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Bear Fat (Xiong Zhi)

The flavor is sweet, the nature is slightly cold or slightly warm, and it is non-toxic. It primarily treats wind-bi (Wind-Bi syndrome: a condition characterized by numbness and pain in the limbs due to obstruction of meridians by wind-dampness) leading to insensitivity of the skin and muscles, and tendon stiffness; accumulations in the five zang organs and abdomen; alternating chills and fever with emaciation; scalp sores and alopecia capitis (white baldness); facial melasma; and vomiting after eating and drinking. Long-term consumption strengthens the will, reduces hunger, lightens the body, and prolongs life. It grows in the valleys of Yongzhou and is harvested in the eleventh month.

Tao Hongjing states: This fat is indeed "Xiong Bai" (White Bear Fat), which is the grease from the back. It exists in cold months but not in summer. The fat in the abdomen and the grease on the body can be refined for medicinal use but are not suitable for consumption. Currently, it is found in counties east and west, though it is no longer an easily obtained item. Those with chronic diseases should not eat bear meat, as it may cause the disease to remain incurable for life.

The *Tang Bencao* annotation notes: Bear Gallbladder (Xiong Dan), bitter in flavor, cold in nature, non-toxic. It treats heat excess in seasonal pathogens transforming into jaundice, chronic dysentery in hot months, gan disorders (pediatric wasting diseases), heart pain, and zhu-wu (a condition caused by evil qi leading to mental confusion or convulsions). Brain marrow treats various types of deafness. Blood treats pediatric ke-wu (infantile fright or shock from external influences). Fat promotes hair growth and blackening, and beautifies the complexion; taken after refining with wine, it cures wind-bi. Whenever "huang" (blind area) is mentioned, it refers to the name after the fat has dissipated; the back should not be called "gao" (grease). The *Zuo Zhuan Yi* states: "Gao-huang" actually refers to the huang above the diaphragm; this naming is an error in texts. Tao's mention of back grease aligns with old theories. Minister Yuxi et al., according to *Yao Xing Lun*, state: Bear gallbladder acts as the sovereign herb, incompatible with *Stephaniae Tetrandrae Radix* (Fangji) and *Rehmanniae Radix* (Dihuang). It primarily treats the five types of gan in children, kills parasites, and treats severe scabies. It also states that bear fat acts as the sovereign herb. It can treat facial melasma and sores. Ri Huazi states: Xiong Bai is cool and non-toxic. It treats wind, tonifies deficiency, and kills lao worms (worms causing consumption). Fat strengthens the heart. Brain marrow removes dandruff from white baldness and treats vertigo and hair loss. Paws, when eaten, resist wind and cold; this is one of the Eight Treasures. Gallbladder treats gan sores, ear and nose sores, and various gan diseases.

The *Tu Jing* states: Bear fat and gallbladder originate from the valleys of Yongzhou. Currently, they are found in the mountains of Yongzhou, Luozhou, Hedong, Huaizhou, and Weizhou. Bears resemble dogs and pigs in shape but are agile and fond of climbing high trees. Upon seeing humans, they hang upside down and jump to the ground. In winter, they often enter caves to hibernate and emerge in early spring. The fat is called Xiong Bai and is harvested in November, specifically from the back. It exists in cold months but not in summer. The abdominal fat and other greases can be refined for medicine but are not edible. The gallbladder is used after shade-drying. However, there are many fakes. To test authenticity, take a grain-sized amount and drop it into water; if it forms a thread-like line without dispersing, it is genuine. The paw pads are considered precious delicacies and were highly valued by ancients, though difficult to cook thoroughly. Consuming them in large quantities enhances cold resistance. Brain marrow made into oil applied to the head can remove dandruff. Those with chronic diseases should not eat bear meat, as it leads to lifelong incurability. Bears detest salt; consuming it causes death.

Lei Gong states: After harvesting, refine the fat. Place raw Sichuan peppercorns in the vessel. For every jin (approx. 500g) of bear fat, add fourteen raw peppercorns. After refining, remove the fat membrane and peppercorns, store in a bottle, and use as needed.

*Shi Liao Ben Cao* states: Bear fat is slightly cold and sweet-smooth. Harvest it when it congeals and turns white in winter. As a raw product, nothing compares to it. Adding fat to ointments for removing white hair is very effective. Mixing bear fat with pig fat to burn as lamp oil produces smoke that, if entering the eyes, causes blindness because bear fat smoke damages human eye vision. Bear meat is neutral in nature, sweet in flavor, and non-toxic. It primarily treats wind-bi with bone and tendon insensitivity. If there are accumulations and cold-heat in the abdomen, eating bear meat will never cure the condition. Boiling the bones for bathing treats li-jie-feng (painful joints moving around) and pediatric ke-wu. Gallbladder is cold. It treats heat excess in seasonal pathogens, gan disorders, and pediatric convulsions. Do not eat in the tenth month as it harms the spirit. For pediatric convulsions and spasms, take two soybean-sized amounts of bear gallbladder, mixed with milk and bamboo sap, which effectively removes phlegm from the heart. *Shenghui Fang*: Treats pediatric gan sores with worm erosion of the nose. Use half a fen of bear gallbladder, dissolve in water, and apply to the nose. Boil bear paws with wine, vinegar, and water until cooked; they swell like a ball. Eating them enhances cold resistance. *Waitai Miyao* treats roundworm heart pain. Take bear gallbladder the size of a soybean, mix with water, and take orally for great effect. Another prescription: For fifty-year-old hemorrhoids that do not heal. Apply bear gallbladder until healed; it is miraculous, superior to all other prescriptions. *Qianjin Yifang* treats yellowing. Apply bear fat to the hair, comb it through, lie under the bed, stay prone for the duration of a meal, then emerge; the hair will turn completely black. One jin of fat is sufficient. *Shiyi Xinjing* treats hong-zhang-jiao (podagra/foot Qi), wind-bi insensitivity, wu-huan (five types of flaccidity), and tendon stiffness. Take half a jin of bear meat, mix with soy sauce juice, ginger, pepper, green onion whites, salt, and paste to make cured meat. Eat on an empty stomach. Another prescription: Treats stroke, wind-heat in the heart and lungs, inability to move hands and feet, wind-bi intolerance, wu-huan of tendons and vessels, mental confusion, and irritability. Take one jin of bear meat, cut it, and prepare as cured meat according to standard methods. Eat on an empty stomach. *Doumen Fang*: Treats injury from "water弩" (poisonous mist/evil qi). Apply bear gallbladder to the affected area. Also, grind realgar with wine and take orally for recovery. *Yangshi Chanru* treats white baldness sores and tinea capitis. Apply Xiong Bai topically. *Baopuzi* states that bears live for five hundred years and can transform into foxes.