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This is a herb for the Heart, Lung, and Liver meridians, but it primarily enters the Liver meridian. Its taste is bitter and salty, its nature is cold, and it is non-toxic. Qingmang (blindness) is caused by Liver heat; Jingji (palpitations and fright) is caused by Heart heat; Jiechong (scabies/parasitic skin disease) is caused by damp-heat; Feng tou tong (wind-induced headache) is caused by the rising of fire-heat; Gu du tu xue (hematemesis due to gu poison) is caused by heat-toxin damaging the blood vessels. The accumulation of qi in all joints and the lingering pain after childbirth in women are caused by blood heat and qi stagnation. The bitter-cold property generally eliminates various heat pathogens, thus it can treat the aforementioned conditions. It must not be collected when wet, as it becomes toxic under such conditions.

Yangjiao (Sheep Horn) treats Qingmang and improves vision, kills scabies parasites and gu poison, stops cold-type diarrhea, stabilizes palpitations and fright, treats qi accumulation in all joints, dispels wind-induced headaches, hematemesis, and lingering postpartum pain.

Sheep belongs to Fire animals. Antelope, however, belongs to Wood. Its taste is salty, its qi is cold, and it is non-toxic. It enters the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian, Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian, and Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian. Its spiritual nature can communicate with deities, so it can ward off evil qi and gu malice, calming the Heart qi and preventing nightmares and sleep disturbances. Moreover, the Jueyin position is that of Wind-Wood. When heat is excessive, wind is generated. Since it can enter the Liver, clear heat, and disperse evil, the eyes, being the orifice of the Liver, will naturally become clear, and the cold-heat and warm winds affecting the skin and muscles will naturally dissipate. If fire-heat is too severe, Yin fluids fail to recover, leading to bone wasting and sinew softening. Being salty and cold, it descends to the Lower Jiao to eliminate pathogenic heat, thereby restoring Yin, benefiting Qi, strengthening bones and sinews, and lightening the body.

Lingyangjiao (Antelope Horn) clears Lung and Liver fire, cools the Ying level and calms the spirit, eliminates fright and brightens the eyes, benefits Qi and restores Yin, wards off evil and gu malice, calms the Heart qi, ensures peaceful sleep, eliminates pathogenic heat, strengthens sinews and bones, disperses Shanghan (cold damage), resolves cold-heat in the skin and muscles, disperses Wenfeng (warm wind), and addresses toxins lodged in bones and flesh. As it belongs to Wood and enters the Jueyin quickly, and being salty and cold, it directly reaches the position of Extreme Yin, it is particularly effective in treating weakness and flaccidity of sinews and bones due to heat, dimness of vision due to consumption of Liver Ying, and night terrors and mania due to the reckless wandering of the Liver Hun. Xijiao (Rhinoceros Horn) settles the Heart and cools Heart blood. Yangjiao settles the Liver and cools Liver Ying.

Main indications (integrated with variola analysis): Clears the Lung and Liver, resolves heat-toxin and blood-heat; suitable for variola. Compared to Xijiao, which cools and settles the Heart, Lingyangjiao avoids the risk of freezing the variola toxin with ice-like coldness, making its efficacy more stable.

Note: Lingyangjiao has twenty-four nodal scars externally and a natural wooden core internally. It possesses divine strength equivalent to a thousand oxen. Although it can clear the Lung, it is more pertinent to regulating the Liver. Therefore, it should not be used excessively or for prolonged periods, to avoid impairing the generative Qi of the Jueyin Liver.