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Chapter 9 of 33
神农本草经
This chapter covers two entries from the avian superior grade in Shennong's Classic of the Materia Medica: Red Rooster and Goose Fat. Below is a paraphrase and interpretation of the original text.
Red Rooster (red-feathered male chicken), sweet in flavor, slightly warm in nature.
The ancients held that its primary actions address women's metrorrhagia and metrostaxis (non-menstrual heavy or dribbling vaginal bleeding), red-white vaginal discharge (abnormal leukorrhea), and that it can tonify vacuity depletion, warm the middle burner, and arrest bleeding. It was even thought capable of communicating with the spirit realm, dispelling pestilent qi, and warding off inauspicious influences. The rooster's head was believed to expel ghosts and evil spirits, with the head of a rooster from the eastern city gate considered especially effective.
Other parts are recorded individually as follows:
Ancient annotations state it "grows in plains and marshes," referring to chickens inhabiting flatlands near water.
Supplementary annotations: Wu Pu stated that eggs from the red rooster could be made into amber. The Famous Physicians' Records (Mingyi Bielu) states that red roosters are found in Korea. Philological studies from Shuowen Jiezi and others clarify: the chicken is a "creature that knows the hour," i.e., the bird that announces dawn; fang (肪) means fat; chang (肠) refers to the intestines; pi chi (膍胵) refers to the avian stomach, with chi being an abbreviated form; he yu (翮羽) refers to feather quills; and niao (尿) is an archaic or borrowed writing of the character for excrement.
Goose Fat, sweet in flavor, neutral in nature.
It treats wind pathogen-induced tendon and vessel spasms, constriction and discomfort, hemiplegia (paralysis of one side of the body), and obstructed qi movement. The ancients believed that long-term consumption could boost qi and strength, withstand hunger, lighten the body, and delay aging. Also known as "Wu Fat" (duck fat). It grows in ponds and marshes.
Supplementary annotations: Wu Pu stated that goose fat, according to the pharmacological records of Shennong, Qi Bo, and Lei Gong, is sweet in flavor and non-toxic, and can neutralize the toxicity of various metal and mineral drugs. There is no fixed season for collection. The Famous Physicians' Records states that goose fat is produced south of the Yangtze River and can be collected at any time. However, philological research from Shuowen Jiezi, Guangya, Erya, and Fangyan indicates that in ancient texts, "yan" (雁) could refer to geese, and "wu" (鹜) referred to ducks. Therefore, this entry for "goose fat" actually refers to goose or duck fat, not the fat of wild swan geese. Later commentators established separate entries for "duck fat" and "white duck/goose," mistakenly treating this entry as referring to the wild goose—a misinterpretation.
Superior grade nurtures life; tending toward supplementation
Shennong's Classic of the Materia Medica classifies medicinals into three grades: superior, middle, and lower. Only these two avian entries occupy the superior grade, reflecting the traditional concept that superior-grade medicinals "nurture life and correspond to Heaven; they are non-toxic and can be taken in large amounts over long periods without harm." Red rooster tonifies vacuity and warms the middle; goose fat, taken long-term, boosts qi—both reflect this philosophy.
Correlative thinking (taking likeness) and yin-yang/male-female dualism
The red rooster, red in color, belongs to fire, is warm in nature, and was used by the ancients to warm the middle, arrest bleeding, and communicate with the spirit realm. The black hen, black in color, belongs to water, is more yin in nature, and was used for wind-cold-damp painful obstruction and fetal stabilization. This "red rooster—black hen" contrast exemplifies traditional Chinese medicine's method of extrapolating medicinal properties from color, gender, and yin-yang dynamics.
This mode of thinking held heuristic value in ancient pharmacology, but in modern times it should be regarded rationally, not applied mechanistically.
Treating organs with organs and anatomical correspondence
Chicken intestine for enuresis, gizzard lining for diarrhea, chicken fat for deafness, chicken feathers for blood block—these reflect the early empiric approach of "supplementing organs with organs" and "like attracts like." These correspondences are not based on anatomical equivalences but represent a classificatory mode of thinking developed from long-term observation.
Sweet fat moistens and nourishes; relaxes urgency and frees the channels
Goose fat is sweet and neutral; the ancients used it for "wind-induced spasms, constriction, hemiplegia, and qi obstruction," reflecting the principles that "sweetness relaxes urgency" and "fat moistens dryness." Limb constriction and loss of tendon nourishment could, in ancient thinking, be addressed with sweet and moistening substances.
Related concepts:
Further reading:
This content is based on classic Chinese medical texts and is provided solely for traditional cultural study and research. It does not constitute any medical diagnosis, medication, or treatment advice. Consult a qualified physician if you are unwell. — Bua Gua