The golden sand cow, also known as the ground cow, is the dried body of the larvae of the antlion, an insect in the antlion family. The golden sand cow has high nutritional value and is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat malaria, boils, and other ailments. Let's take a look at the efficacy, functions, and morphological characteristics of the golden sand cow.
【Morphological Characteristics of the Golden Sand Cow】
The golden sand cow is also known as "shānáozi," "dàoxíngǒuzi," "shuìchóng," "shāgǔniú," "shāniú," "yǐshī," "dìgǔ," and "shāmāo."
The golden sand cow is 32mm long and has a wingspan of 73mm. Its body is slender, resembling a dragonfly. The head is wider than the thorax, with brown compound eyes, a black head, yellow mouthparts, black club-shaped antennae, and yellow scape.
The thorax is yellow with two wide brown longitudinal bands on the dorsal side, and it has long yellow hairs. The mesothorax and metathorax are black and larger than the prothorax. The legs of the golden sand cow are yellow and have long yellow hairs. The wings are transparent with a faint iridescence, and the wing membrane is delicate.
The fore and hind wings are similar in shape and size and have yellow wing veins. The abdomen is dark brown. The larvae resemble spiders, with a body length of 6-18mm and a color ranging from tan to dirty white, with black-brown markings. They have scattered and clustered black-brown bristles on their bodies, a pair of pincer-like jaws on the head, no wings, three pairs of legs on the thorax, and a larger abdomen.
【Efficacy and Functions of the Golden Sand Cow】
The golden sand cow, also known as the ground cow or antlion, is mainly used for medicinal purposes. It can be used to treat conditions such as hypertension, urinary tract stones, gallstones, osteomyelitis, vasculitis, otitis media, and more.
The golden sand cow has high medicinal value and is naturally expensive. Live golden sand cows can be sold for more than 4000 yuan per kilogram.
Dried ground cows can be ground into powder and applied to the affected area to treat knife wounds. In folk medicine, this insect is usually ground into powder and used to treat tinnitus or otitis media.
The taste of the golden sand cow is pungent and salty, and it is warm and toxic. It has diuretic and detoxifying effects and is mainly used to treat urinary calculi, malaria, boils, and scrofula.
For treating malaria: Take eleven ground cows, mix them with alcohol, and swallow them. Take them half an hour before the onset of malaria. For chronic malaria, take them for a week.
【Biological Characteristics of the Golden Sand Cow】
The golden sand cow (ground cow) feeds on ants, flies, small spiders, and small insects that pass by its burrow. It lives in dry, sheltered areas beneath walls and in alkaline loam soil.
The larvae of the golden sand cow create small funnel-shaped pits on loose, yellow soil, which serve as traps for capturing prey.
In some areas, there are many of these "little soil pits," and the golden sand cows hide in the soil of these pits. When prey falls into the pit, the golden sand cow emerges and devours it.
Its adult form is called the "antlion," which may seem familiar as it often flies into houses for no apparent reason at night and circles around hanging lights. This annoying creature is actually the adult form of the antlion.
The adult antlions live in grassy areas and are mostly active at dusk. The larvae live in dry sandy soil, constructing funnel-shaped burrows and waiting at the bottom to capture small insects. They are found in southern China, Taiwan, Sichuan, and other regions.
