Introduction to the Use of Animal Medicines
Remember, what might be a bizarre medicine for you may be food to another.
Scorpion and Centipede, both used in TCM, are food in various parts of S.E. Asia. (Photo: Adam, 2017)
Scorpion and Centipede, both used in TCM, are food in various parts of S.E. Asia. (Photo: Adam, 2017)
History of the use of Animal Medicines
Animals have been used as medicine since very primitive times all around the world. The use of animals in medicine could be said to have originated at about the same time humans began to eat meat and animal products. This is because people who hunted and ate meat would eventually begin to see various benefits from their diet, and eventually this would have been used medicinally. For example, it was long known in various cultures that eating the meat from a strong, wild animal, such as a Bear, could pass this quality to its consumer. And so when someone was weak or ailing, such a food may be used. Also, various cultures because of their location, climate, and situation would be dependent on certain foodstuffs, and this led to a knowledge of what their staple foodstuffs were useful for. People in a tribe, for example, may experience someone who was weak and then ate some game or fish and began to feel stronger. The use of animal meat and other animal products can be seen as fundamental in many cultures: American Indians who ate much Buffalo (and who became strong, bold and brave); Eskimos who ate much fat (which protected them from the cold, and actually helped keep their blood thin); the Scottish who eat much offal (and are generally a large and strong breed of people).
Another major factor in ‘discovering’ the use of various animals was famine. Whenever there is war, famine and drought, man, like other animals has been forced to expand what he eats in his ‘standard diet’. The Asians, for example, being a very old and well established population, have faced many such hardships, and it is during these times that they have discovered some of their food delicacies and medicines. Take the instance of a plague of Locusts. They destroy crops and much of the other greenery, driving away animals, and causing much death. The obvious solution was to eat the Locusts, which turn out to be an excellent source of protein, and having a nutty taste when lightly roasted. It may then, totally unexpectedly, relieve a urinary disorder, and from that time on, Locusts may be used for such disorders. |
The early use of meat and medicine from animals is also closely related to myth, legend, and superstition, especially in ancient societies. As primitive man became familiar with various animals within his surroundings, he began to recognise the individual traits, characteristics, skills, and weaknesses of different animals, and as this happened, the concept of the animal began to become more personalised. This led to the use of animals (and parts of them) in rituals, sacrifice, as well as for farming and medicine.
As this happened, man began to associate various animals as being similar to various human qualities (similar to what we call Archetypes); so Strength and Power were realised in the Tiger; Age and Longevity in the Tortoise; and Lust and Reproduction in the Rabbit or Deer. These observations were in fact very similar to what was applied to plants in the form of the ‘Doctrine of Signatures’: they were actually familiarising themselves with the essential energy of the animal. So the application of animals in medicine is related to Philosophy, Observation, Superstition, Folk Belief and Empirical knowledge. It is very interesting to compare and see how various cultures have used various medicines, but it is especially interesting with Animal Medicines. It is quite interesting how much similarity exists between the Western and Eastern use of Animals in medicine. For example, many of the same medicines were used including: Deer Horn, Cantharides, Earthworm, Snakes, Cow Gall Bladder Stones, Toads, Honey etc, and many of these medicines were used very similarly. It was recognised by various ancient healers that the Horns of animals are used for attack, and the shells of various animals are used for protection. These medicines were then universally used for the same reasons in humans. A good example is Rhinoceros Horn in the East and ‘Unicorn Horn’ in the West. Both were used to attack various poisons and infections within the body, and were even used energetically for these in the form of a Talisman. |
The Way Animal Medicines work
Traditionally, there were said to be 2 main ways that medicines were supposed to work:
A Manifest action was that which could be explained rationally, such as the coldness of a remedy clearing heat, the strength of a healthy animal’s Liver healing a weak human Liver, or the laxative action of a dose of oil. |
An Unmanifest action was that which cannot be quite so rationally explained, and was said to come from the individual property or quality of the medicine, but not necessarily from its nature. These include things such as the effectiveness of Garlic, Sulphur and Arsenic in clearing certain heat diseases, all being very hot medicines. The Unmanifest qualities were often called Hidden or Occult qualities and were learned rather than being deduced through reasoning.
