Library

Niu Huang (Calculus Bovis), originally produced in Pingze, Jin Province, is now produced in Dengzhou and Laizhou. It may be found elsewhere, but the quality is inferior. Cattle possessing this calculus typically exhibit lustrous fur and blood-red eyes. They frequently bellow and roar, and have a habit of gazing at water. People place basins of water to catch it; when the calculus is expelled, they urge the animal, causing it to fall into the water. After retrieval, it is dried in the shade for one hundred days. A single piece is as large as a chicken egg yolk. The best quality is characterized by its laminated structure that can be peeled apart, lightness, hollow texture, and aromatic fragrance. However, this substance is often counterfeit. Current testing methods involve rubbing it on fingernails; if it leaves a yellow stain through the nail, it is genuine. It is said there are four types: "Sheng Huang" (Raw Calculus) obtained by urging the animal; "Jiao Zhong Huang" (Horn Calculus) found in the horn after slaughter; "Xin Huang" (Heart Calculus) extracted from the heart, which initially resembles liquid paste inside the heart but hardens upon contact with water, resembling broken Tribulus terrestris or Gleditsia sinensis seeds; and "Gan Huang" (Liver Calculus) obtained from the liver and gallbladder. Generally, none surpass the quality of Sheng Huang. For medicinal use, milk and products such as Su (Clarified Butter), Lao (Yogurt/Curd), and Ti Hu (Ghee) are derived from water buffalo, cattle, and yellow cattle. Their properties differ: water buffalo milk is cool, while cow milk is warm; their meats are both cold in nature. Animals that die naturally should not be consumed. Clarified butter is used in various ointments to massage wind-induced swelling, traumatic injuries, and blood stasis; cow clarified butter is potent, and Ti Hu is particularly excellent. Di Ye Jia (Mayana), prepared by Western barbarians using various bile salts, resembles old, deteriorated pills, appearing dark red-black, and may be available in the South Sea region. Among medium-grade substances, Niu Jiao (Bovis Cornu) from water buffalo or yellow cattle that have rotted white in manure and soil treats bloody and non-bloody dysentery; it is calcined to ash and taken as powder. Sha Niu Jiao (Sand Cow Horn) treats lower obstruction due to blood stasis and leukorrhea in women; it is calcined to ash and taken with wine. Cui Yuanliang's *Hai Shang Fang* prescribes treating severe throat obstruction (Hou Bi) nearing death by calcining Sha Niu Jiao, sifting the ash finely, mixing with wine, and administering a date-sized dose, or alternatively with water. For infants with difficulty nursing, suspected throat obstruction, this ash is applied to the nipple; swallowing it brings recovery. Yellow cattle gallbladder is used for pills; current prescriptions collect its juice in the twelfth lunar month, mix it with powdered Rhizoma Pinelliae Preparatum (Tian Nan Xing), store it in the skin, leave it in a windy place for over a month, and then combine it with Liang Feng Wan, yielding remarkable effects. Urine from young castrated bulls (Huang Jian Niu) and black oxen (Wu Gu Niu) treats edema and promotes urination. Yang Yan's *Nan Xing Fang* treats Hong Kong Foot (Gouty Arthritis) with lower abdominal distension and dysuria by taking one sheng of urine from a black bull, divided into daily doses, until abdominal distension resolves. To reduce lower body edema, take three sheng of urine from a young castrated bull in one drink; if no effect is felt, increase the dose; elderly and children should take half. Ash from cow dung applied topically treats moxibustion sores that fail to heal. Saliva from the mouth treats regurgitation (Fan Wei). Saliva and froth from old cattle treat dysphagia (Ye Ge). Juice squeezed from grass found in the mouth (pronounced 'Ri Zhi Qie') treats hiccups (Yue). Teeth, marrow, heart, liver, and kidneys are beneficial when consumed, though rarely used in medical texts. Milk from horses, donkeys, and sheep generally has similar functions. Donkey and horse milk are cold and purgative, while sheep milk is warm and tonifying; horse milk is superior for making curd. Finally, Bai Gu Pi (Decayed Drum Skin) listed below treats Gu Poison (Gu Toxicity); ancient formulas also used it alone, calcined to ash and ingested. Like bovine products, it is rarely used, so it is appended here.