Shan Yang Jiao山羊角
Caprae Cornu · Goat Horn
Overview
The horn of the domestic goat, appended to Ling Yang Jiao 羚羊角 in the wind-extinguishing group as its everyday replacement. Salty and cold, entering the Liver and Heart, it works in the same direction — settling wind, cooling the Liver and quietening a startled spirit — but distinctly more weakly, which is why it is dosed at ten times the weight. Since saiga horn cannot lawfully be traded in most of the world, this is the material actually dispensed, and it is worth knowing on its own terms rather than as a footnote.
Nature & Flavor
Salty · ColdChannels
LiverTypical Dosage
10–15 g in decoctionActions
3 core actions
- Pacifies the Liver, subdues rising yangDizziness, headache and irritability where Liver yang has risen; used with Gou Teng 钩藤 and Shi Jue Ming.
- Extinguishes wind, settles frightConvulsion and twitching in a febrile child, and startled restlessness — the role it inherits from saiga horn.
- How it substitutesDirection of action is the same, intensity is not. It is a reasonable replacement in chronic Liver-yang and Liver-heat patterns; it should not be treated as an equal-strength swap in the acute high-fever convulsion that saiga horn was reserved for, where conventional emergency care is what actually matters.
In Formulas
Formulas containing Shan Yang Jiao
No published formula lists this herb yet — the library is growing.
Indications & Clinical Uses
- Dizziness, headache and irritability from rising Liver yang
- Convulsion and twitching with fever in children, as an adjunct
- Restlessness and startling with Liver heat
- Red, painful eyes with Liver heat
Western Medical Keywords
Searchable condition terms
Contraindications
Cautions
Two things need saying. First, it is not equivalent to what it replaces: it is markedly weaker, and substituting it one-for-one in an acute convulsion would be a serious misjudgement — that situation needs emergency medical care, with herbs only alongside. Second, sourcing: the legitimate material is the horn of the domestic goat (Capra hircus). Horn sold as or comes from goral, a protected wild species in China, and is not lawful medicinal material — buy only from a supplier who can state the species. Beyond that it is a cold, settling animal medicinal: not for convulsion or tremor in a depleted, cold patient without heat, and hard on a weak digestion. It is decocted first, in shavings or filings, or it gives up very little.
Contraindicated in pregnancy: No specific restriction — no classical pregnancy prohibition, but it is cold and settling and belongs under practitioner supervision in pregnancy.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only
References
- Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
2. 《中华人民共和国药典》 and provincial materia medica standards.
3. 《中药大辞典》.
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.