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Animal Medicines in modern times
Like everything taken from ancient knowledge, it must be modified and changed to suit modern times. This is in fact what Samuel Hahnmann did with Homeopathy. He took various old medicines and made then more suitable for his day. This is being done in various ways by various people. Once a scientist has ‘discovered’ an immune enhancing property in Cow cartilage, or the anti-arthritic effect of Green Lipped Mussel extract, it becomes ‘acceptable’, ‘modern’, and is therefore ‘approved’, even if it has been used for that purpose elsewhere for a long time.
Research, along with modern methods of preparation such as spray dried and freeze dried extracts, encapsulation etc. all help to make the use of animal medicines more acceptable. Therefore, there are many possible uses for much of this ancient knowledge, although there is also much of it that is not applicable or acceptable by todays |
standards. But just because some of this knowledge is obsolete should not mean none of it should be used.
Of course the knowledge and uses of such medicines was long traded along the Silk Road. Knowledge and medicine was traded just as much as any other commodity since ancient times. But if we look at early western Materia Medicas, such as that of Dioscorides, we see that many uses for animal- and mineral-derived medicines were realised from early times, and that at least some of this knowledge was ‘discovered’ or ‘realised’ locally. Earthworms, for example, appeared in the herbal of Dioscorides (78AD), and was first listed as a remedy in TCM during the Latter Han period (25-220AD). So it is possible the knowledge for the use of this medicine was found independently, remembering that both sources were compilers of earlier writers in their areas. Although it is more likely the knowledge was shared along the Silk Road. |
The Ethical use of Animal Medicines
Animal medicines can and should be used in an ethical fashion. Some aspects of what is considered ethical change with the belief-system of both individual and a given society or culture. For example, the Hindu considers the consumption of any part of the Cow to be very bad, as the Cow is a sacred animal, while Jews and Muslims consider it forbidden to eat Pork. The Norwegians and the Japanese consider the consumption of Whale meat to be acceptable, whereas the rest of the world scorns at them. Many people who are Vegetarian do so partly or wholly because they reject the farming and slaughtering of animals on a mass scale. We should apply these same principles when animals are farmed or killed for medicinal use. Therefore, we must realise:
If the above points are kept in mind, we may see that animals can be used in medicine, but we have to make various modifications to traditional formula: |
Reasons why Animal medicines may be not suitable:
So while many people believe it is not right to re-introduce the use of animal medicines, I believe it has to be done in a suitable fashion, by:
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Types of Animal Medicines used
Animals can be used in medicine in a variety of ways. This may be summarised as follows:
1. As Food (Nutritive Tonic):
a) meat (including Organs)
b) in broths, soups, extracts
2. As Medicine:
a) Singularly (Broth, Meat, Extract, Distilled Water etc)
b) In Compounds (Pills, Powders, Tablets, Decoctions etc)
When using Animal Medicines, some are used whole while in some only an organ or part is used.
1. Whole Animal:
a) Dried (usually Insects)
b) Ashed (Insects, Toads, small animals, some organs)
c) Prepared into Syrup or Decoction (Fresh Snails, Worms etc)
c) Chemically Prepared (Distilled: Blood, Urine, Horn, Organs etc)
d) Boiled in Oil for external use (Earthworms, some animals or organs)
2. Animal Organs (Viscera):
a) Dried and Powdered (Pills, powders; esp small animals)
b) Extracted (Broth, Tincture, Dry or Liquid Extracts)
c) Chemically Prepared (Distilled etc)
d) Sometimes ashed
3. Horns, Hoofs, Bones and Shells:
a) Dried and Powdered for pills, powders (espensive horns etc)
b) Extracted (Cooked in broth or Tincture)
c) Formed into Gelatin by prolonged boiling
d) Burned or Ashed (as Spodium or mature Deer horn)
e) Chemically Prepared (Distilled etc)
f) Sometimes used as fumigants
g) Worn as Talismans and Amulets
4. Blood, Bile, Urine etc:
a) dried and powdered (ie. Goat Blood)
b) Chemically prepared (Distilled, ie. Urine or Blood)
c) in older times they were taken in their natural state
Sometimes animal medicines come from an animal source, without coming directly from the animal (ie without the animal being killed). These include:
1. Honey, Royal Jelly:
a) used raw, either singularly or in compounds
b) Chemically prepared
c) Used in the preparation of other medicines
d) also Propolis, Wax etc
2. Milk and Dairy Products:
a) used in dietary practice
b) used as a solvent for other medicines (in decoctions)
c) Sometimes chemically prepared
d) Ghee, Butter, Cream
3. Dung:
a) Ashed
b) Dried and powdered (Pills, Powders; sometimes decoctions)
c) Chemically prepared, distilled etc
d) External medicines
4. Urine:
a) auto-urine therapy
b) added to Decoctions (childs urine)
c) Chemically prepared (Distilled, Spirit)
5. Other:
a) sometimes a few drops of blood is bled and taken in wine etc.
