Lu Rong - 鹿茸 - Cornu Cervi Pantotrichum - Deer Antler

Pharmaceutical Latin:	Cornu Cervi Pantotrichum Cornu Cervi Parvum
Common English:	Cervus Deer Antler Deer Antler Velvet / Hairy deer horn Hairy Deer Antler

Category

Herbs that Tonify the Yang

Properties

Taste	Temperature	Entering Meridians	Dosage
Sweet Salty	Warm	Kidney Liver (Spleen)	3-5g Powders or Pills: 1-3g Tincture: 1-2.5ml

Actions And Indications

Actions	Indications/Syndromes
Tonifies the Kidneys and strengthens Yang	Kidney Yang Deficiency with fatigue, impotence, cold extremities, light-headedness, tinnitus, soreness and lack of strength in the lower back and knees and frequent, copious clear urination
Warms Yang, regulates the Chong and Ren channels and stabilizes the Dai Channel	Insufficiency of the Chong and Ren and Dai Channel weakness with vaginal discharge or uterine bleeding from Deficiency Cold Infertility with a cold Womb (can be used alone)
Benefits marrow, Strengthens Jing and Blood, Strengthens the sinews and bones, Tonifies the DU Channel	Jing and Blood Deficiency, especially in children with physical and mental developmental disorders such as failure to thrive, mental retardation, learning disabilities, insufficient growth or skeletal deformities including rickets Non healing fractures with Kidney Deficiency and exhaustion of the Jing (can be used alone)
Tonifies and nourishes Qi and Blood and heals chronic Yin sores and boils	Qi and Blood Deficiency Chronic ulcerations or Yin-type boils, non healing ulcers (can be used alone)

Contraindications, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions

Major Combinations

Rx. Dioscoreae Shan Yao	Rx. Ginseng Ren Shen Fr. Lycii Gou Qi Zi Rx. Lateralis Aconiti Preparata Zhi Fu Zi	Rx. Ginseng Ren Shen (Rx. Angelicae Sinensis) (Dang Gui)
As a tincture for impotence.	More severe problems with exhaustion and impotence.	Palpitations, low back pain and decreased and difficult urination due to severely deficient Heart and Kidneys. Increases leutenizing hormone. Increases lymphocytic transformation.
Sm. Cuscutae Tu Si Zi Hb. Cistanches Rou Cong Rong	Rx. Rehmanniae Preparata Shu Di Huang	Colla Corni Asini E Jiao Rx. Angelicae Sinensis Dang Gui Endoconcha Sepiae Hai Piao Xiao
Exhaustion, aversion to Cold, lower back pain, weakness of the lower extremities and frequent, scanty urination with continuous dripping.	Impotence and spermatorrhea (men) and infertility and thin vaginal discharge (women) due to Kidney Deficiency Cold. Physical retardation in children.	Excessive uterine bleeding due to severely deficient Kidneys.
Rz. Cibotii Gou Ji	Rx. Rehmanniae Sheng Di Huang	Cx. Acanthopanacis Wu Jia Pi Rz. Drynariae Gu Sui Bu Hb. Epimedii Yin Yang Huo
Copious vaginal discharge.	Aplastic anemia due to severely deficient Jing and Blood.	Speeds the healing of fractures and other traumatic injuries.
Rx. Angelicae Sinensis Dang Gui Rx. Astragali Huang Qi	Rx. Ginseng Ren Shen	Rx. Ginseng Ren Shen Rx. Rehmanniae Preparata Shu Di Huang Rz. Dioscoreae Shan Yao Fr. Lycii Gou Qi Zi Hb. Epimedii Yin Yang Huo
Inconsolidation of the Chong and Ren channels with uterine bleeding. Aplastic anemia associated with severely deficient Jing and Blood.	Strongly tonifies Qi and strongly warms the Ming Men to generate Qi. Benefits Qi, Blood, Yin, Yang and Jing to treat congenital insufficiency or post natal consumption. Yang Deficiency with weakness of Fire at the Ming Men. For all of the above, take in small doses over a long period of time.	Impotence. Spermatorrhea.
Rx. Rehmanniae Preparata Shu Di Huang Hb. Cistanches Rou Cong Rong Endoconcha Sepiae Hai Piao Xiao	Rx. Astragali Huang Qi Rx. Codonopsis Dang Shen Rx. Angelicae Sinensis Dang Gui	Hb. Cynomorii Suo Yang Rx. Achyranthis Bidentatae Niu Xi Rx. Rehmanniae Preparata Shu Di Huang Rx. Dipsaci Xu Duan Caul. Spatholobi Ji Xue Teng
Uterine bleeding. Clear vaginal discharge.	Severe anemia.	Wei (atrophy) syndrome.
Rx. Astragali Huang Qi Cx. Acanthopanacis Wu Jia Pi Rz. Drynariae Gu Sui Bu Hb. Epimedii Yin Yang Huo
Delayed healing of broken or fractured bones.

