Hu Gu - 虎骨 - Os Tigris

Pharmaceutical Latin:	Os Tigris
Common English:	Tiger Bone

Properties

Taste	Temperature	Entering Meridians	Dosage
Acrid Salty	Warm	Liver Kidney	Pills or Powders: 3-15g

Actions	Indications/Syndromes
Dispels Wind-(Dampness), controls pain and strengthens the sinews and bones	Wind-Damp Bi with atrophied and weak lower back and legs, joint stiffness, migratory pain, spasms of the legs and difficulty moving the joints
Disperses Wind-Cold	Wind-Cold Bi with paralysis, spasms, and Cold pain in the bones

CONTRAINDICATIONS

INCOMPATIBILITIES

HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS

Fr. Chaenomelis Mu Gua Rx. Achyranthis Bidentate Niu Xi Cx. Acanthopanacis Wu Jia Pi	Hb. Cynomorii Suo Yang (Rx. Achyranthis Bidentate) (Niu Xi) Rx. Angelicae Sinensis Dang Gui Hb. Taxilli Sang Ji Sheng
As a wine for Wind-Damp Bi with restricted movement and pain of the joints	Long-term illness causing wasting away of the sinews and mal development of the bones

Bones from a tiger that was poisoned may turn black and must never be used.
Leopard bone (Os Leopardis) Bao Gu, Zhu Gu (Os Porcus) and Dog bone (Os Canis) Gou Gu may be used as substitutes. Bao Gu is pungent and warm; it strengthens sinews and bones, expels Wind-Dampness and relieves pain, but it is less potent than Hu Gu. Gou Gu is extremely hot. Cook it for at least an hour before adding it to the decoction.
Walking too much injures the sinews; standing too much injures the bones.
Disease of the sinews allows flexion but not extension, while disease of the bones allows extension but not flexion.
It is effective at seeking out hidden Wind and relieving pain.
Its best uses are migratory joint pain from Excess Wind and numbness of the feet from Deficiency Cold of the Kidney and Liver.
On its own, it may be made into a medicinal wine for Bi syndrome.
Although the shinbone is preferred, any of the bones may be used. The skull treats childhood convulsions, warm malarial sores and swellings, and head Wind. The tibia is used for Wind in the hands and feet, and the vertebrae for Wind affecting the lower back and spine.
Leg pain is often treated with wines.