If you want to use live earthworms for medicinal purposes, you need to select the females and scald them to death in boiling water, and then dry them in the sun or dry them, but the medicinal use needs to reach a certain standard, and it is not recommended to treat them on your own for medicinal purposes.
Turtle bugs are derived from the dried female body of the cockroach insect, Jie Di Bao or Jie Di Bao, which is an alternative name for the earthworm, and both belong to the same species. The females are first selected from the live soft-shelled turtle bugs, which are then scalded to death in boiling water, dried in the sun or dried, and then further concocted according to the needs of the medicine.
The treatment of live earthworms for medicinal use has certain standards in terms of impurities, moisture, total ash, etc. Generally speaking, for the sake of safety and efficacy, it is not recommended to treat live earthworms on one’s own and use them for medicinal purposes.
The treatment of herbs should be in strict accordance with the Chinese Pharmacopoeia and relevant Chinese medicine standards, and should not be blindly treated and taken by oneself. It is also cold in nature, slightly toxic, and prohibited for pregnant women, so it is recommended to follow doctor’s advice.