Colla Corii Asini: Chinese Herb Guide

Name

E Jiao (Colla Corii Asini), from Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (Shen Nong's Herbal)

Source and quality

The dry glue pieces made from the hide of Equus asinus L. of the family Equidae; the donkey-hide gelatin is obtained by stewing. It is produced in Shandong and Zhejiang provinces.

It has a slight odor and is slightly sweet. The best grade is brown to black-brown, with a lustrous surface, firm and brittle, a bright-looking cross section, and no fishy smell.

It is melted or stir-baked into E Jiao beads.

Nature and action

Sweet and neutral. It enters the lung, liver, kidney and heart meridians.

It tonifies blood, stops bleeding and nourishes yin.

Indications

Blood deficiency syndrome

It is especially indicated for blood deficiency accompanied by bleeding. It is stewed with millet wine, or combined with other blood tonics, such as Dang Gui, Bai Shao and Shu Di Huang in E Jiao Si Wu Tang from Za Bing Yuan Liu Xi Zhu.

Hemorrhage

It is a good herb for stopping bleeding, and because it also nourishes yin and tonifies blood it is especially indicated for hemorrhage with yin and blood deficiency.

• For hematemesis, it is usually combined with herbs that cool the blood and stop bleeding, such as Sheng Di Huang and Pu Huang in Qian Jin Yi Fang.
• For coughing blood due to lung deficiency, it is combined with herbs that tonify qi, moisten the lung and stop bleeding, such as Ren Shen, Wu Wei Zi, Tian Dong and Bai Ji in E Jiao San from Zhi Zhi Fang (Effective Prescriptions).
• For hematochezia, it is combined with herbs that tonify and activate the blood, such as Dang Gui and Chi Shao in E Jiao Shao Yao Tang from Sheng Ji Zong Lu.
• For excessive menstruation, metrorrhagia and metrostaxis, vaginal bleeding during pregnancy or after delivery, it is combined with herbs that tonify qi, regulate menstruation, stop bleeding and prevent abortion, such as Dang Gui, Shu Di Huang, Ai Ye and Chuan Xiong in Jiao Ai Tang from Jin Kui Yao Lue.

Yin deficiency syndrome

It nourishes lung yin and moistens dryness in the lung.

• For dry cough with scanty sputum or blood in the sputum due to excessive lung heat, it is usually combined with herbs that clear the lung and relieve cough, such as Ma Dou Ling, Niu Bang Zi and Xing Ren in E Jiao San from Xiao Er Yao Zheng Zhi Lue.
• For deficiency cough with blood due to deficiency of lung and kidney yin, it is combined with herbs that nourish yin, moisten the lung and relieve cough, such as Tian Dong, Mai Dong, Chuan Bei Mu and Bai Bu in Yue Hua Wan from Yi Xue Xin Wu.
• For dry cough with scanty sputum, and dryness of the throat and nose due to injury of the lung by a dryness pathogen, it is combined with herbs that clear the lung and moisten dryness, such as Sang Ye, Shi Gao and Mai Dong in Qing Fei Jiu Zao Tang from Yi Men Fa Lu.
• For restlessness and insomnia due to yin deficiency with effulgent fire, it is combined with herbs that clear the heart and calm the spirit, such as Huang Lian, Huang Qin and Ji Zi Huang (yolk) in Huanglian Ejiao Tang from Shang Han Lun.
• For cramping of the limbs due to yin and blood deficiency with internal generation of wind, it is combined with herbs that nourish yin and extinguish wind, such as Gui Jia, Mu Li, Bai Shao and Mai Dong in Da Ding Feng Zhu from Wen Bing Tiao Bian.

Dosage and administration

Decoct 5~10 g; smash it into powder after melting or stir-baking.

Cautions

Use with caution in spleen and stomach deficiency, with poor appetite, and with loose stool due to spleen deficiency, because it is greasy and tends to impair digestion.