Chinese Medicinal Roach - Roach Crossing

Eupolyphaga sinensis

Mixed nymphs: $7/each
Starter colony (12 mixed): $70

Detailed Species Stats -Click-

- Adult Size: Male: 31 mm. Female: 28 mm.

- Climbing Abilities: Cannot climb.

- Flying Abilities: Adult males may be be able to fly.

- Mode of Birth: Oviparous.

- Care Level: Intermediate.

- Temperature Requirements: 70-85 degrees Fahrenheit.

- Air Humidity: Dry.

- Substrate Humidity: Moist.

- Favorite Foods: Not picky.

Locality: None.

Popular in China as a folk remedy, this cockroach is being continuously investigated for medicinal uses. Treatments made from this species are thought to increase blood circulation, regenerate damaged liver, and perform a slew of other remarkable medical feats. These claims are not entirely unfounded; one clinical study found that an extract made from Eupolyphaga sinensis possesses tumor-inhibiting qualities (Gang-Feng et al. 2012; click HERE for the abstract)! Besides its medicinal potential, Eupolyphaga sinensis is a neat species that attains a decent size, and females are quite long-lived. The males are fully winged, whereas the females are wingless. Both enjoy burrowing in a substrate with a humidity gradient, though drier substrates are tolerated as well. Oothecae hatch relatively quickly for a Polyphagid (somewhere between 2 and 3 months), and the newborn nymphs quickly lose their yellow neonate coloration after the first molt or so.