Antelope horn, Ling Yang Jiao 羚羊角
Ling Yang Jiao (TCM)
Rgya རྒྱ (Tibetan)
Saiga tatarica
(Photo by Andrey Giljov) (Wikimedia)
Antelope horn used in TCM. (Adam, 2016)
Zoological name:
Saiga tatarica is the Traditional and official species.
However, due to the endangered nature and the fact that a number of similar horns and related animals can be used with similar or identical actions, the following species may also be used:
1. Mongolian Gazelle (Procapra gutturosa), P. picicaudata
2. Tibetan Antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii)
3. Himalayan Goral (Naemorhedus goral)
4. Sumatran Serow (Capricornus sumatraensis)
5. Goitered Gazelle (Gazalla subgutturosa)
6. Various Goat and Sheep species can likewise be used similarly.
Parts used:
Horn
Temperature & Taste:
Cold, dry. Salty
Classification:
Uses:
1. Stops Wind, Relieves Spasms:
-Childhood Convulsions associated with High Fever
-Seizure disorders, Epilepsy
-Coma
-“It fixes Wind and pacifi es the Hun-Soul”. (Li Shi Zhen)
-“pacifies the Heart Qi and prevents Nightmares”. (Ben Cao Gang Mu)
-“removes evil Qi with fright dreams, and jumping in madness with eccentric and delirious language”. (Bie Lu)
2. Calms the Liver, Clears Heat, Settles Yang:
-Dizziness, Vertigo
-severe Headaches, Liver Headache, Migraine
-Irritability, Restlessness
-Hemiplegia and Paralysis
-Hypertension, Cerebral Thrombosis
3. Clears Heat and Toxins:
-Febrile and Epidemic diseases
-High Fever with Delirium or Convulsions
-Manic behavior and Irritability from Heat affecting the Heart and Mind
-used as Unicorn horn and Rhinoceros horn, but weaker.
-“serves to cure all kinds of heat poison”. (Yao Xing)
-“poison hidden in the Bones”. (Bie Lu)
-“Ground in water it is topically applied to Swelling with Poison”. (Meng Shen)
4. Benefits the Eyes
-Sore, red, swollen, itchy Eyes, Photophobia, from Liver Wind-Heat
-“It clears the Eyes”. (Ben Cao Gang Mu)
5. Moves the Blood, Promotes Labor:
-traditionally taken in wine to promote Labor and ease Labor pain, (old TCM, Tibetan Medicine)
-also diseases during Pregnancy and Puerperal period (Porter Smith)
-vexation and Heart pressure following Childbirth (burnt Horn)
-the burnt horn is also given for Bleeding following Miscarriage
6. Benefits Kidneys, Clears Wind and Damp:
-painful Arthritic or Muscular obstruction from Wind-Heat-Damp
-formerly used in Rheumatic affections
-“Ingested over a long time, it strengthens Sinews and Bones”. (Bie Lu)
-“It raises the Yin member (i.e., penis)] and boosts the qi, thus being of advantage for males”. (Bie Lu)
-this effect was noted in a number of traditional texts.
Dose:
Powder: 300–600mg
Note:
Endangered, listed on CITES. The official species should no longer be used. There is an abundant supply of other species, especially from Africa, that are hunted as game and can supply the market. Goat and Sheep horn are also accepted substitutes. Wild or Mountain Goat can supply a superior product to the domestic species.
Substitutes:
1. Goat and Sheep horn (and other similar spiral horns from quadripeds) have been used as a substitute; the dose is approximately 5–10 times that of Antelope horn, although some use doses of 2–3 times. A concentrated extract (10:1) can be used 1:1 for Antelope horn.
2. A mix of Abalone shell (Shu Jue Ming), Indigo (Qing Dai) with a little Bupleurum Chai Hu has been recommended
Preparation:
1. In Tibetan Medicine, the horn is heated in sand until it becomes brittle. This facilitates pulverisation.
2. It was sometiems formerly partly calcined, probably to facilitate powdering. It is not usually done today.
Main Combinations:
1. Convulsions, Seizures
i. Antelope horn (Ling Yang Jiao) with Uncaria Gou Teng and Rehmannia Sheng Di Huang
ii. Febrile Convulsions, Antelope horn (Ling Yang Jiao) with Gastrodia Tian Ma, Uncaria Gou Teng, Tabasheer (Tian Zhu Huang)
iii. Antelope horn (Ling Yang Jiao) with Scorpion (Quan Xie), Uncaria Gou Teng
iv. Seizure disorders, Antelope horn (Ling Yang Jiao) with Uncaria Gou Teng, Tabasheer (Tian Zhu Huang), Curcuma Yu Jin.
