di long

地龙·Pheretima

angle worm

About di long

Di Long (地龙) is the earthworm, recorded as Pheretima. It is salty in flavour and cold in temperature, entering the Bladder, Liver, Lung and Spleen channels. The catalogue files it among the substances that extinguish Wind and stop tremors. Its Chinese name reads as ground dragon.

Names

Pinyin	di long
Chinese	地龙·地龍·地龍(炙)
Latin Name	Pheretima
English Name	angle worm·earth worm; angle worm; ground dragon·Earthworm·ground dragon
Japanese	jiryu
Korean	jiryong

Classification

Category: Extinguish Wind, Stop Tremors
Channels: Lung, Spleen, Bladder, Liver
Flavour: Salty
Temperature: Cold
Family: Megascolecidae
Tags: Chinese Herbs, Common

Actions and indications

Drains Heat, settles convulsions, extinguishes Wind and stops spasms

Extreme Heat stirring up Wind: high fever with convulsions, seizures, spasms or tremor, loss of consciousness and incoherent speech
Can be used as a single herb
Recently also given for manic schizophrenia with Heat

Clears Heat and unblocks the channels and collaterals

Bi with swollen, painful joints and limited movement: suited to Hot Bi, and to Cold Bi when combined with suitable herbs
Hemiplegia from blocked channels, as after Wind-stroke

Clears the Lungs and calms wheezing

Cough and wheezing with Lung Heat, bronchitis among them; the classic partners are Xi Xin and Ma Huang
Useful as a single herb here, in capsule or powder form or boiled with sugar into a syrup

Clears Heat and promotes urination

Hot, painful urinary dysfunction
Severe edema, ascites and jaundice
Heat clumped in the Bladder, with difficult urination or no urine at all; can be used alone, or paired with Mu Tong

Anchors Liver Yang and lowers blood pressure

High blood pressure from ascending Liver Yang

Promotes healing when applied topically

Mumps (acute parotitis), chronic leg ulcers, burns, boils and carbuncles, with the powder mixed with sugar and applied to the area

Combinations

gou teng + bai jiang can
High fever with seizures and convulsions in adults or infants
han fang ji + qin jiao + ren dong teng
Heat Bi Syndrome.
zhi chuan wu + zhi cao wu + ru xiang
Cold Bi.
zhi chuan wu + zhi tian nan xing
Wind-Damp Bi.
sang zhi + ren dong teng + chi shao + luo shi teng
Heat Bi with joints that are painful, swollen and red
huang qi + dang gui + chuan xiong + hong hua
Hemiparesis or hemiplegia after Wind-Stroke
quan xie + chi shao + huai niu xi
Hemiplegia.
ma huang + xing ren + huang qin
Lung Heat with cough and wheezing
hai piao xiao + tian zhu huang
Wheezing and cough, taken as a powder alongside other decoctions
huai niu xi + dong kui zi + jin qian cao
Urinary dysfunction that is hot and painful, with edema or stones
che qian zi + mu tong + dong kui zi
Painful, hesitant urination in Lin syndrome
dang gui + rou gui
Pain in the legs and lower back after trauma
huang qin + shi jue ming + tian ma + xia ku cao
Hypertension.
dan shen + ci shi
Rising Liver Yang with hypertension
zhu sha
Convulsions, ground to powder and given as pills
gou teng + shi gao + quan xie + chong lou
Unremitting fever with seizures, spasms, twitching or meningitis; loss of consciousness
shi gao + zhi mu + xing ren
Cough and dyspnea from Lung Heat
dang gui wei + su mu + tao ren + xue jie
Painful, swollen fractures
jin qian cao + hai jin sha
Urinary stones.
mu gua + han fang ji + bing lang
Lower-limb edema

Dosage

Age	Raw	Granule	Tincture	Concentrate	Frequency
Any	4-15 g	—	—	—	—

Cautions

caution Shang Han (Cold damage) conditions, except Yang Ming Heat with restlessness
caution Warm disease where the fever is not high
caution Weak, deficient Spleen and Stomach, particularly with Cold
contraindication Wind or wheezing that arises from Cold, or from deficiency without Heat
pregnancy Pregnancy calls for caution, since the herb drains downward and moves the channels

Interactions

Drug interactions

Anticoagulant and antiplatelet medicines (warfarin, DOACs, aspirin, clopidogrel), and around surgery: earthworm contains clot-dissolving enzymes such as lumbrokinase, so bleeding risk may rise (theoretical, not an established interaction)