Vespertilio Faeces, Bat Feces, Ye Ming Sha ๅคๆ็
Ye Ming Sha (TCM)
Krauterbuch, Lonitzer, 1578
Spicilegia Zoologica, Pallas, 1767
Plecotus auritus
(Illustration by Ernst Haeckel) (Wikimedia)
Zoological name:
Several species supply this medicine in China:
- Vespertilio superans (Asian particolored bat, official)
- Pipistrellus abrarnus (Japanese House bat)
- Rhinolopus ferrurnequinum (Greater Horseshoe bat)
- Plecotus auritus (Brown Long-eared bat, Brown big-eared bat)
Some modern Chinese texts state that any Bat feces can be used with the above-mentioned species being the most commonly used in China.
Parts used:
Feces (TCM)
Temperature & Taste:
Cold, dry. Pungent
Classification:
Uses:
1. Clears Liver Heat, Brightens the Eyes:
-Night-Blindness, superficial visual obstruction, Blurry vision
-Cataracts
-Red eyes, bleeding into the whites of the eyes from Liver heat
-used topically in the west for films and superficial visual obstruction
-also Childhood Fright
2. Moves the Blood, Opens Obstructions, Clears Stasis:
-Trauma, Bruising
-accumulations from childhood nutritional impairment (chronic malnutrition)
-traditionally for Malarial disorders, painful dribbling urine and Scrofula
Dose:
Only the prepared product should be used in Powders or Pills.
Decoction: 3โ9 grams
Roasted Powder: 2โ5 grams.
Comment:
Bat Blood was applied to stop the growth of Hair. (West)
Preparation:
It is stir-fried or heated in an oven (120 degree C for an hour) when prepared as a powder for internal use.
Main Combinations:
1. Obstructed or blurry vision:
i. Bat feces (Ye Ming Sha) with Abalone shell (Shi Jue Ming)
ii. Bat feces (Ye Ming Sha) with Lycium Gou Qi Zi (‘Goji’), Paeonia Bai Shao, Tribulus Ci Ji Li
2. Night-blindness:
i. Bat feces (Ye Ming Sha) eaten with animal Liver
ii. Bat feces (Ye Ming Sha) with Lycium Gou Qi Zi (‘Goji’)
3. Senile Cataracts:
i. Bat feces (Ye Ming Sha), Calamus (Shi Chang Pu), Astragalus cornplanatus seed (Sha Yuan Zi)
ii. Bat feces (Ye Ming Sha) taken with Qi Ju Di Huang Wan.
4. Films of the Eyes, Bat Dung, Cuttlefish bone, Rock Sugar, Pearl, Cassia, Tragacanth, applied topically (Syrian ‘Book of Medicine‘, Budge, 1913)
5. Childhood nutritional impairment, Bat feces (Ye Ming Sha) with Atracylodes Bai Zhu, Citrus Chen Pi
Cautions:
1. Avoid during pregnancy
2. Generally only used for eye diseases with Heat or Stasis (not deficiency).
3. Bats often contain a number of viruses. Therefore, any Bat product, including the feces, should be heated in an oven (120 degree C for an hour) or stir-fried well before use. For this reason it is best used in decoction, which is the preferred method of use in China.
