Shui Niu Jiao
StarBubalus bubalis Linnaeus
Traditionally used for
- Colds & fever
- Mood & calm
- Nerves & recovery
Cautions & contraindications
- Bleeding disorders
☯ TCM Properties
Clears Heat and Cools the Blood; Resolves Toxicity; Calms the spirit and arrests tremors; Cools the Blood and Stops Bleeding
Traditional Chinese Uses
Shui Niu Jiao (water buffalo horn) is a cold, bitter substance used as a substitute for the now-prohibited rhinoceros horn in classical formulas for clearing intense Heat from the Blood. It is applied in conditions of high fever, delirium, loss of consciousness, rashes, and bleeding from Blood Heat, particularly in the context of febrile disease. While less potent than the substance it replaces, it serves an important role in preserving classical treatment strategies without promoting endangered species use.
Used In Formulas (1)
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Shui Niu Jiao is the horn of the domestic water buffalo, Bubalus bubalis (family Bovidae), a large ungulate widely raised across southern China, South and Southeast Asia. The horns are paired, hollow, keratinous sheaths covering bony cores on the skull; they are stout, triangular in cross-section near the base, sweeping outward and backward in a wide arc, and may reach 50-100 cm along the curve in adult animals. The surface is dark grey to black, smooth or with shallow transverse ridges, hard, and slightly translucent at the tip. After slaughter, the horn sheaths are detached, cleaned, sawn into sections, and either shaved into thin slices or ground to fine powder for medicinal use. In TCM, the horn is classified as a salty, cold substance that clears heat from the blood and cools the heart; it is used as a substitute for endangered rhinoceros horn (Xi Jiao).
Active Constituents
Keratin
Fibrous structural proteinConcentration: The bulk of the horn sheath; keratin and keratin-associated proteins dominate the proteome and over 200 proteins were identified per horn sample by nano LC-MS/MS
The structural matrix of the drug and the origin of nearly everything extractable from it. A thiol-rich peptide fraction prepared from water buffalo horn keratin reduced fever in LPS-treated rabbits and reduced oxidative stress and inflammation in cell models through Nrf2/Hmox-1 and NF-kappaB signalling. Keratin is also what rhinoceros horn is made of, which is the chemical basis of the substitution.
Collagen
Fibrous structural proteinIdentified alongside keratin by shotgun proteomics of the aqueous extract. Most of the peptides recovered from a water decoction are non-specific degradation products of keratin and collagen rather than defined molecules.
Desmoglein
Desmosomal cadherin (cell adhesion glycoprotein)A minor protein identified in the aqueous extract of the horn by shotgun proteomic analysis.
WBH-1, WBH-2 and WBH-3 antioxidant peptides
OligopeptideConcentration: WBH-1 Gln-Tyr-Asp-Gln-Gly-Val, 708 Da; WBH-2 Tyr-Glu-Asp-Cys-Thr-Asp-Cys-Gly-Asn, 1018 Da; WBH-3 Ala-Ala-Asp-Asn-Ala-Asn-Glu-Leu-Phe-Pro-Pro-Asn, 1271 Da
Three sequenced peptides purified from the aqueous extract by successive chromatography and identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF, each with antioxidant activity. These are the only structurally defined small molecules of the drug, and they are the strongest candidates for whatever pharmacological activity the decoction has.
Hypoxanthine, uridine, guanosine and adenosine
Purine and pyrimidine nucleosides and basesThe identified non-peptide small molecules of the water extract, confirmed against reference standards. Their contribution to the traditional heat-clearing and blood-cooling actions has not been demonstrated.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Rhinoceros horn (Xi Jiao, Cornu Rhinoceri) - the prohibited drug that Cornu Bubali substitutes for
Shui Niu Jiao is the legal replacement for Xi Jiao. Rhinoceros horn is CITES Appendix I material and international commercial trade in it is prohibited; China banned its use and removed it from the Pharmacopoeia in 1993, and water buffalo horn had already been listed as a substitute from the 1977 edition. Classical formulas that specify Xi Jiao, including Xi Jiao Di Huang Tang and An Gong Niu Huang Wan, are dispensed with Cornu Bubali at a much higher weight. What the evidence does show is compositional similarity, not proven equivalence: shotgun proteomics found the protein profile and keratin-associated protein composition of buffalo horn similar to rhinoceros horn, two-dimensional electrophoresis of rhinoceros, water buffalo and yak horn found comparable active components, and buffalo horn extract lowers fever in yeast-induced and skimmed-milk-induced rat models. What the evidence does not show is any head-to-head clinical comparison in humans, or, for that matter, that rhinoceros horn itself was ever clinically effective. Bioactivity results are also inconsistent between studies: one panel reported buffalo horn to be anticoagulant and antithrombotic (prolonging recalcification and thrombin times, dissolving thrombus in vitro), while another reported procoagulant activity across seven horns including buffalo. Practitioners should treat the substitution as legally mandatory and traditionally accepted, not as pharmacologically validated.
