Witnessed by: TCM

Earthworm (Pheretima aspergillum), of the Megascolecidae (Clitellata) family. A segmented burrowing worm of moist soil, ring-girdled at the clitellum; the whole animal is the drug; native range: moist rich soils of southern China — Guangdong and Guangxi supply the best-reckoned grade — and across south and southeast Asia. Globally recognized as di long (地龍), qiu yin (蚯蚓) in Chinese, bhūnāga in Sanskrit, and earthworm in English. The part used is the whole body, split open, cleaned of soil and dried. Flat, split, curled strips of translucent brownish tissue, papery and brittle, the segment rings still visible and a faint pale girdle at the clitellum; the smell earthy and fishy, the taste slightly salty.

In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.

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