Caprae seu Ovis Pellis
Yáng Pí (Goat or Sheep Skin) is a traditional Chinese medicinal material. It is the skin of Capra hircus Linnaeus (goat) or Ovis aries Linnaeus (sheep), animals belonging to the family Bovidae. Its medicinal use was first recorded in the Tang Dynasty work Shiliao Bencao (Dietetic Materia Medica).
Efficacy & Actions
Supplements deficiency, removes stasis, and reduces swelling.
Indications
Indicated for consumptive weakness and emaciation (deficiency and overstrain with physical debility), Lung and Spleen Qi deficiency (manifesting as fatigue, weakness, and poor appetite due to Qi deficiency in the Lung and Spleen meridians), traumatic swelling and pain (localized swelling and pain due to traumatic injury), and poisoning with bloody stools.
Ingredients
Moisture, proteins, fats, and inorganic substances (the latter two are present in small amounts) Keratin (the main protein constituting the epidermis) Collagen and reticulin (the main proteins constituting the dermis) Elastin, albumin, globulin, and mucin Melanin (present in the epidermis, a metabolite of tyrosine) The fat content of goat skin is similar to that of other animals (such as cattle), but sheep skin contains significantly more fat.
Usage & Dosage
For oral administration: take an appropriate amount, cooked as a soup for consumption; or burn to preserve its properties, grind into powder, 6–9 g each time. For external use: apply an appropriate amount to the affected area.
Contraindications
Should be used under the guidance of a physician. Those with Spleen-Stomach deficiency cold should consume in moderation.
Selected Formulas
For consumptive disease with emaciation (Shiliao Bencao) Take sheepskin, remove the hair, cook into a soup, and eat. It can supplement deficiency and treat consumptive conditions. For deficiency wind in the lung (Shiliao Bencao) Take sheepskin, cook and eat as a meal. It dispels all types of wind and treats deficiency wind in the lung. For bruising and swelling due to trauma (Bencao Gangmu) Lie down on damp sheepskin to disperse bruising and swelling from injuries. For intestinal bleeding due to Gu poison (Bencao Gangmu) Take dried sheepskin, burn it, and take orally to treat bleeding from the lower gastrointestinal tract caused by Gu poisoning.
Daily Consumption
As a soup for consumption: After removing the wool from the sheep skin, boil it to make a soup and consume. It helps supplement consumptive weakness.
Medicinal Parts
The skin of Capra hircus Linnaeus (goat) or Ovis aries Linnaeus (sheep), animals belonging to the family Bovidae.
Selection & Storage
Store in a cool, dry place, protected from moisture and insects.
