Introduction of Feng Fang:Wasp's Nest, Honeycomb or Nidus Vespae.
✵The article gives records of the herb Wasp's Nest, its English name, Latin name, property and flavor, its botanical source three insect species, ①.Polistes olivaceous (DeGeer)., ②.Polistes japonicus Saussure., ③.Parapolybia varia Fabricius., with a detailed introduction to the botanical features of these three insect species, the growth characteristics, and ecological environment of these three insect species, the features of the herb Wasp's Nest, its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guide.
Nidus Vespae(Wasp's Nest).
Pin Yin Name: Fēnɡ Fánɡ.
English Name: Wasp's Nest, Honeycomb.
Latin Name: Nidus Vespae.
Property and flavor: neutral in nature, tastes sweet, toxic.
Brief introduction: The herb Nidus Vespae is the nest of wasps or hornets, Polistes olivaceus (DeGeer), Polistes japonicus Sauss., or Parapolybia varia Fabr., used (1).externally for treating tinea, (2).as gargle for treating painful swelling of the gums, and (3).internally for treating convulsions, urticaria, and chronic cough. The herb is commonly known as Nidus Vespae, Wasp's Nest, Fēnɡ Fánɡ.
Insect source: Herbal classic book defined the herb Nidus Vespae (Wasp's Nest) as the nest of wasps or hornets species (1). Polistes olivaceous (DeGeer)., (2). Polistes japonicus Saussure., (3). Parapolybia varia Fabricius. They are small insects of the Polistes genus or Parapolybia genus, the Vespidae family (wasp family) of the Hymenoptera order. These 3 origin species are introduced:
(1).Polistes olivaceous (DeGeer).
Insect description: The insect, Polistes olivaceous (DeGeer) is commonly known as Guǒ Mǎ Fēng. A species of the Polistes genus, the Vespidae family (wasp family) of the Hymenoptera order.
Female: its body length is about 17 mm, and the body is smooth；its frontal part is yellow, the area around its front ocellus (simple eye) is black, the part at its rear ocellus has one cambered blackspot (arc-shaped), its calvaria and genal region are yellow; its antennae antennifer, scape (the 1st segment of antennae), clavola are brown; its clypeus is yellow, the center of the tip has corniform protrusions, yellow, each of both sides has 1 brown strip; the center of its mesotergum has vertical black lines, both sides have 2 yellow vertical strips; its scutel (scutellum), postfrenum (postfroenum), mesopleuron, metapleuron are all yellow, the junction of sclerites is black; its propodeum is yellow, the central fissure is black, both sides have 1 brown strip; its pedis are yellow, the claw is smooth and no teeth; the notum and sternum of its abdomen segments are all dark yellow, the part near the middle has 1 convex brown transverse striation, but the sternum of the first segment and the notum of the sixth segment have no brown striation.
Male: the morphological characteristics of the male insect are similar to those of the female insect, and its abdomen has seven segments.
Life habits: the insect nests in branches and bushes, and stays in an indoor corner, or tree hole in early November during winter. They like to eat various fruits and caterpillar larvae and prey on Diptera larvae.
The insect is distributed in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the Zhujiang River area, the southwest area, and other areas of China, and it is also distributed in France. The insects mainly harm crops such as cotton.
Characters of herbs: The complete herb is disc-shaped, lotus seedpod-shape, overlapping pagoda-shape, or irregular flat blocks, in different sizes; the surface is ash gray (grayish-white) or taupe (dust color, grayish brown); there are many orderly hexagonal cavities on the ventral surface, and the pore diameter is 3~4 mm or 6~8 mm; there are one or several short black protuberant short handles on the back. The herb is light, and the texture of the herb is flexible and slightly elastic. The herb has a slight odor, and it tastes pungent and mild. The herb whose texture is crisp or firm and hard can not be used as a herb.
(2).Polistes japonicus Saussure.
Insect description: The insect, Polistes japonicus Saussure is commonly known as Cháng Jiǎo Fēng. A species of the Polistes genus, the Vespidae family (wasp family) of the Hymenoptera order. Its body length is 14~18 mm; its morphological character is similar to that of Polistes jadwigae, but the body type of this species is smaller, and its body color is lighter and tawny (yellow brown).
