Ling Jiao Gou Teng Tang
Star羚角钩藤汤 (Antelope Horn and Uncaria Decoction)
Source: Tong Su Shang Han Lun
Last updated October 1, 2026
Description
Ling Jiao Gou Teng Tang (Antelope Horn and Uncaria Decoction), from the Tong Su Shang Han Lun, is used to cool the Liver and calm wind; nourish Yin and relax the tendons.
Presentation: high fever; restlessness and irritability; convulsions; impaired consciousness; tongue: deep red with a dry brown coating; pulse: wiry and rapid.
Syndrome: Syndrome of heat at the Ying level (Nutritive level).
Composition strategy:
- Herbs that cool, pacify and soften the Liver are combined for emphasis, giving a quick and effective result
- With Ying-level heat the main organs are Heart and Liver; this formula concentrates on the Liver
Cautions:
- Ling Yang Jiao is banned (**); text suggests Shi Jue Ming and Qing Dai with a little Chai Hu as substitute
- with loss of consciousness and convulsions, use orifice-opening formulas first
- Ling Yang Jiao is banned; substitute Shan Yang Jiao or Shi Jue Ming + Zhen Zhu Mu
Source: Yang Y. Chinese Herbal Formulas: Treatment Principles and Composition Strategies. Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2010, p. 81, 322.
Composition
| Herb | Amount | % | Role | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ling Yang Jiao
toxic mark ** in source; as printed: Ling Yang Jiao (Antelopis cornu)
|
4.5g | 4.95% | Jun (Chief) | intensively reduce heat and extinguish wind |
|
Gou Teng
as printed: Gou Teng (Uncariae ramulus cum uncis)
|
9g | 9.9% | Jun (Chief) | reduce heat and extinguish wind |
|
Sang Ye
as printed: Sang Ye (Mori folium)
|
6g | 6.6% | Chen (Deputy) | disperse wind-heat, cool the Liver |
|
Ju Hua
as printed: Ju Hua (Chrysanthemi flos)
|
9g | 9.9% | Chen (Deputy) | disperse wind-heat, cool the Liver |
|
Bai Shao
as printed: Bai Shao Yao (Paeoniae radix lactiflora)
|
9g | 9.9% | Zuo (Assistant) | with Gan Cao and Sheng Di: nourish Yin, relax tendons |
|
Sheng Di Huang
as printed: Sheng Di Huang (Rehmanniae radix)
|
15g | 16.5% | Zuo (Assistant) | nourish Yin, clear heat |
|
Chuan Bei Mu
as printed: Chuan Bei Mu (Fritillariae cirrhosae bulbus)
|
12g | 13.2% | Zuo (Assistant) | eliminate phlegm-heat blocking meridians |
|
Zhu Ru
as printed: Zhu Ru (Bambusae caulis in taeniam)
|
15g | 16.5% | Zuo (Assistant) | eliminate phlegm-heat |
|
Fu Shen
as printed: Fu Shen (Poriae cocos pararadicis)
|
9g | 9.9% | Zuo (Assistant) | calm the mind, relax tendons |
|
Gan Cao
as printed: Gan Cao (Glycyrrhizae radix)
|
2.4g | 2.64% | Zuo (Assistant) | with Bai Shao: ease and relax tendons |
Dui Yao — Core Herb Pairs
The classical two-herb combinations at the heart of this formula, as recorded on the herbs' own pages — each pair has an action neither herb has alone.
Together they cool the liver and extinguish wind, arresting convulsions and spasms caused by extreme heat stirring liver wind.
High fever with convulsions in warm disease.
Energetics dose-weighted
The formula's overall nature, taste balance and channel reach, weighted by each herb's dose. Classical formulas often pair warm and cool herbs on purpose, so a net figure summarises the mix — it doesn't describe every herb in it.
Nature
Net cool (-1.16)
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Grams by band: cold 28%, cool 59%, neutral 13%.
Small but decisive: Ling Yang Jiao 4.5g (cold, 5% of the grams), Sang Ye 6g (cold, 7% of the grams). Dose weighting nearly cancels a herb this small, but it may be what the formula is for.
Taste
- sweet 57%
- sour 5%
- bitter 28%
- salty 5%
- bland 5%
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Channels reached
- Heart 64%
- Liver 58%
- Lung 49%
- Spleen 22%
- Stomach 19%
- Kidney 17%
Share of the grams entering each channel, from 100% of the weighed grams.
Dose-weighted from each herb's recorded nature, taste and channels (missing values are left out, never counted as neutral). It describes the composition — it is not a recommendation.
Preparation
Decoction; source cooks the antelope horn with the bamboo shavings first and adds Uncaria near the end. Today the horn is cooked an hour first or powdered into the strained decoction; for ethical reasons Naemorhedi Cornu (shan yang jiao) or Margaritiferae Concha usta (zhen zhu mu) at ten times the dose is substituted.
Source: Scheid V, Bensky D, Ellis A, Barolet R. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies, 2nd ed. Eastland Press, 2009, p. 642.
Relationships
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Formula family
Full herb lists
- This formula = Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang + Gou Teng, Ling Yang Jiao, Ju Hua, Sang Ye, Chuan Bei Mu, Fu Shen, Sheng Di Huang and Zhu Ru
Each entry reads as the larger formula written out: “+” adds its other catalogue cores, then the herbs none of them hold. A catalogue formula counts as a core only when at least 80% of its herbs are present, no more than 1 is absent, and the absent herb is not its chief.
Formula Network
Formulas that share herbs with this one — the closer to the centre, the stronger the match. Click a node to explore.
Similar Formulas by composition
Match score combines dosage-weighted composition (cosine, 70%) with shared-herb overlap (Jaccard, 30%).
Traditional formula information is for educational purposes only. Herbal formulas should be prescribed by a qualified practitioner — dosages and combinations are individualized and can interact with medications.
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