A portion of a Tibetan Thangka showing some of the large variety of animal medicines used.
Materia Medica of Animal Medicines
Please Read
MedicineTraditions does not support or condone the use of endangered animal products and does not believe in animal cruelty to supply human medicine. Animal Medicines have been an important part of all Traditions and a number of medicines in modern medicine continue to be derived from Animals. Many of the most important animal medicines are by-products of animals that do not require killing the animal, while others may be procured from animals farmed for domestic consumption. Some animal medicine information is supplied purely for historical interest and for thorough training of Traditional Medicine. Some of the most useful Animal Medicines are derived from Insects which don't have the risk of becoming endangered and can be farmed and harvested ethically. The most controversial animal medicines (Bear Bile, Rhinoceros horn, Tiger bone etc.) all have modern substitutes which are widely applied in modern traditional formulas. See the Substitutes Page.
Introduction to the Use of Animal Medicines
Outlines of Organotherapy
Animal Organs and By-products
Primary sources for the Animal Materia Medica
Human
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Crisinis carbonis, Burnt Hair, Xue Yu Tan
Human Placenta, Zi He Che |
Human Urine
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Domestic Animals
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Album Graecum, White Dog Dung
Boar Feces calcined, Gar nag Chicken Chicken Egg Chicken Gizzard Skin, Ji Nei Jin Cow Cow Dung |
Cow Urine, Gomutra
Bull / Deer Pizzle / Testes Donkey-hide Gelatin, E Jiao Goat Blood, Capra Sanguinis Pig Rooster Sheep |
Wild Animals
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Antelope horn, Ling Yang Jiao
Bear / Cow Bile Castoreum Mature Deer Horn Burnt Deer Horn Deer Horn Gelatin, Lu Jiao Deglued Deer Horn Velvet Deer horn, Lu Rong Flying Squirrel Feces, Wu Ling Zhi Fox |
Fox Lungs
Hedgehog Ivory Musk Rabbit & Hare Rabbit Heart Rhino / Water Buffalo horn Stag's Heart Bone Tiger (Pig) Bone |
Birds & Flying Animals
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Bat Feces, Ye Ming Sha
Duck, Anas |
Swallows Nest
Sparrow Brain |
Fish and Medicines from the Sea
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Seahorse Hai Ma
Starfish, Hai Xing Unicorn horn (Narwhal) |
Reptiles & Amphibians
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Frog
Frog Oviduct, Ha Ma You Skink and Gecko, Ge Jie Snake Slough, She Tui Toad, Chan |
Turtle Shell, Gui Ban
Hawksbill Turtle Shell, Dai Mao Soft-Shelled Turtle Shell, Bie Jia Viper, Bai Hua She, Wu Shao She |
Insects & Arthropods
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Aspongopus, Stink Bug, Jiu Xiang Chong
Bee, Apis Cantharides, Ban Mao Centipede, Wu Gong Cicada Shell, Chan Tui Cochineal Cordyceps, Dong Chong Xia Cao Earthworm, Di Long Formica, Ants Grasshopper Holotrichia, Qi Cao Honey, Feng Mi Kermes Lacca Larinus Cocoon, Shakar Teghal |
Leech, Shui Zhi
Pill Millipede Praying Mantis Egg Case, Sang Piao Xiao Propolis Scorpion, Quan Xie Silkworm, Bai Jiang Can Silkworm Cocoon Silkworm Feces, Can Sha Snails Spider Web Spider Web of Mt. Emei, Hui Dou Ba Tabanus, Gad Fly, Meng Chong Wasp Nest, Feng Fang Wingless Cockroach, Tu Bie Chong |