神农本草经禽（上品）

Shennong Bencao Jing - Avian (Upper Grade)

This chapter covers the two upper-grade avian medicinals from the "Shennong Bencao Jing": Red Male Chicken and Goose Fat. Below is a paraphrased interpretation and commentary following the original text.

Overall Paraphrase

🐓 Red Male Chicken

Red Male Chicken (red rooster), sweet in flavor, slightly warm in nature.

The ancients believed it primarily treats women's uterine bleeding (abnormal vaginal bleeding outside menstruation or dribbling hemorrhage), red-white discharge (abnormal vaginal discharge), and can tonify deficiency, warm the middle burner, and stop bleeding; it was even thought to communicate with the spirits, dispel toxins, and ward off evil. The chicken head was believed to repel ghosts and evil spirits, with the head of a chicken from the eastern city gate considered most effective.

The remaining parts are recorded separately:

• Chicken fat: Treats deafness.
• Chicken intestines: Treats enuresis (urinary incontinence, bedwetting).
• The yellow membrane inside the gizzard: The yellow inner lining of the chicken gizzard, later commonly known as Chicken's Gizzard Membrane (Jineijin), treats diarrhea and dysentery.
• White chicken droppings: i.e., white chicken manure, treats wasting-thirst disorder (conditions involving excessive thirst, frequent urination, and emaciation), febrile diseases, and alternating chills and fever.
• Black female chicken: Treats wind-cold-damp impediment (arthritic pain and immobility of limbs caused by wind, cold, and dampness), wuhuan liuji (condition with both muscular flaccidity and spasticity), and calms the fetus.
• Wing feathers: Chicken wing feathers or feather shafts, treat blood stasis and amenorrhea (blocked menstruation, blood stasis).
• Chicken egg: Clears heat; treats fire sores, convulsions, and epilepsy. The ancients also believed chicken eggs could be made into amber-like "spiritual objects."
• The original text also mentions "chicken moth and fat" but does not elaborate on their specific indications.

Ancient annotations mention "born in plains and marshes," indicating chickens inhabit flat lands and watery areas.

Supplementary notes: Wu Pu stated that red chicken eggs can be made into amber. The "Mingyi Bielu" (Records of Famous Physicians) says red male chickens are found in Korea. Textual research from the "Shuowen Jiezi" and other sources states: the chicken is "the animal that knows the time," i.e., the bird that announces dawn; fang refers to fat; chang refers to large and small intestines; pichi refers to the bird's gizzard, with cui being an abbreviated form; heyu refers to feather shafts; niao (urine/white droppings) is an ancient or borrowed character for excrement.

🦆 Goose Fat

Goose Fat, sweet in flavor, neutral in nature.

It primarily treats wind-induced tendon spasms, contracture and discomfort, hemiplegia (paralysis of one side of the body), and qi flow obstruction. The ancients believed long-term use strengthens qi and stamina, staves off hunger, makes the body light and agile, and delays aging. Also known as "Wu Fat." Produced in ponds and marshes.

Supplementary notes: Wu Pu stated that according to the medicinal records of Shennong, Qibo, and Leigong, goose fat is sweet, nontoxic, and can neutralize the toxicity of various mineral and metal drugs; there is no fixed season for collection. The "Mingyi Bielu" says goose fat is produced south of the Yangtze River and can be collected anytime. However, textual research from "Shuowen," "Guangya," "Erya," and "Fangyan" suggests that in ancient texts, "yan" could refer to geese (domestic), while "wu" refers to ducks. Therefore, "goose fat" in this entry actually refers to goose or duck fat, not the fat of wild migratory geese. Later commentators separately established entries for "Wu Fat" and "White Duck Goose," mistakenly identifying this entry as wild goose fat — a misunderstanding.

🧠 Deep Understanding

Core Principles 💡

Upper grade nourishes life, leaning toward supplementation
The Shennong Bencao Jing classifies medicinals into upper, middle, and lower grades. Only these two avian upper-grade medicinals exist, reflecting the traditional principle that upper-grade herbs "nourish life to correspond with Heaven, are nontoxic, and may be taken in large doses or for prolonged periods without harming humans." Red male chicken tonifies deficiency and warms the middle; goose fat builds qi with long-term use — both reflect this philosophy.

Correlative thinking and yin-yang male-female distinction
The red male chicken is red in color, belonging to fire and warm in nature — used to warm the middle, stop bleeding, and communicate with spirits. The black female chicken is black in color, belonging to water and yin in nature — used for wind-cold-damp impediment and calming the fetus. This "red male — black female" contrast embodies the TCM method of inferring medicinal properties through color, sex, and yin-yang.
This mode of thinking holds heuristic value in ancient pharmacology but should be viewed rationally today rather than mechanically applied.

