Flavors/Temps: Sweet, Salty, Neutral

Caution: Considered safe. Not recommended for Yin deficient or damp-heat in the bladder conditions.

History/Folklore: Praying mantises are closely related to cockroaches and termites. They are sometimes confused with stick bugs (Phasmatodea) and even grasshoppers (Orthoptera). They live for about a year, lay their eggs in the fall and then die. Some females will eat their mates after copulation.

A typical case of mantis eggs will contain 100-400 eggs. They are secreted by the females on twigs in late summer and fall.

One of the earliest references in writing about the praying mantis, is in an Ancient Chinese dictionary. There are also two separate schools of martial arts that use fighting strategies based on the movements of the praying mantis. They are known as the Northern and Southern Praying Mantis schools. The insects are revered as a symbol for mindful movement. They are seen as elegant, mindful and contemplative.

Praying mantises have been attributed with supernatural powers by early civilizations, including the Ancient Greeks, Ancient Egyptians and Assyrians. The image of the insects appeared on early Greek coins. The Ancient Greeks believed the insect could show a traveler the way home. In Ancient Egypt, in the Book of the Dead, the mantis (called the “bird-fly”) is a minor god that leads souls to the underworld. In Southern Africa, the mantis was considered a god. These cultures believed that seeing a mantis was a direct message from god and time was taken to understand the message.

The name “Mantodea” is from the Ancient Greek words for “prophet and form.” Symbolically they are symbols of stillness, agility, quickness, and peace of mind.

Gardeners who would like to avoid using pesticides will encourage mantises to thrive in order to help keep general predators in check. Two species were specifically introduced to North America in the hopes that they would help control agricultural pests. Both species have now spread widely in the United States and Canada.