Medicinals
ē jiāo / 阿胶 / 阿膠 / ass hide glue;
Latin pharmacognostic name: Asini Corii Colla
Alternate English names: donkey hide glue
Alternate Chinese names: 五彩阿 wǔ cǎo ē; 阿胶 à jiāo; 真阿胶 zhēn ē jiāo
Origin: Plant
Use: medicinal
Category: Supplementing agents / Blood-supplementing agents
Properties: Sweet; balanced.
Channel entry: lung, liver, and kidney channels.
Indications:
- Supplements the blood: Blood vacuity with a withered-yellow facial complexion, dizziness, or heart palpitations.
- Stanches bleeding: Many types of bleeding.
- Enriches yīn and moistens dryness: Yīn vacuity patterns and dryness patterns.
Dosage & Method:
Oral: Melt in boiled water or yellow wine (4.5–9g), decoct, or use in pills or powders.
Warning:
ē jiāo is rich and slimy (cloying) in nature. Thus, it impairs digestion and should be used with care in stomach weakness with sloppy stool.
Product Description:
This product takes the form of neat rectangular blocks, usually about 8.5 cm long, 3.7 cm thick, and 0.7 cm or 1.5 cm thick. It is dark brown or black, smooth, shiny, and slightly translucent. It is brittle and can be easily broken to leave a fracture very similar to the surface of the block. It has only a faint smell.
Quality:
Shiny translucent black blocks that have no unpleasant odor and do not soften in hot weather are best.
Product Area:
Manufactured in Shāndōng, Zhèjiāng, and less importantly Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, and Wuhan.
Etymology:
ē jiāo 阿胶 is so named because it is a glue or gelatin (jiāo 胶) originally made with the spring water of Dōng'ē (东阿) in what is now Shāndōng Province.