The traditional Zuang drugs

The traditional Zuang drugs are the developing nationality medicine and have not formed a comprehensive system yet. It is being combined with the nationality medicine and folk medicine.

The region inhabited by the Zuang nationality is in the subtropical zone of south of the Five Ridges (the area covering Guangdong and Guangxi), where is rich in resources of plants and animals. As there is a habit to eat snake, rat, wild fowl and other wild animals in Zhuang nationality, the application of animal drugs was popular. "Meat can be used for strengthening the body resistance" was an experience of applied animal drugs in folks. The other characteristic of the traditional Zuang drugs is good at detoxification. Many kinds of toxities including Snake's venom, insect's venom, food poisoning, drugs poisoning, metal and stone poisoning, etc. can be detosified by traditional Zhuang drugs. The famous anti-snkebite agent made in Guangxi is one of the great contributions of the traditional Zuang drugs.

In China the Zuang nationality mainly lives in the Guangxi Autonomous Region. According to the investigation there are 709 kinds of the traditional Zuang drugs. More than 500 kinds of them were recorded in Zuang Zhu Min Jian Yong Yao Xian Bian (Selections of Folk Drugs of the Zuang Nationality). Some of them showed local nationality characteristics, including Aristolochia debilis (Guangxi madouling), Flemingiae philippinensis (Qianjinba), Ixora chinensis (Longchuanhua), Costus speciosus (Bixiaojian), Actinidia chinensis (Yangtao), Zanthoxylum nitidum (Liangmianzhen), Plumeria rubra var. acutifolia (Jidanhua), Lasia spinosa (Ciyu), Osbeckia chinensis (Jinjinxiang), Caesalpinia minax (Nanshele), Dioscorea cirrhosa (Shuliang), Japalura polyonate (Mazongshe), Rattus norvegicus caraco (Hejiashu), Python molurus bivittatus (Mangshe), etc.

On traditional fairs there are dealings of traditional Zuang nationality medicines. According to investigation, dealings of traditional Zhuang medicines on the Dragon Boat Festival include 246 kinds.