Clinical note: Never source, accept or substitute rhinoceros horn, whether offered as antique stock, farmed material or a 'more authentic' version of a classical formula. Dispense Cornu Bubali and say so on the label. Decoct 15 to 30 g for at least 3 hours before adding the other herbs, or use 3 to 9 g of powder or 1.5 to 3 g of the concentrated powder.
Substituted or adulterated horn material from other bovids (cattle horn, yak horn)
Adulterated Bubali cornu is well documented in Chinese commercial herbal markets, to the point that COI DNA barcoding has been developed and applied to 155 samples specifically to authenticate it. The relevance is compounded by the fact that Cornu Bubali is an essential ingredient of An Gong Niu Huang Wan. Bioactivity differs between horn species: in the anticoagulation and antithrombotic screen, ordinary cattle horn was one of the few horns that did not prolong recalcification or thrombin time, so a cattle-horn substitution is not pharmacologically inert-equivalent.
Clinical note: Buy from suppliers who can document species identity. Shavings and powders are where the substitution occurs; whole horn sections are harder to fake.
Anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs (warfarin, direct oral anticoagulants, aspirin, clopidogrel)
The haemostatic pharmacology of this drug is genuinely unresolved. Cornu Bubali prolonged plasma recalcification time and thrombin time and dissolved thrombus in vitro in one study, which would predict additive bleeding risk, while a proteomic and bio-effect study of seven horns reported procoagulant activity, which would predict the opposite and is more in line with the traditional use for cooling the blood and stopping bleeding. No human data exist either way.
Clinical note: Because the direction of effect is not established, monitor rather than predict: check INR or for bruising and bleeding in anticoagulated patients starting the herb, and do not rely on it to control bleeding in a patient with a real coagulopathy.
Antipyretics and NSAIDs (paracetamol, ibuprofen)
Water buffalo horn extract lowers rectal temperature in yeast-induced and skimmed-milk-induced rat pyrexia and suppresses TNF-alpha-induced PGE2, an arachidonic acid pathway also targeted by NSAIDs. Metabolomic work in rats confirmed reversal of fever-associated changes in arachidonic acid metabolism after a single 400 mg/kg oral dose. All of this is rodent data; no human antipyretic study exists.
Clinical note: No practical restriction, but do not count the herb as a substitute for antipyretic or antimicrobial treatment in a febrile patient who needs one.
Use in patients with Spleen and Stomach cold-deficiency, and high-dose use generally
Standard Chinese materia medica records advise caution in patients with middle-jiao deficiency and stomach cold, and note that large doses can produce upper abdominal discomfort, nausea, abdominal distension and poor appetite. This is the recorded adverse effect profile of the drug; there is no controlled safety study.
Clinical note: Keep to the stated dose range and combine with warming, Spleen-supporting herbs in constitutionally cold patients. Reduce the dose if epigastric symptoms appear.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction (pre-decocted) | 15–30 g | Daily | — | — | 中国药典 2020 【用法与用量】15～30g，宜先煎3小时以上。 【性味与归经】苦，寒。归心、肝经。 — Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020, quoted verbatim; route and cautions preserved. Replaces a cleared category-filler value. |
Dui Yao — Herb Pairs
The classical two-herb combinations this herb appears in, each with an action neither herb has alone.
Clearing heat from the blood level and resolving toxicity is combined with cooling the blood and nourishing yin, stopping bleeding and rashes from blood heat.
Core pair of a classical formula — Xi Jiao Di Huang Tang, Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang (Sun Simiao), with Shui Niu Jiao as the modern substitute for Xi Jiao
Evidence Tier
Moderate evidence · 7 studiesRecorded studies by study design, strongest design at the top. This is a study-design tier only, not a GRADE rating: it does not weigh risk of bias, consistency or precision.
Systematic review / meta-analysis
0
Randomized controlled trial
0
Other clinical trial
0
Observational / case report
0
In vitro / animal
7
7 verified · 0 unverified
Show 7 studies
- Antipyretic and Antioxidant Activities of the Aqueous Extract ofCornu Bubali(Water Buffalo Horn)
- Metabolomics of the Antipyretic Effects of Bubali Cornu (Water Buffalo Horn) in Rats
- Purification and identification of three novel antioxidant peptides from Cornu Bubali (water buffalo horn)
- Available sustainable alternatives replace endangered animal horn based on their proteomic analysis and bio-effect evaluation
- Substitutes for endangered medicinal animal horns and shells exposed by antithrombotic and anticoagulation effects
- Analysis of active components of rhinoceros, water buffalo and yak horns using two‐dimensional electrophoresis and ethnopharmacological evaluation
- Thiols-rich peptide from water buffalo horn keratin alleviates oxidative stress and inflammation through co-regulating Nrf2/Hmox-1 and NF-κB signaling pathway
Other / unclassified
0
Verified: design read from PubMed for a DOI that resolves to the cited paper Unverified: taken from the study's recorded description
Clinical Studies
Antipyretic and Antioxidant Activities of the Aqueous Extract ofCornu Bubali(Water Buffalo Horn)
Two rat hyperthermia models, yeast-induced (infectious) and skimmed-milk-induced (non-infectious), both showed significant reduction in rectal temperature after oral administration of the aqueous extract. The proposed mechanism involves suppression of TNF-alpha-induced PGE2 production. This is the primary animal evidence for the traditional heat-clearing action, and it is animal evidence only.
