Regional distribution and medicinal value of snakehead snakehead (southern snakehead fish)

Channa maculata (Channa maculata) belongs to the order Perciformes, suborder Perciformes, family Channa, and genus Channa. Commonly known as: jackal, fortune fish, snakehead, raw fish, etc.; English name: Taiwan snakehead. It belongs to the same species as the Snakehead Snakehead, but is very similar in shape and habits. The morphological differences are as follows: the dorsal fin rays of the black snakehead are 47-50, and the starting point of the dorsal fin is in front and above the pelvic fin; the anal fin rays are 31-36, the lateral line scales are 60-69, and the caudal fin has no arc-shaped transverse spots; while the dorsal fin of the spotted snakehead is The rays are 39-45, the starting point of the dorsal fin is above the base of the pelvic fin, the rays of the anal fin are 26-29, the lateral line scales are 50-56, and the caudal fin has 2-3 arc-shaped transverse spots.

Both snakehead and spotted snakehead are widely distributed, but spotted snakehead is only distributed in the south of the Yangtze River. Like snakehead, it has strong vitality, fast growth rate, is not easy to die after emerging from the water, and its body is not easy to rot and deteriorate after death, making it easy to transport and process. Snakehead snakehead and spotted snakehead have high meat content and high nutritional value. Each 100 grams of muscle contains 18.8-19.8 grams of protein, 0.8-1.4 grams of fat, 1.2 grams of carbohydrates, 82-92 kcal of calories, and 57-120 mg of calcium. Phosphorus 163-400 mg, iron 0.5-0.8 mg. The meat of spotted snakehead is more delicate and delicious than that of black snakehead. It is a very popular fish in the international market.

Both black snakehead and spotted snakehead can be used as medicine. Its meat is cold in nature, sweet and flat in taste, and has the effects of removing dampness, diuresis, ventilation, reducing swelling, dispelling wind, promoting lactation, and nourishing blood; it is good for edema, dampness, difficulty in urination, chest tightness, stomach distension, tuberculosis that cannot be cured after long-term treatment, and bleeding from intestinal hemorrhoids. , measles, earache, rising fire, low milk supply, maternal anemia, wind sores, stubborn ringworm and scabies that persist for a long time, crooked mouth and eyes, convulsions and numbness, etc., all have certain curative effects. In Guangdong and Fujian, people also believe that snakehead has the power of astringent and muscle-building. Therefore, snakehead is often eaten after surgery to speed up the healing of the wound. In addition, it can also treat low back pain, bone fire, arthritis, nephritis and other diseases. The bile of the snakehead mixed with borneol can also be used to treat trachoma.

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