Long Gu - 龙骨 - Fossilia Ossis Mastodi - Os Draconis - Dragon Bone
| Pharmaceutical Latin: | Fossilia Ossis Mastodi Os Draconis Stegodon |
| Common English: | Dragon Bone / Fossilized animal bones Fossilized vertebrae and bones of the extremities of mammals |
Category
Substances that Calm the Spirit: Substances that Anchor, Settle and Calm the SpiritProperties
| Taste | Temperature | Entering Meridians | Dosage |
| Sweet Astringent | Neutral (Cool) | Heart Liver Kidney (Gallbladder) (Large Intestine) | 15-30g cook first when used in decoctions Crush, then decoct 20-30 minutes ahead of the other herbs. |
Actions And Indications
| Actions | Indications/Syndromes |
Settles anxiety and calms the Spirit | Agitated Heart and Spirit with emotional distress, restlessness, insomnia, palpitations with anxiety, seizures or withdrawal mania |
Calms the Liver and anchors and preserves Floating Yang | Irritability, restlessness, dizziness, vertigo, blurred vision and a bad temper due to Liver Yin Deficiency with Liver Yang Rising |
Prevents leakage of fluids | Loss of fluids due to Deficiency with spermatorrhea, night sweats, spontaneous sweating, nocturnal emissions, vaginal discharge and uterine bleeding |
Topically generates muscles and astringes ulcers | Chronic non-healing sores and ulcerations |
Contraindications, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions
| CONTRAINDICATIONS |
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| INCOMPATIBILITIES |
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| HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS |
Major Combinations
| Rx. Polygalae | Sm. Zizyphi Spinosae | Arisaema cum Bile |
Palpitations, forgetfulness, insomnia and dream disturbed sleep. | Disturbance of the Spirit leading to palpitations with insomnia and generalized anxiety. | Internal rise of Phlegm-Heat with seizures and convulsions. |
| Concha Ostreae | Ram. Cinnamomi | Fr. Corni |
Insomnia, dizziness, irritability, and blurred vision associated with Liver Yin Deficiency with Liver Yang Rising. | Spermatorrhea, diarrhea, irritability, vaginal discharge and excessive uterine bleeding due to Kidney and Spleen Yang Deficiency. Low back and leg pain, dizziness, and fatigue with tenderness and throbbing below the navel due to Deficiency Cold. | Night sweats due to Yin Deficiency. |
| Rx. Lateralis Aconiti Preparata | Rx. Astragali | Sm. Astragali Complanati |
Profuse sweating as found in Devastated Yang with Collapsed Qi. | Spontaneous sweating due to exterior Deficiency. | Spermatorrhea due to Kidney Deficiency. |
Rx. Astragali | Ootheca Mantidis | Alumen |
Irregular uterine bleeding or vaginal discharge due to unstable Chong and Ren vessels. | Urinary frequency and incontinence due to Heart and Kidney Deficiency. | Topically as a powder for chronic non-healing sores and ulcers. |
Concha Ostreae | Cinnabaris | Rx. Ephedrae |
Topically for for Damp rashes with itching, such as those affecting the groin. | Sedative and tranquilizer. | With Duan Long Gu, for pathological sweating due to Deficiency causing disharmony between the Ying and Wei. |
Ootheca Mantidis | Concha Ostreae | Rz. Acori Tatarinowii |
Powerfully astringes and tonifies for enuresis, urinary frequency, premature ejaculation, nocturnal emissions and vaginal discharge due to unstable Kidney Yang. | Dizziness, vertigo, irritability and a short temper. | Restless Shen. |
Rx. Glycyrrhizae Preparata | Sm. Zizyphi Spinosae | Sm. Astragali Complanati |
Schizophrenia. | Restless Shen due to Heart Deficiency. | Spermatorrhea, low back pain or tinnitus. |
Concha Ostreae | Concha Ostreae | Rz. Atractylodis |
Spermatorrhea with Kidney Yin Deficiency. | Hypermenorrhea or uterine bleeding. | White vaginal discharge. |
Ootheca Mantidis | Halloysitum Rubrum | Rx. Astragali |
Enuresis. | Chronic diarrhea or dysentery. | Spontaneous or night sweating. |
Notes
- Dens Draconis Long Chi 龙齿, “Dragon’s Teeth” or fossilized teeth, is Cool and astringent and has essentially the same functions as Long Gu; however, the “teeth” are particularly effective for delirium, convulsions, dream-disturbed sleep, insomnia, and palpitations with anxiety. It is also used for gastralgia, osteomyelitis and arthritis. The dosage is 9-16g. For night crying or restlessness in children, combine it with Rx. Paeoniae Alba Bai Shao, Rx. Ophiopogonis Mai Men Dong, Rx. et Rz. Rhei Da Huang and Rz. Cimicifugae Sheng Ma.
- Rather than an animal part, this herb is a mineral: the fossilized remains of various animals, rich in many calcium salts and other minerals.
- Applied alone topically, it treats rashes, eczema, ulcers, and sores that do not heal.
- According to some sources, this herb stabilizes Liver Wind and settles fright.
- Disorders of the Dai channel are treated by this herb.
- This herb and Concha Ostreae Mu Li both have astringent properties. Mu Li additionally dissipates nodules and softens hardness, whereas Long Gu is superior at calming the Spirit. They are frequently combined to strengthen their ability to subdue Rising Yang.
- Long Gu and Concha Ostreae Mu Li have many similar qualities and are frequently used together. Long Gu is sweet and astringent, enters the Heart and Liver channels, and is superior at stopping abandonment, suppressing fright and calming the Spirit. It neither softens hardness nor disperses clumping, and its Yin -nourishing ability is much weaker, so it is used less when night sweats result from Yin Deficiency. Mu Li is salty and astringent and enters the Kidneys to soften hardness, transform Phlegm and cool Heat.
- Calcined Dragon bone Duan Long Gu has a stronger ability to restrain, inhibit and bind, so it stops sweating, astringes Jing, stops bleeding, binds the Intestines and generates flesh. Its main uses are night sweats, spontaneous sweating, spermatorrhea, vaginal discharge, continuous uterine bleeding, and chronic diarrhea or dysenteric disorder, and it is applied externally to help non-healing sores close.
From Class
- Month 7 (Lung, bones): KI-9, BL-11; Long Gu, Mu Li, Xu Duan, Du Zhong: Month 7: warm the interior, rid damp-cold, strengthen bones with KI-9, BL-11, Long Gu, Mu Li, Xu Duan, Du Zhong; restless fetus: Zhong Ru Shi. (Lewis)
- Neuro formulas: Tian Ma Gou Teng Yin, Ban Xia Bai Zhu Tian Ma Tang, Chai Hu Long Gu Mu Li Wan, Yi Guan Jian, Ding Zhi Wan, Wen Dan Tang: Tian Ma Gou Teng Yin for liver wind, Ban Xia Bai Zhu Tian Ma Tang for wind-phlegm, Yi Guan Jian for liver yin, Ding Zhi Wan settles the will. (Shea)
- Mineral & shell substances to extinguish wind: For acute nervous-system flare-ups, wind-extinguishing substances are often minerals: coral, oyster shell (Mu Li), dragon bone (Long Gu). (Yuen)