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(Compendium of Materia Medica)
[Collected Explanations] Li Shizhen said: Da (Niu Bao, Ox Gallstone) is produced in the liver and gallbladder of running beasts and domestic animals such as cattle and horses. It is wrapped in a fleshy sac, with quantities reaching up to one sheng (approx. 1 liter). Large ones are like chicken eggs, small ones like chestnuts or hazelnuts. Its appearance is white; it resembles stone but is not stone, resembles bone but is not bone, and when broken, it shows layered structures. In the Gengzi year of the Jiajing reign, Hou of Qizhou slaughtered a yellow ox and obtained this object, which no one recognized. A foreign monk said: "This is a supreme treasure; cattle, horses, pigs, and other livestock all possess it. It can be used to pray for rain. There are secret mantras in the Western Regions; reciting them causes immediate rainfall. Even those who do not know the mantra can induce rain by soaking it in water and manipulating it." Later, consulting Tao Chengjiu's *Zhuo Geng Lu*, it was found that the "Da" recorded therein refers to this very object. The text states: "Mongolians praying for rain use only a basin of clean water, soaking several pebbles, washing and playing with them while silently holding the mantra. After a while, rain follows. These pebbles are named 'Da', large ones like chicken eggs, varying in size, produced in the abdomens of running beasts. Those from dogs, cattle, and horses are the finest, belonging to the same category as Niu Huang (Ox Gallstone) and Gou Bao (Dog Gallstone)." Furthermore, according to *Jing Fang Yi Zhan*: "When military strength is dominant and martial arts are valued, stones grow in the abdomen of cattle." Based on this, "Da" and Gou Bao belong to the same category. However, what grows in the dog's abdomen is specifically called Gou Bao.

[Flavor and Properties] Sweet, salty, neutral, non-toxic.
[Indications] Convulsive epilepsy, toxic sores (Li Shizhen).

(Compendium of Materia Medica)
[Collected Explanations] Li Shizhen said: Gou Bao (Dog Gallstone) grows in the abdomen of dogs suffering from scabies. It resembles white stone with a bluish tint, has layered textures, and is a rare item. According to Jia Sidao's *Yue Sheng Sui Chao*: "A villager in Renqiu County had a vicious dog. Later, it fell ill and weak, and was bitten to death by other dogs. Upon dissection, its heart had transformed; it resembled stone but was not stone, weighed as much as stone, and was enveloped in membranes resembling cold ash. Observing its vascular structure, it still appeared to be a heart. No one knew how this occurred." I have heard that patients suffering from Shi Lin (Stone Strangury) produce stones that cannot be broken even by knives or axes. I have also seen that the marrow in dragon shin bones consists entirely of white stone; tiger eyes turning to the ground become white stone; starlight falling turns to stone; pine trees can petrify; snakes, crabs, and silkworms can all form stones. The transformations of all things are thus; one cannot generalize. Li Shizhen once pondered quietly: Niu Huang (Ox Gallstone) in cattle, Gou Bao (Dog Gallstone) in dogs, Ma Mo (Horse Gallstone) in horses, Lu Yu (Deer Gallstone) in deer, Tong Tian Xi (Rhino Horn) in rhinos, and Shou Da (Beast Stone) in beasts—all are diseases of the animal, yet humans regard them as treasures. Humans are more spiritual than beasts, yet they are not exempt from such ailments, let alone beasts? Are the sand and stones in human Shi Lin (Stone Strangury) not akin to the beast's "Da"? Are the hard masses in human Pi Ji (Masses/accumulations), where the heart feels like metal and stone, not akin to Gou Bao (Dog Gallstone)? These are cases where one is confined by material forms and unable to transform. Hence, birds may lay eggs that resemble stones. Consulting *Cheng Shi Yi Shu*: "A Persian person excavated an ancient tomb in Fujian. All contents in the coffin had decayed, except the heart, which was hard as stone. Sawing it open revealed landscapes and green-blue scenery painted within, with a beautifully dressed woman leaning on a railing nearby. This was likely because the woman had an obsession with mountains, focusing on them day and night, causing the condensation into this form." Additionally, Song Qian's *Xi Wen Ji* records: "Monk Fa Xun of Linchuan practiced the Ban Zhou San Mei method. After his passing, he was cremated, but his heart did not burn, emitting five-colored light. A three-inch tall Buddha image appeared within, neither bone nor stone, with all features complete." Also, a Upasaka (lay Buddhist) from Huishui practiced Zen meditation. Upon death and cremation, his heart contained an Avalokitesvara image as if carved. These are all instances where will is focused on objects, intent is undivided, and spiritual energy/fluids condense into form due to resonance. This is similar to a pregnant woman conceiving a ghost fetus due to sensing strange images. It is not auspicious; it is a disease—a manifestation of emotionless matter arising from sentient beings."

[Flavor and Properties] Sweet, salty, neutral, slightly toxic.
[Indications] Dysphagia (Yi Shi), carbuncles, sores, and ulcers (Li Shizhen).
[Attached Prescriptions] Four new prescriptions.
Pound into a paste, mix evenly with one cup of water, filter out the dregs, and take the liquid. Twice daily. Cure within three days; follow with tonic agents. (*Xinglin Zhai Yao*)
Gou Bao Wan (Dog Gallstone Pill): Treats carbuncles, back infections, and various toxins, especially when initial symptoms include severe fever and thirst. Use 1 liang of Gou Bao (Dog Gallstone) from a scabies-stricken dog, 1 gallbladder from a black dog caught in the twelfth lunar month, 2 qian of Chan Su (Toad Venom), 7 fried Wugong (Centipede), 1 qian each of Naosha (Sal Ammoniac), Ruxiang (Frankincense), Moyao (Myrrh), Qingfen (Calomel), Xionghuang (Realgar), Wu Jinshi (Black Gold Stone), 3 qian of Fenshuang (Lead Subcarbonate), and 1 fen of Shexiang (Musk). Grind all into powder. Mix with 1 he of breast milk from a first-born male infant and 3 qian of Huang La (Yellow Beeswax), boiled into a paste, and roll into pills the size of mung beans. Take 1 or 3 pills per dose, washed down with fresh well water mixed with 7 crushed Baixiangding (White Stork Droppings). Keep warm until sweating occurs. Effect should be seen within three doses; follow with white congee to nourish.
(*Jisheng Fang*) Chi Ding Chuang Gou Bao Wan (Red Carbuncle Dog Gallstone Pill): Use 8 fen of Gou Bao (Dog Gallstone), 2 qian of Chan Su (Toad Venom), 2 qian of Longnao (Borneolum Syntheticum), 1 qian of Shexiang (Musk). Grind into powder, mix with good wine, and roll into pills the size of hemp seeds. Take 3 pills per dose, chew thoroughly with 3 cun of raw scallion, and wash down with hot scallion wine. Keep warm until sweating occurs. Follow with Liuqi Zhuidu Yao (Qi-moving and Toxin-pursuing Medicine) and apply Badu Gao (Toxin-drawing Plaster) until healed. (*Tongxuan Lun*) Fanwei Geqi (Regurgitation and Diaphragmatic Qi Stagnation): Ding Danyan's Ancestral Gou Bao Wan: Use 1 qian each of Hualiu Huang (Sulfur) and Shuiyin (Mercury), stir-fried together until golden. Add 3 qian of Gou Bao (Dog Gallstone) and grind into powder. Use one chicken egg, removing the white and keeping the yolk, to mix and stir the medicine evenly. Seal with paper and mud, and bake over charcoal fire for half a day. Remove and grind finely. Take 5 fen per dose, mixed with liquor. Effect should be seen within three doses.