Cargando...
Capítulo 18 de 33
神农本草经
Overall Paraphrase
The following is a translation of the ancient herbal records of seven animal medicines in the Animals (Medium Grade) section of the Shennong Ben Cao Jing. This is provided solely for traditional cultural study and does not represent modern medical conclusions.
🐴 White Horse Penis
Horse penis: salty in taste, neutral in nature. Ancient herbal records state it primarily treats “internal injury” (damage to internal organs, near-severed pulse qi) and “inability of the penis to rise” (erectile dysfunction). It is said to strengthen willpower, supplement vitality, promote muscle growth, make the body stout and robust, and aid fertility. Horse eyes are said to treat fright epilepsy, abdominal distension, and malaria; the ancient method required slaughtering the horse to remove the eyes. Horse hooves (the suspended part) are said to treat fright pathogens, convulsions, and failure of postpartum lactation, and to repel foul qi, ghost toxins, and gu-infections. This medicine grows in plains and marshlands. Later commentators say it is produced in Yunzhong.
🦌 Deer Antler
Deer antler: sweet in taste, warm in nature. Treats metrorrhagia and metrostaxis (irregular uterine bleeding), malign blood, alternating chills and fever, and fright epilepsy. It is said to supplement vitality, strengthen willpower, promote tooth growth, and delay aging. Deer horn treats malign sores, carbuncles and swellings, expels pathogenic qi, and resolves static blood lodged in the yin region. Later commentators state that deer antler is harvested in the fourth and fifth months when deer shed their antlers, dried in the shade until fully dry; deer horn is harvested in the seventh month.
🐂 Ox Horn Core (Jiao-Si)
The bony core of the ox horn, called “jiao-si,” is said to break through obstructed blood and static blood, relieve pain, and treat watery vaginal discharge with blood in women. Ox marrow supplements the middle, fills the bone marrow, and long-term use was believed to extend lifespan. Ox gallbladder can be used in making pill medicines. The character dictionary Shuowen explains that “jiao-si” is the bony part within the horn.
🐑 Goat Horn
Goat horn: salty in taste, warm in nature. Primarily brightens the eyes, treats “green blindness” (severely reduced vision or complete blindness), kills scabies parasites, stops cold-type diarrhea, repels ghosts, demons, tigers, and wolves, and relieves palpitations. Long-term use calms the spirit, supplements vitality, and makes the body feel light. This medicine grows in riverside valleys. Later commentators say it is produced in Hexi, with no fixed harvest time. Ancient dictionaries consider “gu” to mean ewe, and later people also used “gu” and “zang” as names for black and white sheep.
🐕 Male Dog Penis
Male dog penis: salty in taste, neutral in nature. Treats “internal injury” and “yin atrophy with inability to rise” (erectile dysfunction). The ancients believed it could make the penis strong, hot, and enlarged, aid fertility, and treat female vaginal discharge and twelve types of gynecological conditions. It is also known as “dog essence.” Dog gallbladder is said to brighten the eyes. Later commentators state it is harvested during the first fu period of the sixth month and dried in the shade for one hundred days.
🐐 Antelope Horn
Antelope horn: salty in taste, cold in nature. Primarily brightens the eyes, supplements qi, raises the penis, removes malign blood pouring downward, repels gu toxins and evil ghosts, and settles heart qi to promote restful sleep. This medicine grows in riverside valleys. Later commentators say it is produced at Shicheng and Mount Huayin, with no fixed harvest time. Ancient textual research holds that “ling” is a vernacular form; the correct characters include “yuan” and “xian,” describing the animal as resembling a sheep but larger, with round, sharp horns, often dwelling among cliffs.
🦏 Rhino Horn
Rhino horn: bitter in taste, cold in nature. Primarily treats all kinds of poisons, insect gu-infections, evil ghosts, and miasmic qi; it is said to counter the toxins of gou-wen, pheasant feathers, and snake venom, and to improve states of confusion or abnormal sleep. Long-term use was believed by the ancients to make the body light. This medicine grows in mountain valleys. Later commentators say it is produced at Yongchang and Yizhou. Ancient texts describe the rhino as resembling an ox, with a horn on the nose, crown, or forehead; the Shanhaijing mentions white rhinos; the Fanzi Jiran records that rhino horn had three grades—upper, middle, and lower—determined by quality and price.
The above medium-grade animal medicines total seven, identical across ancient editions.
