Lu Gu
StarCervus nippon Temminck; Cervus elaphus Linnaeus
☯ TCM Properties
Tonifies Deficiency and Strengthens the Body; Strengthens the Sinews and Bones; Dispels Wind-Dampness; Stops Dysentery; Promotes Tissue Regeneration and Heals Sores
Traditional Chinese Uses
Lu Gu (鹿骨), Os Cervi, is the bone of the sika deer Cervus nippon Temminck or the red deer Cervus elaphus Linnaeus (Cervidae). It is sweet and warm, entering the Kidney and Liver channels. It tonifies deficiency and strengthens the body, strengthens the sinews and bones, dispels Wind-Dampness, stops dysenteric disorders, and promotes the regeneration of tissue to heal sores.
It is used for chronic deficiency with weakness of the lower back and knees, soft or poorly formed bones and delayed development in children, and the aching, cold, poorly mobile joints of Wind-Damp painful obstruction in a depleted patient. It is commonly prepared as a medicinal wine or a long-simmered gelatinous decoction, and is applied externally, calcined and powdered, to chronic non-healing sores.
It belongs to the deer-derived group with Lu Rong, Lu Jiao and Lu Jiao Jiao, and is the mildest and least costly of them, used where a gentle, sustained bone-and-sinew tonic is wanted rather than the strong Yang-supplementing action of the velvet antler. Being warm and supplementing, it is unsuited to Yin deficiency with Heat signs. It should not be confused with Lu Gen (芦根), the reed rhizome of Phragmites communis, which is a sweet, cold herb for clearing Heat and generating fluids — an entirely unrelated drug.
Botanical Description
This material, known in Chinese medicine as Lu Jiao (and sometimes recorded under the variant title Lu Gen for the mature antler form), is the fully ossified, hardened, naturally shed or harvested antler of male sika deer (Cervus nippon) or red deer (Cervus elaphus). Unlike Lu Rong, which is the soft growing velvet antler, the mature antler is bone-hard, branched, pale grey-brown to ivory, with a rough longitudinally grooved surface and a porous internal structure. It is typically sawn into segments and either used whole, powdered, or decocted into a gelatinous glue (Lu Jiao Jiao) or processed into an ash residue (Lu Jiao Shuang). This is an animal product, not a plant.
Active Constituents
Type I collagen
Structural fibrillar proteinConcentration: 80-90% of the organic (non-mineral) matrix of bone
The dominant organic component of deer bone. On hydrolysis it yields bioactive peptides and gelatin that promote collagen and elastin synthesis, support endochondral ossification, and underlie the traditional use for strengthening sinews and bones.
Hydroxyapatite (calcium phosphate mineral)
Inorganic mineral matrixConcentration: Majority of the mineral phase (skeletal bone is roughly two-thirds mineral by weight)
Provides calcium and phosphate that help maintain serum calcium, phosphorus and magnesium balance and supply substrate for bone formation.
Bone-derived polypeptides
Low-molecular-weight peptidesConcentration: Enriched in aqueous/enzymatic extracts
Sika deer bone polypeptide extracts increase serum calcium and osteocalcin (BGP) and reduce alkaline phosphatase and parathyroid hormone in osteoporotic animal models, promoting bone formation and slowing resorption.
Chondroitin sulfate
GlycosaminoglycanConcentration: Minor constituent of bone/cartilage matrix
Contributes to cartilage and joint matrix support, consistent with the traditional use for joint pain and rheumatic Bi syndrome.
Phospholipids and phosphoprotein
Lipids / phosphorylated proteinsConcentration: Minor constituents
Participate in bone matrix formation and mineralization signaling.
Trace minerals (Ca, P, Mg, Zn, Fe, Cu, K, Se)
Inorganic micronutrientsConcentration: Variable trace amounts
Support enzymatic cofactor functions and the calcium/phosphorus/magnesium ratios required for healthy bone metabolism.
Preparation Methods
Medicinal wine (deer bone wine / Lu Gu Jiu)
Parts: deer leg and long bones
Traditionally the cleaned, crushed bones are steeped in rice wine or spirits, sometimes with other sinew-and-bone herbs, and the wine taken in small amounts for chronic Wind-Damp Bi (rheumatic joint pain) and weak sinews and bones. CONSERVATION AND LEGAL WARNING: Sika deer (Cervus nippon) is a Category I State Key Protected Wild Animal in China and several subspecies are IUCN-endangered; wild-sourced deer products are illegal to trade without government permit and may be restricted under national wildlife law and CITES-related controls. Only legally farmed deer material should ever be considered, with documentation of legal provenance.
Decoction / bone glue (gelatin)
Parts: deer bone, processed bone gelatin
Bones may be prolonged-boiled to a gelatinous glue or decocted (commonly 9-15 g of bone material) for tonifying deficiency and strengthening sinew and bone. SUBSTITUTES: Because of conservation and legal restrictions, practitioners routinely substitute plant sinew-and-bone tonics such as Xu Duan (Dipsacus asper), Gu Sui Bu (Drynaria), Sang Ji Sheng (Taxillus), and Du Zhong (Eucommia), or use farmed deer antler glue (Lu Jiao Jiao) from legally regulated sources.
Clinical Studies
Protective effect of Sika Deer bone polypeptide extract on dexamethasone-induced osteoporosis in rats
In a glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis rat model, deer bone polypeptide extract raised serum calcium and osteocalcin and lowered serum phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, parathyroid hormone and calcitonin, indicating reduced bone resorption and improved bone formation.
Quantitative Analysis of Deer Bone Hydroethanolic Extract Using Label-Free Proteomics: Investigating Its Safety and Promoting Effect on Mouse Embryonic Osteoblastic Progenitor Cell Proliferation
Label-free proteomic profiling of deer bone hydroethanolic extract characterized its protein composition and demonstrated safety together with a promoting effect on proliferation of mouse embryonic osteoblastic progenitor (MC3T3-E1-type) cells.
Physical and Chemical Properties, Biosafety Evaluation, and Effects of Nano Natural Deer Bone Meal on Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Nano-processed natural deer bone meal was biocompatible and promoted proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, supporting a bone-regenerative role for deer bone material.
Historical Texts
Ming Yi Bie Lu (Miscellaneous Records of Famous Physicians)
Han-Tang, c. 3rd-6th century CEQian Jin Yao Fang (Essential Formulas Worth a Thousand Gold Pieces), Sun Simiao
Tang dynasty, 7th century CEBen Cao Gang Mu (Compendium of Materia Medica), Li Shizhen
Ming dynasty, 1578References
- An L, Shi L, Ye Y, et al.. Protective effect of Sika Deer bone polypeptide extract on dexamethasone-induced osteoporosis in rats . Electronic Journal of Biotechnology (2021) [DOI]
- Kim HL, et al.. Quantitative Analysis of Deer Bone Hydroethanolic Extract Using Label-Free Proteomics . Nutrients (2024) [DOI]
- Zhang R, et al.. Physical and Chemical Properties, Biosafety Evaluation, and Effects of Nano Natural Deer Bone Meal on Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells . Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology (2022) [DOI]
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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