Ecological habits: Adult insects appear from spring to late autumn and early winter and live in flat forest edges and mountain areas at low altitudes. The insect likes to visit flowers to suck honey, and like other Polistes, they are good at catching soft insects and taking them back to the nest to feed the larvae. If people or other animals attack them, they will expel the poisonous soft spines from the anus, causing minor pain for a few days, or inflammation and pain.
(3).Parapolybia varia Fabricius.
Insect description: The insect, Parapolybia varia Fabricius is commonly known as Yì Fù Hú Fēng, or Xiǎo Hú Fēng. A species of the Parapolybia genus, the Vespidae family (wasp family) of the Hymenoptera order; its body length is 12~17 mm; body color is tan (chocolate brown); its body type is slender if compared with other Polistes; the protuberant part between the two antennary fossae on its frontal part is yellow, most part of the genal region is yellow, smooth, and covered with short fuzz; its antennae are brown; its mesotergum is bistre (seal brown), both sides of the central part have one long knife-shaped yellow vertical markings.
Ecological habit: Adult insects live in mountainous areas below medium altitudes, except in the winter; often nesting in low bushes, the vibration of its nest will lead to attacks from a few worker bees; their allied species Parapolybia indica distributes in mountains of mid-latitudes in a small number; Parapolybia nodosa is distributed in mountain areas of low and medium altitudes and has a darker body color.
Life habits: Generally, when the temperature is 12~13 °C (Celsius, or 53.6~55.4 degrees Fahrenheit), wasps go out for insects, start nesting at 16~18 °C (Celsius, or 60.8~64.4 degrees Fahrenheit), and hibernate when the temperature drops to 6~10 °C (Celsius, or 42.8~50 degrees Fahrenheit) after autumn. Its activity is the most frequent at noon in the spring when the temperature is high; in the summer, when noon is hot, its activity is often suspended; they return to honeycomb at night, fond of light; it stops moving when the wind is above category 3. When the relative temperature is 60~70%, it is most suitable for its activity. Wasps have a sweet tooth. Within 500 meters, wasps can clearly identify the direction, and return home smoothly, but they often get lost if the distance is more than 500 meters.
Distribution: It is mainly distributed in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Zhujiang River area, the southwest area, and east big island of China.
Wasps are found all over the world. It's intimidating. About 16 mm long, tentacles, wings, and tarsus are orange; its body is black and glossy, with yellow stripes and pairs of spots; its sting is very painful, wasps generally swarm on the nest, a swarm is fewer dozens to hundreds, more than a thousand, and the biggest number is up to 5,000~8,000. When people or livestock contact or touch the nest, it will cause a swarm attack, its pincers hurt people and livestock. Severe cases of stings can cause death. So one should stay away from wasps.
Pharmacological actions: ①.cardiovascular effects; ②.anti-inflammatory effect, etc.
Medicinal efficacy: Conteracting toxic substances, killing parasites, relieve itching, dispel the wind, relieve pain, detumescence (relieve swelling). It is indicated for sore and ulcer, pyogenic infections, malignant sore, acute mastitis, stubborn dermatitis, urticaria and itching (itching hidden rashes), scrofula (glandular phthisis, lymphoid tuberculosis), furunculosis, anal fistula, tinea manuum (goose-web wind, fungal infection of the hand), tinea capitis (scald head, favus of the scalp), bee sting and swelling pain, dentalgia (toothache), carious pain and wind toothache (pain of decayed tooth or pathogenic wind), anemogenous toothache (acute toothache), abscess of throat and tongue (swelling and pain of throat and tongue), rheumatic arthralgia pain, wind-warm arthralgia pain, wandering arthritis, frightened epilepsy, etc.
Administration of Nidus Vespae (Fēnɡ Fánɡ):
Reference:
Administration Guide of Nidus Vespae (Fēnɡ Fánɡ)
TCM Books:
①.Internally: 3~5 grams. Externally:proper amount, prepare to finely ground herb powder, mixed with oil and apply stick at affected area, or mouthwash with water decoction, or wash affected area; ②.Externally:prepare to finely ground herb powder, mixed and apply stick, or fumigation wash with water decoction. Internally:water decoction, 0.8~1.5 qian (about 2.4~4.5 grams), or charred the herb with its property retained, prepare to finely ground herb powder; ③.water decoction, 1.5~6 grams, big dosage could be 15~30 grams; prepare to finely ground herb powder and prepared to pill, powder.