Positioning of Medium-Grade Animal Medicines: The Shennong Ben Cao Jing classifies medicines into upper, medium, and lower grades. Medium-grade medicines are mostly used for “nourishing one's nature, responding to others,” and their toxicity and safety require careful consideration. The animal medicines collected in this section are mostly derived from animal organs, horns, and marrow—what later generations called “substances of blood and flesh with feeling.” The ancients believed these could supplement essence and blood, strengthen will, and supplement qi more directly than plant-based medicines.
Correlative-Type Symbolic Thinking: Using male animal genitals to treat impotence and infertility, using horns to treat head and eye disorders and fright epilepsy, and using marrow to fill the marrow—all are typical examples of “treating form with form” and “supplementing organs with organs.” This line of thinking was extremely common in ancient medicine and profoundly influenced later understandings of animal medicines.
Four Natures and Five Flavors and Pathomechanisms: Most animal medicines in this section are salty in taste. Salt enters the kidneys and can soften hardness, moisten downward, and supplement kidney qi. Deer antler is sweet and warm, leaning toward supplementing the middle and boosting qi. Rhino horn and antelope horn are bitter, salty, and cold, leaning toward clearing heat, settling fright, and brightening the eyes. Horn-type medicines are generally attributed to the Liver channel and used to clear the liver, brighten the eyes, stop spasms, and calm the spirit, reflecting the medicinal imagery of “horns reaching the crown of the head.”
Repelling Evil and Shamanistic Colorations: Multiple entries mention “repelling foul qi, ghost toxins, and gu-infections,” “repelling evil ghosts, tigers, and wolves,” etc., indicating that early herbal texts still carried the inseparable character of shamanism and medicine. Medicines were believed to treat physical disease and also ward off supernatural pathogens.
The effects of these animal medicines are mostly ancient empirical or analogical deductions, not systematically verified by modern pharmacology. Some, such as deer antler, contain amino acids, peptides, and hormone-like substances, and modern research has shown some interest—yet claims of “no aging,” “fertility,” or “weightless body” cannot be taken as therapeutic conclusions.
Rhino horn, antelope horn, and others involve endangered wildlife under modern law, strictly prohibited from trade and medicinal use; rhino horn has been removed from the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. In traditional formulas, rhino horn has mostly been replaced by water buffalo horn or other substitutes in modern clinical practice—but this belongs to the realm of professional medical care and must be handled by qualified physicians.
Using animal genitalia such as horse penis or dog penis as medicine reflects the ancients' simplistic understanding of sexual function and fertility. Modern medicine has established clear diagnostic and treatment pathways for erectile dysfunction, infertility, and related conditions, and one should not rely on such ancient formulas.
Contents like “repelling evil ghosts” and “gu toxins” lack scientific basis, though the underlying vigilance against miasmic qi, epidemic toxins, and insect-borne poisons reflects a certain historical awareness of epidemic prevention.
Ancient methods such as “must slaughter it” to obtain horse eyes, as well as the ways some of these animal medicines were procured, are unacceptable under modern animal ethics and wildlife protection standards.
Self-directed consumption or use of any of the above animal medicines is not recommended, especially rhino horn, antelope horn, and others that involve legal and species-protection issues, from which one should firmly stay away.
The ancients emphasized “strengthening will and supplementing qi” and “settling heart qi,” which can be translated into daily emotional regulation: maintaining emotional stability, reducing anxiety, palpitations, and ensuring regular routines.
The pursuit of “brightening the eyes” and “no aging” suggests that protecting vision and maintaining cognitive health should rely on modern healthy lifestyles: avoiding eye strain, ensuring adequate sleep, balancing nutrition, and engaging in moderate exercise.
One should take a rational view of “treating form with form.” Eating animal organs cannot directly supplement corresponding human organs. A well-regulated diet with comprehensive nutrition is far safer and more effective than pursuing rare animal medicines.
Related Concepts: Three-grade classification, four natures and five flavors, channel tropism, substances of blood and flesh with feeling, supplementing organs with organs, horn-type medicines clearing the liver and brightening the eyes and settling fright, and the concept of repelling filth.
Further Reading: Shennong Ben Cao Jing – Xu Lu (general discussions on the three grades), Ben Cao Gang Mu – Animal Section, relevant animal-medicine entries in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and related protection regulations.
This content is based on classical Chinese medical texts and is provided solely for traditional cultural study and reading. It does not constitute any medical diagnosis, medication, or treatment advice. If you feel unwell, please seek medical attention promptly.