INDIVIDUAL HERBS
| Pharmaceutical Latin: | Cornu Cervi Pantotrichum Cornu Cervi Parvum |
| Common English: | Deer Antler Velvet Deer Antler Cervus Hairy Deer Antler |
| Taste | Temperature | Entering Meridians | Dosage |
Sweet Salty |
Warm |
Kidney Liver (Spleen) |
3-5g Powders or Pills: 1-3g Tincture: 1-2.5ml |
| Actions | Indications/Syndromes |
Tonifies the Kidneys and strengthens Yang |
Kidney Yang Deficiency with fatigue, impotence, cold extremities, light-headedness, tinnitus, soreness and lack of strength in the lower back and knees and frequent, copious clear urination |
Warms Yang, regulates the Chong and Ren channels and stabilizes the Dai Channel |
Insufficiency of the Chong and Ren and Dai Channel weakness with vaginal discharge or uterine bleeding from Deficiency Cold Infertility with a cold Womb (can be used alone) |
Tonifies the DU Channel, strengthens Jing and Blood, strengthens the sinews and bones and benefits marrow |
Jing and Blood Deficiency, especially in children with physical and mental developmental disorders such as failure to thrive, mental retardation, learning disabilities, insufficient growth or skeletal deformities including rickets Non healing fractures with Kidney Deficiency and exhaustion of the Jing (can be used alone) |
Tonifies and nourishes Qi and Blood and heals chronic Yin sores and boils |
Qi and Blood Deficiency Chronic ulcerations or Yin-type boils, non healing ulcers (can be used alone) |
CONTRAINDICATIONS |
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INCOMPATIBILITIES |
HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS |
Rx. Dioscoreae |
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As a tincture for impotence. |
More severe problems with exhaustion and impotence. |
Palpitations, low back pain and decreased and difficult urination due to severely deficient Heart and Kidneys. Increases leutenizing hormone. Increases lymphocytic transformation. |
Sm. Cuscutae |
Rx. Rehmanniae Preparata |
Colla Corni Asini |
Exhaustion, aversion to Cold, lower back pain, weakness of the lower extremities and frequent, scanty urination with continuous dripping. |
Impotence and spermatorrhea (men) and infertility and thin vaginal discharge (women) due to Kidney Deficiency Cold. Physical retardation in children. |
Excessive uterine bleeding due to severely deficient Kidneys. |
Rz. Cibotii |
Rx. Rehmanniae |
Cx. Acanthopanacis |
Copious vaginal discharge. |
Aplastic anemia due to severely deficient Jing and Blood. |
Speeds the healing of fractures and other traumatic injuries. |
Rx. Ginseng |
Rx. Ginseng |
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Inconsolidation of the Chong and Ren channels with uterine bleeding. Aplastic anemia associated with severely deficient Jing and Blood. |
Strongly tonifies Qi and strongly warms the Ming Men to generate Qi. Benefits Qi, Blood, Yin, Yang and Jing to treat congenital insufficiency or post natal consumption. Yang Deficiency with weakness of Fire at the Ming Men. For all of the above, take in small doses over a long period of time. |
Impotence. Spermatorrhea. |
Rx. Rehmanniae Preparata |
Rx. Astragali |
Hb. Cynomorii |
Uterine bleeding. Clear vaginal discharge. |
Severe anemia. |
Wei (atrophy) syndrome. |
Rx. Astragali |
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Delayed healing of broken or fractured bones. |
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- Lu Rong is considered to be a substance of sympathy between the Blood and flesh. It is the young horn and is not ossified. It is the strongest of the four. It has and ascending action. It comes from the Du Channel, the opening of bones and joints.
- It can be used individually as a powder for infertility caused by Deficiency of Kidney Yang and the Chong and Ren channels.
- It can be used individually as a powder for weakness of the sinews and bones.
- It can be used individually as a powder for developmental delays in children.
- Mature Cervi Cornu Lu Jiao 鹿膠 is the mature antler which has been shed. It is salty and warm, enters the Liver and Kidneys and has less Kidney Yang tonifying ability but invigorates Blood, disperses Stagnation and reduces swellings for sores, breast abscesses and pain from Blood Stagnation and deep pain of the low back. The dosage is 3-10g in decoction or 1-1.5g as a powder. It can be used topically as powder.
- The glue from the mature antlers, Colla Cervi Cornus Lu Jiao Jiao 鹿角胶 is cheaper and weaker. It is sweet, salty and warm and enters the Kidney and Liver channels. It is not as strong as Lu Rong, but is able to nourish and tonify Qi and Blood and stop bleeding. It treats Jing and Blood Deficiency with bleeding and Yin type sores. With Plastrum Testudinis Gui Ban it is made into a glue to tonify Yin and Yang. It treats headache, tinnitus, premature ejaculation or profuse bleeding from the digestive and/or urinary tracts. The dosage is 4-12g melted in yellow wine.
- Cervi Cornu Degelatinatum Lu Jiao Shuang 鹿角霜 are the dregs after boiling antler glue. It is sweet and slightly warm and has less of an ability to tonify Jing and Blood. It has a stronger retaining effect and is used for Cold Deficient uterine bleeding and vaginal discharge. It can be used topically for bleeding. It promotes sexual function. It also treats Kidney and Spleen Yang Deficiency with Stomach Cold with vomiting, anorexia and loose stool.
- Cornu Elapnurus Parvum Mi Rong is immature moose antler with hair. Its properties are similar to Lu Rong.
- The antlers regenerate.
- American Indians use deer antler similarly as did traditional Europeans.
- Lu Rong, Rx. Lateralis Aconiti Preparata, Zhi Fu Zi and Cx. Cinnamomi Rou Gui all warm the Kidneys and fortify the Yang. Zhi Fu Zi and Rou Gui are both acrid, harsh, hot and drying with a strong, rapid effect of warming the Interior, expelling Cold, and assist in tonifying Yang. Lu Rong is sweet, warm, soft and moistening with a gradual effect that tonifies Yang while moistening Jing and Blood. They all treat Kidney Yang Deficiency, however Zhi Fu Zi and Rou Gui are only suitable for Kidney Yang Deficiency with Excess Internal Cold and are inappropriate if Jing or Blood is deficient. Lu Rong is not suited for expelling Internal Cold, but is most appropriate for Yang Deficiency with Jing, Blood and marrow insufficiency.
- Lu Jiao Jiao warms the Du channel and the Chong channel to augment Blood, but cannot clear Lung channel Heat and stop coughing. Colla Corii Asini E Jiao nourishes the Blood, moistens Dryness and expels Heat. Rx Polygoni Multiflori He Shou Wu enters the Liver, tonifying Blood to expel, Wind and blackens the hair and beard. but is unable to moisten Dryness and settle wheezing. Colla Plastri Testudinis Gui Ban powerfully tonifies Jue Yin, fills the Ren channel to reduce Heat and expel steaming bone disorder, but cannot tonify Yang within Yin.