Bamboo Bee (Xylocopa dissimilis) — Dried TCM Insect Material, 500g Bulk Lot

Bamboo Bee (Xylocopa dissimilis), known in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as Zhú Fēng (竹蜂) and also called Wu Zhu Feng (乌竹蜂), is the dried whole body of the large black carpenter bee that nests within bamboo stalks. For generations it has been honored in southern Chinese folk herbal practice as a wind-extinguishing, phlegm-transforming, and orifice-opening insect herb, traditionally used to relieve sore throat, hoarseness, and disorders attributed to internal wind-phlegm. Its nature is sweet, sour, and cold, entering the Stomach and Lung channels, making it a distinctive and valued material in the TCM materia medica.

Key Selling Points

• Traditional TCM insect herb (Zhú Fēng / 竹蜂)
• Dried whole-body carpenter bee material
• Sourced from China, new-crop stock
• 500g bulk pack for decoction and formula use
• Food agricultural product grade, lab testing supported

Quality & Sensory

Each batch is carefully collected and dried to preserve the bee's deep black body, firm segmented texture, and faintly smoky, slightly sweet aroma. The wings remain thin and translucent, and the body is dry to the touch without stickiness or mold. When decocted, it yields a mild, subtly sweet and slightly tart infusion with a faint earthy note, blending quietly into multi-herb formulas without dominating the broth.

Technical Specifications

Usage Scenarios

• Decoction in multi-herb TCM formulas
• Traditional throat and voice support preparations
• Folk herbal tinctures and infusions
• Bulk supply for herbal practitioners and clinics
• Ingredient in traditional wind-phlegm formulas

Traditional Uses

In folk herbal practice, Bamboo Bee is decocted alone or in combination with herbs such as licorice, platycodon, and honeysuckle to support the throat and voice, and it appears in southern Chinese formulas addressing wind-phlegm and internal wind patterns. It is also traditionally steeped in rice wine or included in long-simmered medicinal soups, and older herbal texts describe it as a material for clearing heat, transforming phlegm, and settling wind. In daily practice it is most often used as a supporting ingredient within a larger formula rather than as a stand-alone tea.

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