The efficacy and role of bats

Bats are a type of traditional Chinese medicine and are very helpful for many diseases. Let us give a brief introduction to bats.

[Other names] Fuyi (Erya), Tianshu, Fuyi (Benjing), flying squirrel, mouse, 蟙蟔 (Fangyan), Xianshu (Erya, Guo Pu's note), Yeyan (Compendium of Materia Medica)

[Source] All bats of the family Methopteridae. After catching, remove the hair, claws and internal organs, and air-dry or sun-dry.

[Original morphology] The forearm is 46 to 54 mm long and the skull base is about 18 mm long. Small body size. The ears are short and wide, the tragus is also short, and the tip is relatively rounded and blunt. The eyes are very small. Nose normal. No nose leaves or other derivatives. The forelimbs are specialized and the phalanges are elongated. There is a thin wing membrane from the end of the finger bones upward to the shoulder bones, and backward to the hind limbs and tail on both sides of the body; there is no hair on the membrane, and blood vessels can be seen. The sternum has a keel. The tail is well developed and extends backward to the posterior edge of the interfemoral membrane. The back of the body is gray-brown with fine white spots; the ventral side is light brown. The female has a pair of nipples on her abdomen.

[Habitat distribution] It lives in the cracks of buildings or in tree holes. The body is suspended or crouched to rest during the day and is active at dawn, dusk or night. Hibernation. Feeds on insects (mainly Diptera). Distributed in Northeast China, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Gansu, Shanxi, Sichuan, Fujian, Hunan, Hubei and other places.

[Processing] ① "Leigong Paozhi Lun": "Whenever (bats) weigh one jin, they should be picked. When they are to be processed, first wipe off the hair on the meat, remove the claws and intestines, leaving the wings, meat, feet and mouth. Then soak them in wine overnight, filter them out, apply the natural juice of Polygonatum sibiricum to them, and roast them until dry before use. For each bat weighing one jin, use five liang of natural juice of Polygonatum sibiricum."

【Nature and flavor】Salty, neutral.

【Meridian】 "Compendium of Materia Medica": "Blood of the liver meridian."

[Functions and indications] Treat chronic cough, malaria, gonorrhea, convulsions, eye opacities, scrofula, and wounds.

[Usage and Dosage] For oral administration: in the form of pills or powder. For external use: mix or adjust with alum powder for application.

【Note】 "Compendium of Materia Medica" says: "Amaranth and Cloudberry are used as the messengers."

[Additional prescription] ① To treat long-term cough and shortness of breath for ten to twenty years: remove the wings and legs of bats, burn them until charred, grind them into powder, and drink it with water. (Behind the Elbow)

[Clinical Application] Treatment of chronic tracheitis: 222 cases were observed using Compound Bat Pills, with an effective rate of 89.6% and a significant effective rate of 36.9%. There is no significant difference in efficacy between the simple type and the wheezing type. In most cases, the efficacy of the drug is seen within 1 to 4 days of taking the drug. In a few cases, side effects such as dizziness, nausea, constipation, and upper abdominal discomfort occurred after taking the medicine. May disappear on its own. Preparation and usage: Take a fresh bat, peel it, remove the stomach and intestines, place it on a tile to dry (do not burn it), and grind it into powder; use 5 qian of Atractylodes macrocephala and 1 liang of Artemisia selengensis (both are dry products), decoct them in water twice, combine the filtrates and concentrate them into a 1:1 concentration, then add 6 qian of bat powder, mix well with refined honey, and prepare into pills. This is a daily dose, taken in the morning and evening, and one course of treatment is 10 days. There are also methods of using a live bat and an appropriate amount of sugar, placing them in a pot and steaming them to extract the medicinal liquid, which is taken twice a day; or using a dead bat, placing it on a tile and roasting it until it is charred, grinding it into powder, adding an equal amount of glucose powder, mixing well and pressing it into tablets, each tablet is 0.5 grams, take 12 tablets a day (equivalent to 1 bat), and take them twice a day. A total of 15 cases were treated, 4 of them showed significant improvement after taking the medicine for 7 days, 4 of them were improved, and 7 of them were ineffective.

[Note] There are many types of bats. In addition to the above, other common ones include house bats, big-eared bats, horseshoe bats, etc., which are also used for medicinal purposes.

【Excerpt】 《*Dictionary》

[Source] From "Shennong's Herbal Classic"; 2. "Tang Materia Medica": Fu Yi, because it has wings when it hides during the day. "Li's Materia Medica" says that it is the celestial rat. It is also said that there is another heavenly rat in Xiping Mountain, which can be captured in November and December. The brain is responsible for acne on women's faces.

Through the introduction in this article, we can learn some relevant knowledge about bats. Whether from the perspective of food health or traditional Chinese medicine, the role of bats cannot be underestimated.