2. Liver Heat:
i. with Headache, Vertigo, red and painful eyes, Antelope horn (Ling Yang Jiao) with Chysanthemum Ju Hua, Scutellaria Huang Qin
ii. with red eyes and headache, Antelope horn (Ling Yang Jiao) with Cassia Seed (Jue Ming Zi), Scutellaria Huang Qin, Gentiana Long Dan Cao, Plantain Seeds (Che Qian Zi) (as in Ling Yang Jiao San from Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang [Formulas of the Peaceful Benevolent Dispensary]).
3. Eclampsia, Antelope horn (Ling Yang Jiao) with Mistletoe (Sang Ji Sheng), Fossil Bones (Long Gu), Oyster shell (Mu Li)
4. High Fever:
i. with Delirium, Skin rashes, Antelope horn (Ling Yang Jiao) with Gypsum (Shi Gao)
ii. with coma, convulsions, and seizures, Antelope horn (Ling Yang Jiao), Uncaria Gou Teng, Paeonia Bai Shao, Chrysanthemum Ju Hua Mulberry Leaf (Sang Ye), Rehmannia Sheng Di Huang (as in Ling Jiao Gou Teng Tang from Tong Su Shang Han Lun [Popularized Treatise on Cold Damage]).
iii. with coma, delirium, mania, convulsions and macula, Antelope horn (Ling Yang Jiao) with Gypsum (Shi Gao), Calcite (Han Shui Shi), Water Buffalo horn (Shui Niu Jiao), Musk (She Xiang) as in Zi Xue Dan (Purple Snow Special Pill of Qian Jin Fang [Thousand Golden Essential Prescriptions]).
5. Painful obstruction from Wind-Heat-Damp, Antelope horn (Ling Yang Jiao) with Mulberry twig (Sang Zhi), Paeonia Bai Shao, Phellodendron Huang Bai
6. Cerebral Thrombosis:
i. Antelope horn (Ling Yang Jiao) with Salvia Dan Shen, Notoginseng San Qi, Gastrodia Tian Ma
ii. Antelope horn (Ling Yang Jiao) with Bezoar and Leech (TCM)
7. Hemiplegia and paralysis, Antelope horn (Ling Yang Jiao) with Angelica Du Huo, Aconitum Wu Tou, Saposhnikovia Fang Feng (as in Ling Yang Jiao Tang from Sheng Ji Zong Lu [Comprehensive Records of Sagely Help])
Major Formulas:
Ling Jiao Gou Teng Tang
Zi Xue Dan
Antelope Horn 14 (Rgya ru bcu bzhi) (Tibetan)
Copper 25 (Zangs thal nyer lnga) (Tibetan)
Goethite 25 (Mdung rtse nyer lnga) (Tibetan)
Rhinoceros Horn 25 (Bse ru nyer lnga) (Tibetan)
Women’s Universal Decoction (Mo nad spyi thang) (Tibetan)
Cautions:
Very safe.
1. Not used for Chronic Childhood convulsions from Spleen deficiency (ie. without Fever)
2. Generally only used for conditions with strong Heat or Internal Wind-Heat.
“Goats are “fire” animals. In contrast, Antelopes are associated with water. Hence their horns immediately enter the ceasing Yin conduit of the Liver. This is based on the principle that like Qi search their likes. The Liver rules/is ruled by the Wood Element. Its orifice are the eyes. When a disease erupts from it, vision turns dim with screens and shades in the Eyes, and antelope horn can level all this. The Liver rules/is ruled by Wind. It is linked to the Sinews. When a disease erupts from it, this may be Fright Epilepsy of children, infants’s Epilepsy of women, Wind Stroke of adults with Convulsions, as well as Contraction with tightness of Sinews and Vessels, pervading joints [wind] and clonic pain, and Antelope horn can relax all these. The Hun-Soul is the spirit of the liver. When a disease erupts from it, this may be shock and restlessness, jumping in madness and eccentric and delirious [language], and nightmares with sudden death, and Antelope horn can pacify all this. The blood is stored in the liver. When a disease erupts from it, this may be blood stasis with discharge and outflow, elevation-illness with pain, and poison free-flux illness, sores with swelling, scrofula pervasion-illness, and ailments associated with blood and qi following childbirth, and Antelope horn can disperse all this. The minister fire resides in Liver and Gall Bladder. Its associated qi is anger. In the case of a disease, there may be vexation and mental pressure, with Qi flowing contrary to their normal direction. Choking with food being unable to pass through, alternating sensations of cold and heat, and harm caused by cold with hidden heat, and Antelope horn can bring all this down. The Antelope by nature is ingenious, and the essence of its sinews and bones is in its horns. Hence it is also able to ward off the evil and the malign, and to resolve all kinds of poison. It breaks to pieces Buddha’s teeth, and when burned its smoke will drive away snakes. Its effects are described in all details in the Ben jing and the Bie lu. And yet, today there is rarely made full use of it. This is truly sad”. (Li Shi Zhen, Ben Cao Gang Mu)