Goat or Sheep Brain
Yang Nao (Sheep Brain) is a traditional Chinese medicinal material. It is the brain marrow of the goat Capra hircus Linnaeus or the sheep Ovis aries Linnaeus, animals belonging to the family Bovidae. It was first recorded in Qianjin Shizhi (Dietetic Therapy of the Thousand Gold Prescriptions).
Efficacy & Actions
Supplements deficiency, strengthens the brain, and moisturizes the skin.
Indications
General weakness with dizziness, chapped skin, and tendon and bone injuries.
Modern Pharmacology
Sleep‑promoting effect: When cerebrospinal fluid from sleep‑deprived goats was injected into the cerebral ventricles of rats or rabbits, slow‑wave sleep significantly increased, and nighttime activity in rats decreased by 63% compared to normal. The amplitude of low‑frequency brain waves was approximately 50% higher than during normal sleep. This sleep factor has sleep‑promoting effects on cats, rats, and rabbits, showing low species specificity. It has also been reported that a substance in goat cerebrospinal fluid after sleep deprivation, which reduces activity and increases sleep in rats, was identified and named "S factor". This factor can also be extracted from the brainstem and cerebrum of sleep‑deprived sheep, goats, and other animals. Somatostatin effects: Somatostatin (SS) isolated from the sheep hypothalamus not only inhibits growth hormone secretion but also inhibits gastrointestinal, biliary, and pancreatic secretion and gastrointestinal motility, serving as an important regulator of digestive function. SS can bind to receptors on parietal cells to inhibit gastric acid secretion and can also antagonize the gastric acid‑stimulating effects of histamine, acetylcholine, and bombesin. Lecithin extraction: Lecithin (phosphatidylcholine) can be extracted from sheep brain. Excitatory factor: Goat cerebrospinal fluid also contains an excitatory substance that causes sustained excitatory behavior in rats, including exploratory behavior, salivation, and excessive grooming; some rats may also develop convulsions. Antioxidant activity: Sheep brain peptides are rich in glutamic acid, aspartic acid, leucine, and lysine, with particularly high contents of glutamic acid and aspartic acid. The neutral protease hydrolysates of defatted sheep brain protein exhibit in vitro antioxidant properties. Phospholipid‑type DHA: DHA‑PLs (phospholipid‑type DHA) can be extracted from sheep brain.
Ingredients
Goat or sheep brain is rich in ascorbic acid, riboflavine, nicotinic acid, thiamine, lecithin, cerebroside, proteins, fats, as well as calcium, phosphorus, iron, and other minerals.
Usage & Dosage
For oral administration: cooked and eaten, in appropriate amounts; or made into pills. For topical application: in appropriate amounts, ground and applied; or made into ointments.
Contraindications
Should not be consumed in excess. Excessive consumption may cause wind-heat: According to Suixiju Yinshi Pu (Dietary Recipes of Suixiju): "Excessive consumption may cause wind-heat and is contraindicated in all other diseases." Not suitable for obese individuals: Sheep brain has a high fat content and should be consumed sparingly by those who are overweight. Not suitable for children: Children's spleen and stomach are not fully developed; the high fat content may cause indigestion. Use with caution in those with Spleen‑Stomach deficiency: Individuals with Spleen‑Stomach deficiency may not digest sheep brain well and should consume it in appropriate amounts according to their constitution. Not suitable for those with damp‑heat, phlegm‑dampness, or Yin deficiency constitutions. May impair male essence: According to Beiji Qianjin Yaofang·Shizhi (Dietetic Therapy of the Thousand Gold Prescriptions): "Sheep brain and pig brain, when consumed by men, may impair essence and reduce fertility." General recommendation: The consumption per serving should not exceed 100 g.
Selected Formulas
For infantile swelling or tumor (Ruizhutang Jingyan Fang) Take fresh sheep brain and Mangxiao (Glauber's salt), mix well, and apply to the swelling. For corns on the toes (Gu Jin Luyan Fang) Puncture the corn, then apply a mixture of fresh wine vinegar and sheep brain. For broken limbs and tendon injuries (Qianjin Fang) Take 1 liang of sheep brain, 0.5 liang each of walnut oil, human hair ash, and lead powder. Mix and mash together into a paste, and apply as a plaster. For neurasthenia and dizziness (Inner Mongolia Medicinal Animals, Mianyang Nao Wan) Take 90g each of Awei (Asafoetida), Danggui (Angelica), Chenxiang (Agarwood), Roudoukou (Nutmeg), Guangmuxiang (Costus root), Dingxiang (Clove), and Xiaohuixiang (Fennel). Grind them together into fine powder, mix with an appropriate amount of sheep brain to form pills about the size of a thumb, and dry-fry with butter. Take 1 pill each time, twice daily (morning and evening), with wine. For wind-cold entering the brain with persistent headache (Suixiju Yinshi Pu) Take sheep brain, cook and eat.
Daily Consumption
Boiled: Sheep brain can be boiled and eaten directly, or cooked in soup. Stewed Sheep Brain with Goji Berries: Take one sheep brain and 30 g of goji berries. Wash them, place in a bowl with an appropriate amount of chopped scallions, minced ginger, cooking wine, and salt, then steam until cooked. The resulting texture resembles that of soft tofu pudding. Stewed Sheep Brain with Longan: Stew sheep brain together with longan. Braised Sheep Brain: Heat a wok, add chicken broth, salt, cooking wine, ginger juice, sheep brain, and shiitake mushrooms. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, then add milk and monosodium glutamate. Thicken with cornstarch slurry and drizzle with chicken oil before serving. Clear Soup with Sheep Brain: Prepare the clear soup by simmering free‑range chicken and pork belly, then add sheep brain and goji berries and continue simmering. Cold Sheep Brain Salad: Boil the sheep brain until cooked, drizzle with lemon juice, cooking wine, vinegar, and five‑spice powder, sprinkle with chopped scallions and cilantro, and finally drizzle with hot olive oil. Sheep Brain in Tripe: Wrap the sheep brain in sheep tripe, tie it securely with string, place it in a pot, and add oil, broad bean paste, chili peppers, star anise, bay leaves, and other seasonings. Simmer for 40 minutes.
Medicinal Parts
It is the brain marrow of the goat Capra hircus Linnaeus or the sheep Ovis aries Linnaeus, animals belonging to the family Bovidae.
Selection & Storage
Fresh products can be stored refrigerated.
