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Lu Jiao Jiao鹿角胶

Gelatinum Cornu Cervi · Deer Antler Glue · Deer Antler Gelatin

Herbs that Tonify the Yang 补阳药Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing 《神农本草经》 (as 白胶)

Overview

A hard amber gelatin rendered by prolonged boiling of ossified deer antler, then cast into blocks — one of the flesh-and-blood tonics, denser and more nourishing than the antler it comes from. Sweet, salty and warm, it warms Kidney yang while filling essence and blood at the same time, which is why it is written into prescriptions for depletion that is both cold and empty: chronic lower back weakness, infertility with a cold womb, and long-standing bleeding that will not stop because nothing is holding it. It is not decocted with the other herbs; it is dissolved into the finished, strained decoction.

Nature & Flavor

Sweet, salty · Warm

Channels

Liver · Kidney

Typical Dosage

5–15 g
鹿角胶Photography for this entry is on its way.

Actions

4 core actions

  • Warms and supplements Liver and KidneyCold, weak lower back and knees, cold limbs, and the fatigue of long-standing yang depletion.
  • Fills essence, nourishes bloodDepletion of essence and blood after chronic illness, blood loss or childbirth — pallor, dizziness, emaciation, poor recovery.
  • Stops bleedingChronic bleeding of the deficient, cold type: prolonged or flooding uterine bleeding, blood in the stool or urine where the pattern is emptiness rather than heat.
  • Dissolved, not decoctedThe gelatin block is broken up and stirred into the hot strained decoction until it melts; boiling it with the other herbs wastes it and scorches the pot.

In Formulas

Formulas containing Lu Jiao Jiao

Indications & Clinical Uses

  • Kidney-yang and essence depletion with cold, weak lower back and knees
    - Infertility and cold-type menstrual disorders
    - Chronic uterine bleeding, blood in stool or urine of the deficient cold pattern
    - Poor recovery after chronic illness, blood loss or childbirth

Western Medical Keywords

Searchable condition terms

AnemiaMenorrhagiaOsteoporosisInfertilityConvalescence

Contraindications

Cautions

Warm and very rich. It is wrong for yin deficiency with flaring heat, for any pattern with clear heat signs, and for bleeding driven by heat, which it will worsen. Being cloying it sits heavily on a weak digestion — do not use it where there is damp obstruction, fullness after eating, or an unresolved exterior pattern, and stop it if the appetite drops or the stools turn loose. It is an animal-derived product, so it is unsuitable for vegetarian and vegan patients, and deer-derived materials are subject to import and CITES-related restrictions in several countries; source it through a licensed supplier.

Contraindicated in pregnancy: Use in pregnancy only under practitioner supervision — it is a warm, rich tonic sometimes used for depletion-type bleeding during pregnancy, but that is a prescribing decision, not a self-care one.

For licensed practitioners’ reference only

References

  1. Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing《神农本草经》(recorded as 白胶; classical source, public domain).
    2. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
    3. 《中华人民共和国药典》.

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.