Herb

Chan Tui

Cicada Slough | 蝉蜕

Also known as:

Cicada shell

Chan Tui

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Properties

Cool, acrid herbs that release the Exterior (辛凉解表药) · Cold

Traditionally supports*

Skin Health Eye Health and Vision Throat and Voice Care Children's Health

Parts Used

Shell (壳 ké / 甲 jiǎ)

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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About This Herb

Traditional Chinese Medicine background and properties

Herb Description

Chan Tui is the cast-off shell of the cicada insect, widely used in Chinese medicine to clear Wind and Heat from the body. It is commonly used for sore throats, hoarse voice, itchy skin rashes, red eyes, and childhood fevers with convulsions. Gentle and non-toxic even at higher doses, it is especially valued in pediatric medicine.

Herb Category

Cool, acrid herbs that release the Exterior (辛凉解表药)

Main Actions

  • Disperses Wind-Heat
  • Benefits the Throat and Restores the Voice
  • Vents Rashes and Stops Itching
  • Brightens the Eyes and Removes Visual Obstructions
  • Extinguishes Wind and Stops Spasms

How These Actions Work

'Disperses Wind-Heat' means Chan Tui helps the body expel Wind-Heat pathogens that cause symptoms like fever, headache, sore throat, and cough at the early stage of illness. Its light, airy quality (being a hollow shell) gives it a natural affinity for the body's surface, making it useful when external Wind-Heat first invades. It is often combined with herbs like Mint (Bo He) and Forsythia (Lian Qiao) for common colds of the Wind-Heat type.

'Benefits the throat and opens the voice' means Chan Tui can soothe a swollen, painful throat and restore a hoarse or lost voice. This action is rooted in its ability to disperse Wind-Heat from the Lung channel, since in TCM the throat is considered the gateway of the Lungs. It is commonly paired with herbs like Jie Geng (Platycodon) and Pang Da Hai (Sterculia seed) for voice loss caused by Wind blocking the Lungs.

'Vents rashes and relieves itching' means Chan Tui can help push skin eruptions outward and relieve itching. In conditions like measles where the rash has not fully emerged, Chan Tui encourages the rash to come to the surface, which TCM considers essential for recovery. For Wind-type skin conditions like hives (urticaria), its ability to dispel Wind directly addresses the root cause of itching.

'Clears the eyes and removes superficial visual obstructions' refers to Chan Tui's ability to treat red, swollen, painful eyes and cloudy films over the eye (pterygium or corneal opacity). Because it enters the Liver channel, and the Liver in TCM "opens into the eyes," Chan Tui can clear Wind-Heat from the Liver that causes eye inflammation. It is often combined with Chrysanthemum (Ju Hua) and Tribulus (Bai Ji Li) for these conditions.

'Extinguishes Wind and stops spasms' means Chan Tui can calm both external Wind and internal Wind. Internal Wind in TCM refers to conditions involving involuntary movement such as tremors, convulsions, and spasms. This makes Chan Tui valuable for childhood febrile seizures, night terrors, and even tetanus. Notably, it is one of the few anticonvulsant herbs in the Materia Medica that is non-toxic and safe at higher doses, making it particularly suitable for children.

Patterns Addressed

In TCM, symptoms cluster into recognizable patterns of disharmony that reveal what's out of balance in the body. Chan Tui is traditionally associated with these specific patterns.

The following describes this herb's classification within Traditional Chinese Medicine theory and is provided for educational purposes only.

Why Chan Tui addresses this pattern

Wind-Heat invasion is an exterior pattern where Wind-Heat pathogens attack the body's surface, producing fever, slight chills, sore throat, headache, and a floating rapid pulse. Chan Tui is cold in nature and sweet and salty in taste. Its cold nature directly opposes the Heat component while its light, ascending quality disperses the Wind from the body's exterior. Entering the Lung channel, it specifically addresses the Lung's role as the organ most vulnerable to external attack, clearing Wind-Heat from the upper body (throat, head, eyes) where these pathogens tend to lodge.

