The earth beetle, also known as the golden sand beetle, sand valley beetle, sand beetle, and ant lion, is the larva of the antlion in the family Myrmeleontidae. Due to the difficulty in capturing earth beetles, they are relatively rare and have high medicinal value. Now let's learn more about earth beetles.
【Morphological characteristics of earth beetles】
They have a slender body, resembling dragonflies. They are about 4 cm long and blackish-brown in color. They have a pair of large compound eyes on their head and no ocelli. They have a pair of club-shaped antennae that are black. Their mouthparts are adapted for chewing.
Their prothorax is movable, and they have two pairs of membranous wings on their dorsal side with a network of veins. The forewings are transparent with blackish-brown veins. All four wings have oval-shaped white markings. They have three pairs of thoracic legs and a slender abdomen.
The larvae of earth beetles resemble spiders, with a body length of about 18 mm. They have blackish-brown markings on their body. Their head and thorax are relatively small, and they have chewing mouthparts with pincer-like mandibles. They do not have wings and have five pairs of thoracic legs. Their abdomen is larger. They have a lot of hair all over their body.
Adult earth beetles live in grassy areas and are mostly active during dusk. They have phototactic behavior, meaning they are attracted to light.
The larvae often inhabit dry sandy areas under rocks or elm trees, and they dig bowl-shaped burrows. They hide at the bottom of the burrow and wait for small insects to fall into it, then they capture and feed on them. Since ants are the most common insects that fall into their burrows, they are also called ant lions.
【The efficacy and actions of earth beetles】
Earth beetles are mainly used to treat sand diuresis, malaria, boils, and scrofula.
1. "Essentials of Medicinal Properties of Herbal Medicine": "Treats scrofula, disperses at the early stage, breaks down and removes toxins, and promotes wound healing."
2. "Seeking the Origin of Herbal Medicine": "Clears the meridians and promotes diuresis. Used to treat urinary problems, ground into powder and taken with white sugar water."
3. "Compilation of Commonly Used Folk Herbal Medicines": "Reduces abscesses."
4. "Luchuan Herbal Medicine": "Used to treat wind-phlegm syndrome in children, spasms, sand diuresis, and applied to boils."
5. "Sichuan Traditional Chinese Medicine": "Used to treat malarial nodules, malaria in pregnant women, constipation, and to remove bamboo and wood splinters or iron sand from the flesh."
【Medicinal prescriptions and applications of earth beetles】
1. Treatment for malaria: Take eleven earth beetles and swallow them with wine. Take it half an hour before the onset of malaria. For chronic malaria, take it for a week.
2. Treatment for malaria in children: Take seven earth beetles, fry them until fragrant, and swallow them with boiling water.
3. Treatment for boils: Take seven earth beetles, crush six of them into a paste and apply it to the top of the boil, leave the other one intact and place it on top of the boil, cover it with a cloth.
4. Treatment for broken scrofula: Mix sand valley beetles with borax and a small amount of borneol, crush them into a paste, and apply it to the wound. Cover it with a medicated plaster.
5. Treatment for bamboo and wood splinters or iron sand embedded in the flesh: Mix earth beetles with pumpkin pulp and apply it to the affected area.
