A survey of the historical origins, medicinal value and food safety of Chinese insect tea

Author of the article:WEN YaFeng；WEN LiZhang

Author's Workplace：1. College of Public Administration and Law, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China; 2. Institute of Entomology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China

Key Words：insect tea; insect feces; medicinal value; disease model experiment; edible safety; literature review

Abstract：Chinese traditional insect tea is tea made from the excrement of insects. It is mainly produced in the mountainous areas of Hunan, Guizhou and Guangxi where it has been drunk for hundreds of years and is a recognized local, traditional, agricultural product. Although descriptions of the use of insect feces to make tea are very rare in ancient Chinese literature, records of using insect feces for medicinal purposes are very common in ancient medical books. Publications on traditional Chinese insect tea have increased since the mid-1990s. In particular, great progress has been made in areas such as food safety, bioactive substances, and the prevention and treatment of simulated diseases in experimental animals. In addition, a variety of bioactive substances and clinical therapeutic effects or signs have been found. These results provide an important basis for the development of traditional Chinese insect tea. This paper reviews the historical origin, medicinal value and food safety of insect tea in China from 992 AD to 2018 AD.