information on these pages is only for knowledge not for self medication purposes.
