Gou Gu
StarCanis lupus familiaris Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms: Canis familiaris Linnaeus, 1758
☯ TCM Properties
Dispels Wind-Dampness and strengthens tendons and bones
Traditional Chinese Uses
Gou Gu (狗骨), Os Canis, is the bone of the domestic dog, Canis lupus familiaris Linnaeus (Canidae); the fore and hind limb bones are preferred, collected in any season, defleshed and dried in a ventilated place. It is acrid and salty in flavour and warm in nature, entering the Spleen, Liver and Kidney channels. It dispels Wind-Dampness and strengthens the sinews and bones, supplements the Kidney, invigorates the Blood and stops pain, and astringes sores and checks diarrhoea. It is used for Wind-Damp painful obstruction, aching and weakness of the lower back and legs, numbness of the four limbs, chronic diarrhoea, non-healing fistulous sores, and frostbite. It is given as a powder at 2 to 3 qian, or prepared as a medicinal wine at 1 to 2 liang.
Gou Gu (狗骨, dog bone) must not be confused with Gou Gu (枸骨), the Chinese or horned holly Ilex cornuta, whose leaf, bark, root and fruit form a separate plant drug used to nourish Yin, clear deficiency Heat and tonify the Liver and Kidney. The two names are homophones for entirely different substances, one animal and one botanical.
Botanical Description
Gou Gu (狗骨), Os Canis, is not a plant but the dried bone of the domestic dog, Canis lupus familiaris Linnaeus (Canidae). The medicinal substance consists of the long limb bones, cranium or mandible of slaughtered animals, defleshed, boiled to remove residual soft tissue and marrow, and sun-dried; it may be used whole, broken into pieces, soaked in wine, or calcined to a friable white ash before pulverizing. Properly cleaned pieces are creamy-white to pale grey externally, hard and odourless, composed of the calcium-phosphate mineral matrix of vertebrate bone with residual organic collagen. Pungent, salty and warm, it dispels Wind-Dampness and strengthens the tendons and bones, being used for rheumatic pain and weakness of the low back and knees.
Domesticated animal reared throughout China and worldwide; not a wild-collected source.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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