A practitioner would look for one or more of these signs

Fever

Fever with mild chills from external Wind-Heat

Sore Throat

Red, swollen, painful throat

Hypochondrial Pain That Is Worse On Coughing And Breathing

Cough from Wind-Heat constraining the Lungs

Headaches

Headache due to Wind-Heat rising upward

Hoarseness

Hoarse or lost voice

TCM Properties

Temperature

Cold

Taste

Sweet (甘 gān), Salty (咸 xián)

Channels Entered
Lungs Liver
Parts Used

Shell (壳 ké / 甲 jiǎ)

This is partial information on the herb's TCM properties. More detailed information is available on the herb's dedicated page

Product Details

Manufacturing, supplier, and product specifications

Product Type

Granules

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Botanical & Sourcing

Quality Indicators

Good quality Chan Tui should be whole and intact (not broken into fragments), with a clean yellowish-brown colour that is semi-transparent and glossy. The shell should be light, hollow, and crisp but not crumbled. The head, thorax, and abdominal segments should be clearly discernible, with the dorsal split on the thorax visible. It should be free of mud, soil, and other debris. The smell should be faint and the taste bland. Avoid material that is heavily broken, dark or dull in colour, contaminated with excessive soil, or damp and mouldy. Water-washed grades are considered cleaner for decoction use.

Primary Growing Regions

Chan Tui is produced throughout much of eastern and central China. The primary production regions include Shandong (historically the largest producer, especially Heze and Shanxian county along the old Yellow River course), Henan (particularly western Henan and the Yellow River/Yiluo River floodplains), Hebei, Hubei, Jiangsu, Anhui, and Sichuan. Recent scholarship on dao di yao cai (terroir quality) notes that Zhejiang-produced material has traditionally been regarded as particularly fine. Shandong remains the most significant region by volume. The herb depends entirely on wild cicada populations, and supply has declined in recent years due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and increasing consumption of cicada nymphs as food.

Harvesting Season

Summer and autumn (typically June through September), collected from the ground beneath trees or from tree trunks where cicadas have moulted.

Supplier Information

Treasure of the East

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Miscellaneous Info

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Usage & Safety

How to use this herb and important safety information

Important Medical Disclaimer

The information provided here is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice or to replace consultation with a qualified healthcare professional. This herb is a dietary supplement and has not been evaluated by the FDA. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, have a medical condition, or are taking other medications. Discontinue use and consult your healthcare provider if you experience any adverse reactions.

Recommended Dosage

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Traditional Dosage Reference

Standard

3-10g

Maximum

Up to 30-60g daily for treating tetanus (broken into 3 divided doses with rice wine), under practitioner supervision only. For routine clinical use, 10g is generally the upper limit.

Notes

Standard doses of 3-6g are used for dispersing wind-heat, benefiting the throat, and clearing the eyes. Higher doses of 6-10g may be used for skin conditions with significant itching (urticaria, eczema). For treating convulsions and spasms, doses of 10-15g are common in combination with other anticonvulsant herbs. The traditional use for tetanus (Po Shang Feng) calls for very large doses of 30-60g per day, ground to powder and taken in divided doses with warm rice wine. When used as ground powder (taken directly rather than in decoction), doses of 1-3g per administration are typical. Chan Tui is very light, so even moderate gram weights represent a large volume of material.

Processing Methods

Processing method

The raw cicada shells are washed thoroughly in boiling water to remove soil, dirt, and debris. The head, wings, and legs are sometimes removed. Then the shells are dried. As described in the Ben Cao Gang Mu: washed with boiling water to remove mud and soil, the wings and legs removed, then boiled in starch water and dried.

How it changes properties

This does not significantly change the thermal nature, taste, or actions. The primary purpose is to clean the material and remove non-medicinal parts (dirt, sand, insect fragments), ensuring purity and consistent dosing. Some sources suggest removing the head and feet slightly reduces the dispersing force.

When to use this form

This is the standard form used in clinical practice. Essentially all prescriptions calling for Chan Tui use this cleaned form. The raw, unwashed form is not typically used internally.

