食之动风,脂肥尤甚,屡试屡验。《日华子》以谓“止风狂,治一切风”,未可凭也
。煎胶用皮者,取其发散皮肤之外也。仍须乌者,用乌之意,如用乌鸡子、乌蛇、乌鸦之类
。其物虽治风,然更取其水色,盖以制其热则生风之义。
今出登、莱州。《药性论》以谓是海内狗外肾。日华子又谓之兽。今观其状,非狗
非兽,亦非鱼也。但前即似兽,尾即鱼。其身有短密淡青白毛,腹胁下全白,仍相间于淡青
白毛,上有深青黑点,久则色复淡。皮浓且韧,如牛皮。边将多取以饰鞍鞯。其脐治脐腹积
冷、精衰、脾肾劳极有功,不待别试也。似狐长尾之说,盖今人多不识。
獐之属,又小于獐,但口两边有长牙,好斗,则用其牙。皮为第一,无出其右者,然多
牙伤痕。四方皆有,山深处则颇多,其声如击破钹。
生西北界等处,家生者峰蹄最精,人多煮熟糟啖。粪为干末,搐鼻中,治鼻衄。此西
番多用,尝进贡于彼,屡见之。
黄牛皮为胜。今不言是何皮,盖亦以驴马皮为之者。唐韩退之所谓牛溲马勃,败鼓
之皮,俱收并蓄,待用无遗者。今用处少尔,尤好煎胶。专用牛皮,始可入药。
今言赤鸡者是也,盖以毛色言之。巽为鸡为风,鸡鸣于五更者,日将至巽位,感动
其气而鸣也。体有风,人故不可食。经所着其用甚备。产后血晕,身痉直,带眼、口角与目
外向上牵急,不知人,取子一枚,去壳,厘清,以荆芥末二钱,调服,遂安,仍依次调治
。若无他疾,则不须,治甚敏捷。乌鸡子尤善。经、《注》皆不言鸡发风,今体有风,人食
之无不发作。为鸡为巽,信可验矣。食鸡者当谨。
Consuming donkey meat induces wind pathogen, with the effect being particularly severe in its fatty fat; this has been verified repeatedly. *Ri Hua Zi Ben Cao* (Daily Master Materia Medica) claims it can "stop wind mania and treat all types of wind," but such assertions are unreliable.
When decocting to make E-Jiao (Donkey-hide Gelatin), donkey skin is used to exploit its ability to disperse pathogens from outside the skin. It must be a black donkey; the rationale for using black substances is similar to using eggs of Black Chicken (Wuji), Black Snake (Wushe), or Crow (Wuya). Although these black items treat wind, greater emphasis is placed on their water color (black corresponds to Water/Kidney in Five Elements theory), presumably based on the principle that black controls heat, thereby preventing the generation of wind.
Currently, it is produced in Dengzhou and Laizhou. *Yao Xing Lun* (Treatise on Drug Properties) refers to it as the external kidney of a dog found within the seas. Ri Hua Zi also calls it a beast. Observing its appearance today, it is neither a dog nor a beast, nor a fish. Its anterior resembles a beast, while its tail resembles a fish. The body is covered with short, dense, pale greenish-white hair; the abdomen and flanks are entirely white, yet interspersed with the pale greenish-white hair, featuring deep greenish-black spots that fade over time. The skin is thick and tough, resembling cowhide. Border guards often use it to decorate saddle pads. Its umbilicus is effective in treating cold accumulation in the umbilical and abdominal regions, depletion of essence, and extreme exhaustion of the Spleen and Kidney, without needing further verification. The claim that it resembles a fox with a long tail likely stems from modern people's unfamiliarity with it.
Among animals related to the Chevreuil (Zhang), there is one smaller than the chevreuil, possessing long teeth on both sides of its mouth and prone to fighting, hence its teeth are used. Its skin is considered the finest, unsurpassed by others, though often marked with tooth scars. It is found everywhere, especially in deep mountains, and its sound resembles striking a broken cymbal.
It lives in the northwest border areas, etc. Those raised domestically have the most refined hooves, which many people cook and eat with fermented grain residue. Dried feces ground into powder, insufflated into the nose, treat epistaxis (nosebleed). This is widely used by the Xifan (Western Tibetans); it was once offered as tribute to them, and I have seen it frequently.
Yellow cowhide is superior. The current text does not specify which hide, implying it may also be made from donkey or horse hides. As Han Yu of the Tang Dynasty said: "Niu Sou (Plantago seed/urine metaphor), Ma Bo (Lycoperdon/Bovista), and worn-out drum skin are all collected and stored, ready for use without omission." Currently, its usage is less common, with a preference for making gelatin. Only genuine cowhide should be used for medicinal purposes.
The "red chicken" mentioned now refers to this, described by feather color. In the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), Xun represents both chicken and wind. Chickens crow at the fifth watch because the sun is approaching the Xun position, stimulating its qi to crow. Since the chicken's body contains wind, humans should not consume it. Medical classics record its uses extensively. For postpartum blood dizziness, body rigidity and spasms, upward traction of the eyelids, corners of the mouth, and outer canthi, unconsciousness: take one egg, remove the shell, clarify the albumen, mix with 2 qian of Schizonepeta Powder (Jingjie Mo), administer orally, and the patient will stabilize, followed by sequential treatment. If no other diseases exist, this specific intervention is unnecessary; the therapeutic effect is very agile and rapid. Egg of Black Chicken (Wuji Zi) is even better. Neither the classics nor commentaries state that chicken causes wind, but currently, it is believed that chicken carries wind, and consumption invariably triggers symptoms. The correspondence between chicken and Xun is indeed verifiable. Those who eat chicken should exercise caution.