Kanmushi
𧒄虫

Translation: unknown*

Kanmushi live in your abdomen, and travel about between the heart and liver. They have a single tail, but their head is split in two. Their back is red and their belly is yellow.

People who become infected with this parasite feel a strong urge to drink large quantities of hot liquids. As this worm wraps itself around its host’s liver, they lose consciousness.

Kanmushi infections can cured very quickly by ingesting jiō (the roots of Rehmannia glutinosa), a kind of figwort.

*The kanji used in this creature’s name 𧒄 is an old and very rare one. I wasn’t able to find any explanation of it in Japanese or Chinese dictionaries, and even the book I have which breaks down the pages of Harikikigaki does not make any attempt to explain the meaning of this rare character.