Caprae seu Ovis Os
Aliases：Yáng Jǐ Gǔ (Sheep Spine Bone), Yáng Gǔ Tou (Sheep Bone), Yáng Jìng Gǔ (Sheep Shank Bone / Sheep Tibia).
Yáng Gǔ (Sheep Bone) is a traditional Chinese medicinal material. It is the bone of Capra hircus Linnaeus (goat) or Ovis aries Linnaeus (sheep), animals belonging to the family Bovidae. Sheep bone is used both as a medicinal material and as a common food ingredient in daily dietary therapy, with the spine bones (Yáng Jǐ Gǔ) and shank bones (Yáng Jìng Gǔ, the long bones of the limbs) being the most commonly used parts. This material was first recorded in Mingyi Bielu (Records of Famous Physicians).
Efficacy & Actions
Tonifies the Kidneys, strengthens the sinews and bones, and stops bleeding.
Indications
Indicated for consumptive weakness and emaciation, weakness of the lower back and knees, contracture and pain of the sinews and bones, deafness, loose teeth, chyluria (turbid urine with a milky appearance), white turbid urine, chronic diarrhea, chronic dysentery, menorrhagia (excessive menstrual bleeding), epistaxis (nosebleed), and hematochezia (blood in stool).
Modern Pharmacology
Bone-inducing effects: Bone matrix gelatin (BMG) and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) can be extracted from sheep bone. Both have bone-inducing effects and can promote new bone formation. Uric acid-lowering effects: Sheep bone bioactive peptides (SBBP) have shown uric acid-lowering activity both in vitro and in vivo. Antioxidant and lipid-lowering effects: Tibetan sheep bone peptides have demonstrated antioxidant and lipid-lowering activities in vitro. DPP-IV inhibition: Sheep bone is an excellent raw material for preparing products with dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) inhibitory activity, which has potential effects on blood glucose regulation. Anti-osteoporotic effects: Dangyang bone tablets can significantly increase serum TGF-β1 levels and femoral TGF-β1 mRNA expression in osteoporotic model rats, showing a regulatory effect on bone metabolism.
Ingredients
Inorganic matter (abundant): Calcium phosphate (more than half of the inorganic matter), calcium carbonate (small amount), magnesium phosphate (small amount). Trace elements: Fluorine, chlorine, sodium, potassium, iron, aluminum, and others. Organic matter: Ossein (bone collagen), osseomucoid (bone mucoprotein), and elastin-like substances. Lipids: Neutral fats (relatively abundant), phospholipids, small amounts of glycogen, and others.
Usage & Dosage
For oral administration: Decoct in water or cook into congee, one set (one whole set of bones). Steep in wine for consumption. Calcined to preserve its properties and made into pills or powders. For external use: Apply an appropriate amount, calcined to preserve its properties, ground into powder, and sprinkled on the affected area or used for rubbing the teeth.
Contraindications
Those with a constitution prone to excessive heat should use with caution or avoid consumption — Qianjin Shizhi (Essential Formulas for Emergencies - Dietetic Therapy) records: "Those with latent heat should not eat it." It is not suitable for consumption during fever or externally-contracted conditions. Use with caution in patients with Yin deficiency and fire excess.
Selected Formulas
For consumptive disease with lower back and knee weakness (Yinshan Zhengyao, Sheep Bone Congee) Take one whole set of sheep bones (crushed), 6g of Chenpi (tangerine peel, white part removed), 6g of Liangjiang (galangal), 2 Caoguo (Amomum tsaoko), 30g of fresh ginger, and a little salt. Add 3 dou of water, simmer slowly to extract the liquid, filter and clarify. Use the liquid to cook congee as usual, or make into a soup. For kidney deficiency cold with inability to turn the lower back and spine (Shiyi Xinjing) Take one tender sheep spine, crush it, boil until very tender, and eat on an empty stomach with garlic and leek, accompanied by a little wine. For consumptive weakness, emaciation, and fatigue, to benefit essence and qi (Sheng Hui Fang, Sheep Spine Congee) Take a handful of sheep spine with tail, 30g of Roucongrong (Cistanche, soaked in wine overnight), 3g of Tusizi (Cuscuta seed, soaked in wine for 3 days, dried, and ground), 3 scallion whites, and 3 he of Japonica rice. Crush the spine, add 9 large cups of water, decoct to 3 cups, strain. Add the rice and Cistanche to cook into congee. When nearly done, add scallion and five spices. When fully cooked, add the Tusizi powder and 2 he of wine. Eat on an empty stomach. For chyluria with lower abdominal discomfort and poor urination (Sheng Hui Fang) Take sheep bones, burn to ash, grind into fine powder. Take 6g before meals with elm bark decoction. For white turbid urine due to spleen deficiency failing to consolidate essence (Jisheng Fang, Yangjing Tan Wan) Take 60g of Houpo (Magnolia bark, peeled, processed with ginger juice) and 30g of sheep shinbone (calcined and ground into powder). Grind into fine powder, mix with white flour paste to form pills the size of waxberry seeds. Take 100 pills on an empty stomach with rice water.
Daily Consumption
Sheep Bone Congee: Take one set of sheep bones, crush them, and simmer with water to extract the juice. Use the bone broth to cook congee. Aged tangerine peel (Chén Pí), galangal (Liáng Jiāng), tsaoko (Cǎo Guǒ), fresh ginger, and other seasonings may be added for flavor. Sheep Bone Soup: Crush the sheep bones and boil them together with red dates, Astragalus (Huáng Qí), and other ingredients. Strain and drink the soup. Cooking: Sheep bones may be stewed into soup or cooked into congee. Strain and consume the liquid, or drink the broth and eat the meat. Wine Infusion: Sheep bones may be soaked in white wine to make a medicinal wine for consumption. Charred Powder for External Use: Calcine the sheep bones to preserve their properties, grind into powder, and apply externally by sprinkling on the affected area or rubbing on the teeth.
Medicinal Parts
The bones of Capra hircus Linnaeus (goat) or Ovis aries Linnaeus (sheep), animals belonging to the family Bovidae. The spine bones (Yáng Jǐ Gǔ) and shank bones (Yáng Jìng Gǔ, the long bones of the limbs) are the most commonly used parts.
Selection & Storage
Take the bones fresh at the time of slaughter, and use them fresh, or refrigerate them, or dry them. For long-term storage, remove the fascia from the bones, wrap them in plastic wrap, and store them in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator.
