Vespae Nidus (the nest of Polistes olivaceus (DeGeer), Polistes jokahamae Radoszkowski or related species)
Nature and flavour. Sweet, neutral; some sources class it as slightly toxic. Stomach system.
The paper nest of a social wasp — an insect-built structure, and therefore one of the handful of animal-architecture drugs in the materia medica. Classical texts describe it as counteracting toxin, killing parasites, and dispelling wind to relieve pain. Externally it is recorded for sores, swellings and abscesses, for scrofula, and for ringworm and itchy skin; internally it is recorded for the painful obstruction attributed to wind-damp and for toothache. The material is usually charred or calcined before use. Very little of what is claimed for it has been examined in controlled human studies. The traditional indications here are recorded as traditional, and the honest summary is that this is an old drug with a long recorded use and almost no modern clinical evidence in either direction.
性味归经。甘，平；部分文献记有小毒。归胃经。
一种社会性胡蜂的纸质蜂巢 —— 由昆虫筑造的结构，因此是本草中少数以「虫类建筑」入药者之一。古籍记载攻毒杀虫、祛风止痛。外用治疮疡肿毒、瘰疬、癣疮与皮肤瘙痒；内服记载用于风湿痹痛与牙痛。药材多经炒炭或煅制后使用。所载用途中很少有经过对照人体研究检验者；本页所载传统用途一律作为传统记载处理。诚实的小结是：这是一味年代久远、记载悠久的药，而现代临床证据无论正反都几乎空白。
动物来源药材，第一重风险其实与传统医学无关：胡蜂类物质具有致敏性。已知对胡蜂或蜜蜂毒液过敏、或既往螫刺后出现过全身反应者，连接触都不应当 —— 对这类人而言，接触就是通向严重过敏反应的一条路径；为一味没有临床证据支持的传统药承担这种风险并不值得。过敏之外，来源是最大的薄弱点：野生采集的蜂巢可能含残留幼虫、寄生虫、霉菌、采集环境中的农药残留，且物种不明，这些均无常规质量控制可言。部分文献列为有小毒。孕期与哺乳期避免使用，儿童忌用，非专业指导不得内服。正在增大的肿物、脓肿、久不消退的肿核、以及哺乳期乳腺炎，在用药之前都须先诊断 —— 这些恰恰是古籍所载的适应症，而这些情形一律不宜拖延。