b) sometimes the hair or other parts was used
Practical Ways of Using Animal Medicines
Broths and Soups
Meats:
Farmed:
Chicken, Duck, Goose
Veal, Beef, Lamb
Venison
Wild:
Rabbit
Various Birds
Organs:
Heart
Liver
Kidneys
Lungs
Spleen and Stomach
‘Sweetbreads’: Thymus and Pancreas
Genitals etc.
Powders, Pills
Organs
Heart, Lungs, Liver, Kidneys, Brains, Genitals etc
Dried Bile or Blood
Shells, Horns
Wines, Tinctures, Extracts
Organs:
Genitals, Liver, Musk gland, Testicles, other organs
Whole animals:
Earthworms, Cantharides, other insects
Animals can be used in medicine in a variety of ways. This may be summarised as follows:
1. As Food (Nutritive Tonic):
a) meat (including Organs)
b) in broths, soups, extracts
2. As Medicine:
a) Singularly (Broth, Meat, Extract, Distilled Water etc)
b) In Compounds (Pills, Powders, Tablets, Decoctions etc)
When using Animal Medicines, some are used whole while in some only an organ or part is used.
1. Whole Animal:
a) Dried (usually Insects)
b) Ashed (Insects, Toads, small animals, some organs)
c) Prepared into Syrup or Decoction (Fresh Snails, Worms etc)
c) Chemically Prepared (Distilled: Blood, Urine, Horn, Organs etc)
d) Boiled in Oil for external use (Earthworms, some animals or organs)
2. Animal Organs (Viscera):
a) Dried and Powdered (Pills, powders; esp small animals)
b) Extracted (Broth, Tincture, Dry or Liquid Extracts)
c) Chemically Prepared (Distilled etc)
d) Sometimes ashed
3. Horns, Hoofs, Bones and Shells:
a) Dried and Powdered for pills, powders (espensive horns etc)
b) Extracted (Cooked in broth or Tincture)
c) Formed into Gelatin by prolonged boiling
d) Burned or Ashed (as Spodium or mature Deer horn)
e) Chemically Prepared (Distilled etc)
f) Sometimes used as fumigants
g) Worn as Talismans and Amulets
4. Blood, Bile, Urine etc:
a) dried and powdered (ie. Goat Blood)
b) Chemically prepared (Distilled, ie. Urine or Blood)
c) in older times they were taken in their natural state
Sometimes animal medicines come from an animal source, without coming directly from the animal (ie without the animal being killed). These include:
1. Honey, Royal Jelly:
a) used raw, either singularly or in compounds
b) Chemically prepared
c) Used in the preparation of other medicines
d) also Propolis, Wax etc
2. Milk and Dairy Products:
a) used in dietary practice
b) used as a solvent for other medicines (in decoctions)
c) Sometimes chemically prepared
d) Ghee, Butter, Cream
3. Dung:
a) Ashed
b) Dried and powdered (Pills, Powders; sometimes decoctions)
c) Chemically prepared, distilled etc
d) External medicines
4. Urine:
a) auto-urine therapy
b) added to Decoctions (childs urine)
c) Chemically prepared (Distilled, Spirit)
5. Other:
a) sometimes a few drops of blood is bled and taken in wine etc.
b) sometimes the hair or other parts was used
Practical Ways of Using Animal Medicines
Broths and Soups
Meats:
Farmed:
Chicken, Duck, Goose
Veal, Beef, Lamb
Venison
Wild:
Rabbit
Various Birds
Organs:
Heart
Liver
Kidneys
Lungs
Spleen and Stomach
‘Sweetbreads’: Thymus and Pancreas
Genitals etc.
Powders, Pills
Organs
Heart, Lungs, Liver, Kidneys, Brains, Genitals etc
Dried Bile or Blood
Shells, Horns
Wines, Tinctures, Extracts
Organs:
Genitals, Liver, Musk gland, Testicles, other organs
Whole animals:
Earthworms, Cantharides, other insects