Lu Tai
StarCervus nippon Temminck / Cervus elaphus Linnaeus
☯ TCM Properties
Tonifies Kidney Yang; Nourishes Blood and Generates Essence; Regulates menstruation and stops bleeding; Warms the Uterus and Promotes Fertility; Warms and Tonifies the Lower Origin
Traditional Chinese Uses
Lu Tai (deer placenta) is a warm, precious substance used in Chinese medicine as a profound Kidney Yang and Essence tonic. It is used for severe Kidney and Spleen deficiency — particularly postpartum exhaustion, infertility, and conditions of premature aging — where deep nourishment of Jing, Qi, and Blood are required simultaneously. As a flesh-like substance rich in growth factors and hormonal precursors, it is categorized among the most restorative animal tonics, comparable to human placenta (Zi He Che) in its depth of action.
Botanical Description
Lu Tai is the dried fetus and associated placental tissue of sika deer (Cervus nippon) or red deer (Cervus elaphus), obtained from gravid does processed in the deer farming industry. The intact preparation appears as a small curled mammalian embryo or fetus with attached placenta and umbilical structures, dried, and traditionally either used whole, powdered, or steeped in spirits. The colour ranges from dark reddish-brown to nearly black with a leathery surface. This material is rich in proteins, peptides, hormones, and growth factors retained from late-gestation tissue. This is an animal product, not a plant, and is one of several deer-derived materials catalogued in the Chinese materia medica alongside velvet antler and ossified antler.
Active Constituents
Amino acids and peptides
Amino acids / polypeptidesConcentration: Major nitrogenous fraction
Provide the nutritive, tonifying basis attributed to the deer fetus, supporting its use for supplementing Essence and Blood.
Proteins and collagen
Structural proteinsConcentration: Abundant in fetal tissue
Collagen and other proteins form the bulk of the tissue and are considered part of its blood- and essence-nourishing effect.
Steroid hormones (progesterone, estrone sulfate)
Steroid hormonesConcentration: Detected as endogenous hormones of fetal/placental origin
Endogenous reproductive hormones present in the fetal tissue, consistent with the traditional use for menstrual regulation, warming the uterus and promoting fertility.
Minerals (calcium, phosphorus, trace elements)
MineralsConcentration: Present in tissue and bone
Mineral content contributing to the tonic and bone/essence-supporting reputation of deer-derived medicinals.
Glycosaminoglycans / mucopolysaccharides
GlycosaminoglycansConcentration: Component of connective tissue
Connective-tissue polysaccharides typical of deer-derived products, associated with tonic and growth-supporting activity.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Hormonal therapies (estrogen/progesterone preparations, hormone-sensitive conditions)
Deer fetal tissue contains endogenous steroid hormones such as progesterone and estrone sulfate; theoretically it could add to the effect of hormone therapy or be inadvisable in hormone-sensitive conditions.
Clinical note: Use cautiously in people with hormone-sensitive conditions or on hormonal medication; no formal clinical interaction data exist.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 9-30g | Daily | — | — | — |
Preparation Methods
Powder / pill (paste)
Parts: Whole deer fetus (dried)
Traditionally dried and ground to a fine powder, or decocted down to a paste (“Lu Tai gao”) and formed into pills, often combined with tonics such as Ren Shen, Huang Qi and Zi He Che. Used only from legally registered Sika (Cervus nippon) or Red deer (Cervus elaphus).
Historical Texts
Ben Cao Gang Mu (Compendium of Materia Medica), Li Shizhen
Ming dynasty (1578)References
- Wu F, Li H, Jin L, Li X, Ma Y, You J, Li S, Xu Y. Deer antler base as a traditional Chinese medicine: a review of its traditional uses, chemistry and pharmacology . Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2013) [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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