E Jiao Ji Zi Huang Tang阿胶鸡子黄汤
Donkey-Hide Gelatin and Egg Yolk Decoction
Ingredients10 herbs
Indications
Heat lingering long enough to exhaust yin and blood, so that wind stirs from within. The sinews lose their moisture and grip, and the spirit, unanchored, will not settle.
Clinical Manifestations
- Cramping, taut sinews after a prolonged illness
- Twitching of the hands and feet with weakness
- Dizziness with irritability and insomnia
- Muscle cramps at night in a depleted patient
- Restlessness and unstable sleep during convalescence
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- The patient is close to collapse with a failing pulse — the parent Da Ding Feng Zhu is the stronger and more appropriate formula
- Sleep remains broken — Suan Zao Ren 酸枣仁 and Bai Zi Ren 柏子仁 are added
- Cramping is severe — Bai Shao 白芍 is increased with Gan Cao 甘草, the classical pairing for relaxing spasm
- Residual heat with a low fever and night sweats — Bie Jia 鳖甲 and Qing Hao 青蒿 are added for deficient heat
- Raw egg is unsafe or unacceptable — pasteurised egg yolk is used; it is a chief ingredient and is not simply left out
Contraindications
Not for wind from excess heat with high fever, agitation and a forceful pulse — that belongs to Ling Jiao Gou Teng Tang, and these rich ingredients would trap the heat. The formula is greasy and unsuitable while the digestion is weak, damp or cold, where it causes fullness, nausea and loose stools. Raw egg yolk carries a salmonella risk and should be pasteurised; it is avoided altogether in anyone immunocompromised. E Jiao is donkey-hide gelatin and is not suitable for vegetarian patients. New or worsening muscle spasm, twitching or weakness needs a medical assessment rather than an assumption of this pattern, and any seizure is an emergency.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Generally compatible in pregnancy under practitioner supervision — the formula nourishes rather than attacks, and E Jiao is a standard pregnancy herb for blood deficiency. The egg yolk must be pasteurised, since salmonella infection is more serious in pregnancy, and the rich ingredients can unsettle digestion. Cramping, twitching or convulsion in a pregnant patient must be assessed medically first, as it may indicate eclampsia.
Related Formulas
References
Source Tong Su Shang Han Lun 《通俗伤寒论》 · Qing
- Classical source 《通俗伤寒论》 (public domain in its original form); no line quoted here, as the widely circulated annotated edition is modern.
2. Scheid, Bensky, Ellis & Barolet. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies, 2nd ed. — composition & dosage cross-checked.
3. 《方剂学》（全国中医药行业高等教育规划教材）— listed as an appended formula to 大定风珠.
4. Food-safety guidance on raw egg and salmonella.
Professional reference notice. Entries are scholarly references for licensed TCM practitioners and students — not medical advice, and not a recommendation to self-prescribe. Chinese herbal formulas should be used under the guidance of a qualified practitioner. Content is an original editorial compilation by Cura x Cura, cross-checked against the cited references.