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Clearing Heart and Liver Fire

Bitter, salty, slightly cold. Sheep belong to Fire, whereas the antelope belongs to Wood, entering the Foot Jueyin (Liver), Hand Taiyin, and Shao Yin (Lung, Heart) meridians. The eyes are the orifice of the Liver; this herb clears the Liver, thus brightening the eyes and removing obstructions. The Liver governs Wind and its union is with the sinews; this herb dispels Wind and relaxes the sinews, thus treating convulsions, spasms, bone pain, and tendon contracture. The Liver stores the Hun (Ethereal Soul), and the Heart governs the Shen (Spirit); this herb drains pathogenic heat from the Heart and Liver, thus treating mania, aberrant behavior, nightmares, and fright. The Liver governs Blood; this herb disperses Blood stasis, thus treating stagnant evil blood, bloody dysentery, and swelling/toxins. Ministerial Fire resides in the Liver and Gallbladder, and its emotional expression is Anger (The Classic states: "Great anger causes the form and Qi to sever, and blood stagnates above"); this herb directs Qi downward and descends Fire, thus treating latent heat in Cold Damage, irritability, rebellious Qi, and food impaction. The nature of the antelope is spiritual, and its essence resides in the horn; thus it also expels evil and resolves various toxins (Ang notes: In smallpox medicine, it is often used to clear Liver Fire, but the Materia Medica does not mention treating smallpox). It resembles a sheep but is larger; its horns have joints, are extremely hard and tough, and can shatter diamond and tapir bones (Tapir, pronounced Mai, can eat iron). At night, to guard against danger, it rests by hanging its horns on trees (Horns with hanging patterns are authentic. Those with joints on one side that are sparse are mountain donkeys or goats, not antelopes). Usually having two horns. A single-horned specimen is superior. It should be crushed and ground into an extremely fine powder, or rubbed for use.

Greatly Tonifying Yang Deficiency

Sweet, warm (some say salty and hot), purely Yang. Generates essence and tonifies marrow, nourishes Blood and assists Yang, strengthens sinews and bones. Treats deficiency-cold of the lower back and kidneys (Ba Yi Fang: Roast deer horn flakes until yellow, grind into powder, take with wine; mainly treats deficiency-cold stabbing pain in the waist and spine), soreness and pain in the four limbs, dizziness and blurred vision, metrorrhagia and leukorrhea, spermatorrhea, and all types of deficiency damage and consumptive injury. Only suitable for those with deep, thin pulses and deficient ministerial fire. When deer horns first grow, they are two or three cun long, branched like a saddle, and red as agate. Those that break like rotten wood are good (Too tender ones lack sufficient Qi and Blood, and are ineffective). Apply butter and lightly roast before use (without butter application, the velvet will be damaged), or roast with wine. Do not smell it, as insects may enter the nose and nasopharynx (Hunters capture deer, tie them up to harvest the velvet, then kill the deer because the blood has not yet dispersed. It is rare to find one that is unbroken and without bleeding. Shen Cunzhong's Bushi Tan says: "Among all creatures containing blood, blood grows easiest, sinews next, and bones hardest. Thus, when humans reach twenty years old, their bone marrow is just becoming firm. Elk and deer horns can grow to over twenty jin in less than two months. Among all bone growth, none is faster than this, nor do plants surpass it. The head is the meeting place of all Yang meridians, concentrating in the velvet and horns; how can it be compared to ordinary blood! Deer are Yang animals, preferring mountains; elk are Yin animals, preferring marshes. Elk resemble deer but are bluer and larger. Both are sexually promiscuous; one male mates with more than ten females. Elk tonify Yin, while deer tonify Yang; thus, elk horns shed at Winter Solstice, and deer horns shed at Summer Solstice. It is rare to distinguish between elk and deer velvet/horns. Lei Gong said: Deer horn surpasses elk horn. Meng Shen, Su Gong, and Su Song all stated that elk velvet and elk glue surpass deer. Shizhen said: Deer tonifies the Jing-Qi of the Right Kidney, while elk tonifies the Blood-Yin of the Left Kidney").

Deer Horn is salty and warm. Used raw, it dissipates heat, moves Blood, reduces swelling (grind with vinegar, apply to swelling/toxins; grind into powder, take with wine, treat fractures. Yi Yu states: "For sores that are red, swollen, and painful, if cooling herbs like Coptis Chinensis Decoction fail to heal after a long time, warming herbs such as Deer Horn Ash, Hair Ash, and Frankincense should be used instead; this follows the principle of the alternation of Yin/Yang and cold/heat"), expels evil, and treats dreams of sexual intercourse with spirits (take a pinch with wine; spirit essence will exit. It can drive out evil Qi and evil blood from the Yin regions). Refined into frost or boiled into paste, it specializes in tonification (Shizhen said: "Deer are still immortal beasts, purely Yang and long-lived, capable of connecting with the Du Meridian. They also eat fine grass, so consuming their horns and meat is beneficial without harm. Deer, also known as Banlong, were sold by Daoists in Western Shu as Banlong Pills. The song goes: 'If the tail gate cannot withstand the drying of the vast sea, talk of the nine-turn elixir is vain; only the pearl on top of Banlong can supplement the acupoints below the Jade Hall.' This refers to using deer velvet, glue, and frost). The method for making glue and frost: Take new horns cut into inch-length pieces, soak in river water for seven days, scrape clean, boil over mulberry fire for seven days, add a little vinegar, crush the horns into frost for use, and boil the juice with non-ashy wine to make paste. Adverse reaction with Rheum Palmatum (Lu Rong, the essence of deer copulation. Obtained by specific methods, it greatly tonifies deficiency and consumptive injuries).