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1.Introduction of Feng Fang:Wasp's Nest, Honeycomb or Nidus Vespae.
✵The article gives records of the herb Wasp's Nest, its English name, Latin name, property and flavor, its botanical source three insect species, ①.Polistes olivaceous (DeGeer)., ②.Polistes japonicus Saussure., ③.Parapolybia varia Fabricius., with a detailed introduction to the botanical features of these three insect species, the growth characteristics, and ecological environment of these three insect species, the features of the herb Wasp's Nest, its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guide.
Pin Yin Name: Fēnɡ Fánɡ.
Insect description: The insect, Polistes olivaceous (DeGeer) is commonly known as Guǒ Mǎ Fēng. A species of the Polistes genus, the Vespidae family (wasp family) of the Hymenoptera order. 
Male: the morphological characteristics of the male insect are similar to those of the female insect, and its abdomen has seven segments.
Characters of herbs: The complete herb is disc-shaped, lotus seedpod-shape, overlapping pagoda-shape, or irregular flat blocks, in different sizes; the surface is ash gray (grayish-white) or taupe (dust color, grayish brown); there are many orderly hexagonal cavities on the ventral surface, and the pore diameter is 3~4 mm or 6~8 mm; there are one or several short black protuberant short handles on the back. The herb is light, and the texture of the herb is flexible and slightly elastic. The herb has a slight odor, and it tastes pungent and mild. The herb whose texture is crisp or firm and hard can not be used as a herb.
Insect description: The insect, Polistes japonicus Saussure is commonly known as Cháng Jiǎo Fēng. A species of the Polistes genus, the Vespidae family (wasp family) of the Hymenoptera order. Its body length is 14~18 mm; its morphological character is similar to that of Polistes jadwigae, but the body type of this species is smaller, and its body color is lighter and tawny (yellow brown).
Ecological habits: Adult insects appear from spring to late autumn and early winter and live in flat forest edges and mountain areas at low altitudes. The insect likes to visit flowers to suck honey, and like other Polistes, they are good at catching soft insects and taking them back to the nest to feed the larvae. If people or other animals attack them, they will expel the poisonous soft spines from the anus, causing minor pain for a few days, or inflammation and pain.
Insect description: The insect, Parapolybia varia Fabricius is commonly known as Yì Fù Hú Fēng, or Xiǎo Hú Fēng. A species of the Parapolybia genus, the Vespidae family (wasp family) of the Hymenoptera order; its body length is 12~17 mm; body color is tan (chocolate brown); its body type is slender if compared with other Polistes; the protuberant part between the two antennary fossae on its frontal part is yellow, most part of the genal region is yellow, smooth, and covered with short fuzz; its antennae are brown; its mesotergum is bistre (seal brown), both sides of the central part have one long knife-shaped yellow vertical markings.
Ecological habit: Adult insects live in mountainous areas below medium altitudes, except in the winter; often nesting in low bushes, the vibration of its nest will lead to attacks from a few worker bees; their allied species Parapolybia indica distributes in mountains of mid-latitudes in a small number; Parapolybia nodosa is distributed in mountain areas of low and medium altitudes and has a darker body color.
Life habits: Generally, when the temperature is 12~13 °C (Celsius, or 53.6~55.4 degrees Fahrenheit), wasps go out for insects, start nesting at 16~18 °C (Celsius, or 60.8~64.4 degrees Fahrenheit), and hibernate when the temperature drops to 6~10 °C (Celsius, or 42.8~50 degrees Fahrenheit) after autumn. Its activity is the most frequent at noon in the spring when the temperature is high; in the summer, when noon is hot, its activity is often suspended; they return to honeycomb at night, fond of light; it stops moving when the wind is above category 3. When the relative temperature is 60~70%, it is most suitable for its activity. Wasps have a sweet tooth. Within 500 meters, wasps can clearly identify the direction, and return home smoothly, but they often get lost if the distance is more than 500 meters.
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