As important traditional Chinese medicine materials, medicinal animals have been highly appreciated due to their strong bioactivities. Among these, medicinal insects have been thought to be significant, especially in preventing and treating modern diseases and tumors. Some of the most famous medicinal insects, such as horseflies, blister beetles and American cockroaches (Periplaneta americana) have been well known due to their reported effects in anti-thrombosis and fighting cancer. In general, identifying the medicinal functions and active components of medicinal insects has been a gradual processes. Originally, these medicinal insects were collected from open fields and usually their whole bodies were adopted. But, currently, most medicinal insects are under large-scale artificial propagations and only their purified active components are in use. In this article, we reviewed the historical process of the application of the horsefly in traditional Chinese medicine and tried to provide useful references for the modernization of traditional Chinese medicines via discussing the interrelationship between traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine.
动物药生物活性强、显效快，是中国医药学的重要组成部分，历来以“血肉有情”之品而备受重视。昆虫类中药药材在中国传统药物研究和利用中占有重要地位，特别是在治疗现代文明病和肿瘤方面具独特疗效。代表性昆虫类中药药材包括虻虫(牛虻)、斑蝥及美洲大蠊(Periplaneta americana)等，因具有显著抗血栓、治疗肿瘤等功效而得到长期应用。其药用功能和物质基础认知经历了从简单肤浅到深入清晰的过程，其利用也经历了由野外捕捉到人工规模化养殖、纯种品系培育，由简单、粗放加工全虫到精细利用单一成分、去害存益的历程。该文通过对牛虻的认识和利用变迁历程的初步梳理，揭示传统中药研究和应用与西药研发的相互影响，为中药现代化模式提供参考。
Keywords: Bioactive substance; Horsefly; Identification; Traditional Chinese medicine.