Like-treats-like and body-part correspondence
Chicken intestines treat enuresis; the gizzard's yellow membrane treats diarrhea; chicken fat treats deafness; chicken feathers treat blood stasis — reflecting the early experiential approach of "organ tonifying organ" and "like qi seeking like." This correspondence is not anatomically based but represents a classificatory thinking formed through long-term observation.

Sweet fat moisturizes and nourishes; relaxes urgency and unblocks collaterals
Goose fat is sweet in flavor and neutral in nature. The ancients used it for "wind spasms, contracture, hemiplegia, and qi flow obstruction," reflecting the principles that "sweetness relaxes urgency" and "fat moisturizes dryness." For limb contracture and tendon malnutrition, ancient physicians believed sweet, moistening substances could relax and nourish them.

Modern Understanding 🌟

• Reasonable nutritional value: Chicken and eggs are rich in high-quality protein, fats, and various trace nutrients. As part of a daily diet, they strengthen the body and provide energy. The ancients' claims of "tonifying deficiency and warming the middle" and "boosting qi and relieving hunger" partially correspond to the nutritional functions of chicken and fat.
• Modern research on Jineijin: The chicken gizzard's yellow membrane (Jineijin) contains pepsin, amylase, and other components, which may support digestive function. However, the original text states it "treats diarrhea and dysentery," which differs from the later common use of Jineijin for food stagnation and digestion — the two should not be conflated.
• "Communicating with spirits," "killing ghosts," and "warding off evil" belong to ancient shamanistic medicine: These claims arise from an era when early medicine was not yet fully separated from primitive belief systems. They should be viewed as historical texts, not modern medical conclusions.
• Some medicinal parts are rarely used today: Such as white chicken droppings, chicken heads, and chicken feathers, which are scarcely used in modern times. Their safety and efficacy lack high-quality evidence and should not be self-experimented with.
• "Long-term use makes the body light and delays aging" should not be exaggerated: This is a common expression for upper-grade medicinals in the Bencao Jing, reflecting more the Daoist philosophy of elixir-taking and health cultivation. Modern nutrition does not support that prolonged consumption of any single animal fat delays aging; on the contrary, excessive fat intake may increase metabolic burden and cardiovascular risk.
• The modern significance of philological research: In ancient usage, "yan" could mean domestic goose, highlighting the critical importance of verifying the actual identity of Chinese medicinal names. Ancient names cannot be simply equated with modern species, lest it lead to medication confusion.

Health Cultivation Insights ⚡

• Chicken and eggs are excellent daily nutritional sources and can be consumed in moderation, but attention should be paid to a balanced diet, avoiding picky or excessive eating.
• Those with deficiency, cold sensitivity, or fatigue can pay attention to warming nourishment and nutrition, but it is not recommended to self-prescribe heavy "tonics" or consume large amounts of any poultry fat long-term.
• For abnormal uterine bleeding, abnormal vaginal discharge, deafness, enuresis, joint pain, hemiplegia, wasting-thirst, and similar conditions, one should first seek diagnosis from a regular hospital. Do not rely on any single poultry food or ancient folk remedy.
• Fat intake should be moderated. Exercise to stretch the limbs and avoid prolonged sitting with muscle tightness. Maintaining emotional well-being helps reduce everyday discomfort from "qi flow obstruction."
• The ancient "red male — black female" yin-yang classification can be loosely understood as "different constitutions choosing different foods," but it cannot serve as a diagnostic basis.

📚 Related Knowledge

• Related Concepts:

  • Upper-grade medicinals
  • Correlative thinking (Qu Xiang Bi Lei)
  • Like-treats-like (Yi Zang Bu Zang)
  • Medicine and food share the same origin
  • Five livestock as supplements
  • Sweet flavor relaxes urgency

• Further Reading:

  • Suwen · Zang Qi Fa Shi Lun: "The five livestock provide supplementation."
  • Jingui Yaolue · Poultry, Animals, Fish, Insects: Taboos and Management
  • Bencao Gangmu · Avian Section
  • Etymological studies of "yan," "wu," "e," and "ya" in Shuowen Jiezi, Erya, and Fangyan

This content is based on classical Chinese medical texts and is provided solely for traditional cultural study and research. It does not constitute any medical diagnosis, medication, or treatment advice. Please consult a qualified physician if you feel unwell.
—— Bu Gua