Notes

1. Lu Rong is regarded as a substance of sympathy between the flesh and Blood. It is the young, non-ossified horn and the strongest of the four. Its action is ascending. It derives from the Du Channel, the opening of the joints and bones.
2. For infertility due to Deficiency of Kidney Yang and of the Chong and Ren channels, it can be taken alone as a powder.
3. Taken alone as a powder, it treats weakness of the bones and sinews.
4. Children with developmental delays can take it alone as a powder.
5. Mature Cervi Cornu Lu Jiao 鹿膠 is the mature, shed antler. It is warm and salty and enters the Kidneys and Liver; its ability to tonify Kidney Yang is weaker, but it invigorates Blood, disperses Stagnation and reduces swellings, treating sores, breast abscesses, pain from Blood Stagnation and deep low back pain. The dosage is 3-10g in decoction or 1-1.5g in powder. It may also be applied topically as a powder.
6. The glue made from mature antlers, Colla Cervi Cornus Lu Jiao Jiao 鹿角胶, is weaker and less expensive. It is warm, salty and sweet and enters the Liver and Kidney channels. Although less potent than Lu Rong, it can stop bleeding and nourish and tonify Blood and Qi. It treats Yin type sores and Jing and Blood Deficiency with bleeding. Combined with Plastrum Testudinis Gui Ban it is made into a glue that tonifies Yang and Yin. It treats tinnitus, headache, premature ejaculation, or heavy bleeding from the urinary and/or digestive tracts. The dosage is 4-12g dissolved in yellow wine.
7. Cervi Cornu Degelatinatum Lu Jiao Shuang 鹿角霜 is the residue left after antler glue is boiled. It is slightly warm and sweet, and its ability to tonify Blood and Jing is weaker. Its retaining effect is stronger, so it is used for vaginal discharge and Cold Deficient uterine bleeding. Topically it can be applied for bleeding. It enhances sexual function. It also treats Spleen and Kidney Yang Deficiency with Stomach Cold, presenting with loose stool, anorexia and vomiting.
8. Cornu Elapnurus Parvum Mi Rong is hairy, immature moose antler, with properties similar to those of Lu Rong.
9. Antlers grow back.
10. Deer antler is used by American Indians in much the same way as it was by traditional Europeans.
11. Lu Rong, Rx. Lateralis Aconiti Preparata, Zhi Fu Zi and Cx. Cinnamomi Rou Gui all fortify the Yang and warm the Kidneys. Zhi Fu Zi and Rou Gui are both acrid, harsh, hot and drying, acting strongly and quickly to warm the Interior and expel Cold while helping to tonify Yang. Lu Rong is sweet, warm, soft and moistening, acting gradually to tonify Yang while moistening Blood and Jing. Each treats Kidney Yang Deficiency; however, Zhi Fu Zi and Rou Gui suit only Kidney Yang Deficiency with Excess Internal Cold and are inappropriate when Blood or Jing is deficient. Lu Rong is not suitable for expelling Internal Cold, but is the best choice for Yang Deficiency with insufficiency of marrow, Blood and Jing.
12. Lu Jiao Jiao warms the Chong channel and the Du channel to augment Blood, but it cannot stop coughing or clear Heat from the Lung channel. Colla Corii Asini E Jiao expels Heat, moistens Dryness and nourishes the Blood. Rx Polygoni Multiflori He Shou Wu enters the Liver, tonifying Blood to expel Wind and blackening the beard and hair, but it cannot settle wheezing or moisten Dryness. Colla Plastri Testudinis Gui Ban strongly tonifies Jue Yin and fills the Ren channel to reduce Heat and expel steaming bone disorder, but it cannot tonify Yang within Yin.