Toxicity Classification

Non-toxic

Chan Tui is classified as non-toxic in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Toxicity studies in mice have shown a very wide safety margin: oral administration of alcoholic extract at doses up to 8,000 mg/kg produced no deaths. Intravenous injection of various aqueous preparations also produced no deaths at high doses, confirming a large safety range. The main constituent is chitin (a structural polysaccharide), along with proteins, amino acids, and organic acids. Rare allergic reactions have been reported in isolated cases when the ground powder was taken with rice wine, manifesting as sweating, facial flushing, scattered skin rash, and mild fever. These are idiosyncratic hypersensitivity reactions rather than dose-dependent toxicity.

Contraindications

Caution

Pregnancy: Chan Tui has dispersing and descending properties that may affect the fetus. Classical sources advise pregnant women to use with caution.

Caution

Wind-cold exterior patterns (common cold from cold invasion): Chan Tui is cold in nature and suited for wind-heat conditions. Using it for wind-cold patterns would worsen the condition.

Caution

Exterior deficiency with spontaneous sweating: its dispersing nature can further weaken the exterior defensive Qi in already deficient patients.

Caution

Pox or rashes due to deficiency-cold patterns: the classical physician Zhang Shouyi warned that when itching from pox is due to Qi deficiency rather than excess heat, Chan Tui should not be used.

Special Populations

Pregnancy

Use with caution during pregnancy. Chan Tui has a dispersing and descending nature that could theoretically disturb the fetus, and multiple classical and modern sources advise caution or avoidance during pregnancy. While there are no specific reports of teratogenicity, and the herb is generally mild in action, the traditional caution is well-established. It should only be used during pregnancy under the guidance of a qualified practitioner when the clinical benefit clearly outweighs potential risk.

Breastfeeding

No specific contraindications are documented for use during breastfeeding. Chan Tui is classified as non-toxic with a very wide safety margin. Its main constituent, chitin, is a large polysaccharide molecule unlikely to transfer into breast milk in significant amounts. However, as with all herbal medicines during lactation, use should be guided by a qualified practitioner, and the mother should monitor the infant for any unusual reactions.

Pediatric Use

Chan Tui has been traditionally regarded as a key herb in pediatric medicine, frequently called a 'children's essential medicine' (小儿要药). It is one of the few substances that calms Liver wind and stops convulsions while being non-toxic, making it much safer than other anticonvulsant animal substances like scorpion (Quan Xie) or centipede (Wu Gong). It is commonly used for childhood febrile convulsions, night crying, and rashes. Dosage for children should be reduced proportionally by age and body weight, typically 1-3g for infants and 3-6g for older children. The bland taste makes it relatively easy to administer to children.

Drug Interactions

No well-documented pharmacological drug interactions have been established for Chan Tui in the peer-reviewed literature. However, based on its known pharmacological properties, the following theoretical considerations apply:

  • Sedative and anticonvulsant medications: Preclinical studies show Chan Tui has sedative effects and synergises with barbiturates (hexobarbital). Concurrent use with sedatives, anxiolytics, or anticonvulsants (such as phenobarbital, benzodiazepines, or valproic acid) may have additive effects. Caution is advised.
  • Immunosuppressant medications: Research demonstrates immunosuppressive properties (suppression of dendritic cell activation). Theoretically, this could have additive effects when combined with pharmaceutical immunosuppressants (cyclosporine, tacrolimus, etc.), though clinical significance is unknown.
  • Antihistamines: Given Chan Tui's demonstrated anti-allergic properties, additive effects with antihistamine medications are theoretically possible.

Dietary Advice

No specific strong dietary restrictions apply. As Chan Tui is used primarily for wind-heat conditions, it is generally advisable to avoid greasy, heavily spiced, or excessively warming foods (such as lamb, deep-fried foods, chilli, and alcohol) during treatment, as these can generate additional heat and counteract the herb's cooling, dispersing action. Light, easily digestible foods are preferred. Some traditional sources advise caution with shellfish and other potentially allergenic seafood when using Chan Tui for allergic skin conditions, as these foods may aggravate the underlying condition.

Cautions & Warnings

Although this formula is typically safe for most individuals, it may cause side effects in some people. Pregnant women, nursing mothers, postpartum women, and those with liver disease should use the formula with caution.

As with any Chinese herbal remedy, it is advisable to seek guidance from a qualified TCM practitioner before beginning treatment.