Metabolomics of the Antipyretic Effects of Bubali Cornu (Water Buffalo Horn) in Rats
A single 400 mg/kg oral dose of lyophilised extract significantly attenuated yeast-induced fever in rats, with onset at 1.5 hours and effect maintained for 1.5 hours. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS profiling identified 16 plasma and 21 urine metabolites altered by fever, with the extract reversing disturbances in arachidonic acid, amino acid, sphingolipid, glycerophospholipid and purine metabolism.
Purification and identification of three novel antioxidant peptides from Cornu Bubali (water buffalo horn)
Three antioxidant peptides were purified from the aqueous extract by gel filtration, ion-exchange chromatography and HPLC and sequenced by MALDI-TOF/TOF: Gln-Tyr-Asp-Gln-Gly-Val (708 Da), Tyr-Glu-Asp-Cys-Thr-Asp-Cys-Gly-Asn (1018 Da) and Ala-Ala-Asp-Asn-Ala-Asn-Glu-Leu-Phe-Pro-Pro-Asn (1271 Da). This is the only work that gives the drug defined active molecules rather than a protein hydrolysate.
Available sustainable alternatives replace endangered animal horn based on their proteomic analysis and bio-effect evaluation
Seven types of animal horn were compared for antipyretic, sedative and procoagulant activity and analysed by shotgun proteomics, with over 200 proteins identified per sample. All seven showed antipyretic, sedative and procoagulant effects. Principal component analysis of keratin and keratin-associated protein composition placed water buffalo horn close to rhinoceros horn, and goat horn close to saiga antelope horn. The authors conclude it is effective to substitute endangered animal horn with sustainable alternatives from domestic animals. Note that this study reports procoagulant activity, which conflicts with the anticoagulant findings of Luo and colleagues.
Substitutes for endangered medicinal animal horns and shells exposed by antithrombotic and anticoagulation effects
Horns and shells were screened by plasma recalcification time, thrombin time, thrombin consumption, in vitro thrombus dissolution and whole blood-gore. Cornu Bubali prolonged recalcification time and thrombin time and dissolved thrombus, whereas argali horn, saiga antelope horn and ordinary cattle horn did not. The authors conclude that goat horn, water buffalo horn and turtle shell are rational substitutes for saiga antelope horn, yak horn and pangolin scale respectively. The anticoagulant finding for buffalo horn is the opposite of the procoagulant result reported by Liu and colleagues in 2016, and the discrepancy has not been resolved.
Analysis of active components of rhinoceros, water buffalo and yak horns using two‐dimensional electrophoresis and ethnopharmacological evaluation
Two-dimensional electrophoresis was used to compare the protein components of rhinoceros horn with those of water buffalo and yak horn, alongside ethnopharmacological evaluation. It is one of the two principal analytical studies underpinning the claim that buffalo horn is compositionally close enough to rhinoceros horn to serve as its replacement, a claim that rests on chemical similarity rather than on comparative clinical outcome.
Thiols-rich peptide from water buffalo horn keratin alleviates oxidative stress and inflammation through co-regulating Nrf2/Hmox-1 and NF-κB signaling pathway
Water buffalo horn keratin and thiol-rich peptide fractions derived from it were tested in LPS-induced fever in rabbits and in cell models of oxidative and inflammatory injury. The peptide fractions reduced oxidative stress and inflammation with co-regulation of Nrf2/Hmox-1 and NF-kappaB, giving a molecular mechanism for the antipyretic and anti-inflammatory actions of the crude drug.
Historical Texts
Ming Yi Bie Lu
Southern and Northern Dynasties, circa 500 CEShen Nong Ben Cao Jing
Han dynastyPharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China
Modern, 1977 edition onwardReferences
- Liu XZ, Zhou LS, Liu JX, Jia J, Song JY, Shi LC. Identification of water buffalo horn and its adulterants using COI barcode . Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica (Yao Xue Xue Bao) (2017)
- Liu R, Duan JA, Wu H, Liu P, Shang EX, Qian DW. Analysis and identification of water soluble components of water buffalo horn . Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica (Yao Xue Xue Bao) (2015)
- Cheung H, Wang Y, Biggs D. China's reopened rhino horn trade . Science (2018) [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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