Niu Huang - 牛黃 - Calculus Bovis - Cattle Gallstone - Bos

Pharmaceutical Latin:	Calculus Bovis
Common English:	Bezoar Bos Cattle Gallstone Ox Gallstone

Category

Aromatic Substances that Open Orifices

Properties

Taste	Temperature	Entering Meridians	Dosage
Bitter (Sweet)	Cool	Heart Liver (Gallbladder)	0.15-1g Take in pills or powders.

Actions And Indications

Actions	Indications/Syndromes
Awakens the Spirit and vaporizes Phlegm, Clears the Heart, Opens the Orifices aromatically	Delirium or coma due to Hot Phlegm Obstructing the Pericardium or Warm-Heat pathogen Wind-Stroke, convulsions or seizures
Clears the Liver, Extinguishes Wind, Relieves Fire toxicity, Stops tremors	Extreme Heat Generates Liver Wind with high fever, spasms, tremors or convulsions
Drains Heat and resolves Fire toxicity	Carbuncles, boils and a wide variety of Hot swellings (Chuang Yung) (can be used as a stand-alone herb)

Contraindications, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions

Major Combinations

Rz. Coptidis Huang Lian Fr. Gardeniae Zhi Zi Cinnabaris Zhu Sha	Succus Bambusae Zhu Li	Secretio Moschus She Xiang Cornu Bubali Shui Niu Jiao
Delirium and irritability due to Heat attacking the Pericardium, as in Ying Stage Heat.	Delirium and irritability due to Heat attacking the Pericardium, as in Ying Stage Heat.	Convulsions and coma due to severe Heat and blocked Orifices.
Secretio Moschus She Xiang Cornu Bubali Shui Niu Jiao Olibanum Ru Xiang Myrrh Mo Yao	Bombyx Batryticatus Jiang Can Arisaema cum Bile Dan Nan Xing Silicea Bambusae Concretio Tian Zhu Huang	Margarita Zhen Zhu Rx. Polygalae Yuan Zhi Arisaema cum Bile Dan Nan Xing
Abscess and scrofula.	Convulsions due to Phlegm-Heat.	Grand mal seizures.
Scorpio Quan Xie Silicea Bambusae Concretio Tian Zhu Huang	Margarita Zhen Zhu Glauberitum Han Shui Shi	Borax Peng Sha Catechu Er Cha
Convulsions and impaired consciousness in children due to extreme Heat.	Topically for mouth sores and painful, swollen and ulcerated throat due to Heat.	Topically for swollen, painful gums.
Flos Lonicerae Jin Yin Hua Rx. Glycyrrhizae Gan Cao	Margarita Zhen Zhu	Venenum Bufonis Chan Su
Sores, carbuncles and boils.	Delirium, high fever and convulsions. Topically for sores due to Heat toxin, throat Bi or periodontal disorders.	Muddled consciousness due to closure of the Orifices by Phlegm and turbid filth.
Borneolum Bing Pian Margarita Zhen Zhu	Secretio Moschus She Xiang Olibanum Ru Xiang Myrrh Mo Yao	Secretio Moschus She Xiang Borneolum Bing Pian
Sore, swollen throat and ulcers on the tongue or throat.	Boils, carbuncles, fibrocystic breast disease and a wide variety of painful swellings.	Unconsciousness, delirious speech, a high fever and convulsions.
Secretio Moschus She Xiang Ram. cum Uncis Uncariae Gou Teng Scorpio Quan Xie Or Secretio Moschus She Xiang Ram. cum Uncis Uncariae Gou Teng Concretio Silicea Bambusae Tian Zhu Huang
Liver Wind.

Notes

1. Some sources place this herb in the Liver Wind Calming category.
2. Its stimulating effect on digestion is used for digestive conditions involving enzymatic and biliary insufficiency with impaired fat breakdown, as well as food allergies.
3. Research has shown that this herb inhibits the growth of cancer cells.
4. For epilepsy brought on by terror or mental disturbance, crush the herb, mix it with honey and give it to the patient.
5. For collapsed smallpox, grind 2 pieces of Niu Huang together with 0.3g Cinnabaris Zhu Sha into a powder, mix it with honey and rouge and apply it to the lesion once daily.
6. Taken internally, it treats furuncles, carbuncles, cellulitis and numerous other infections.
7. Applied topically, it detoxifies powerfully and relieves pain.
8. Calculus Artificialis Bovis Ren Gong Niu Huang is made by artificially treating cattle or pig gall until a stone forms. It is considered comparable to the natural substance for Heat toxin, though less effective at opening the Orifices.
9. Although less effective than Secretio Moschus She Xiang at opening the Orifices, this herb is highly effective at clearing Heat and relieving toxicity.
10. It cools the Blood as well.
11. Niu Huang and Arisaema cum Bile Dan Nan Xing both cool Heat, eliminate Phlegm and settle convulsions, treating loss of consciousness from Wind-Stroke or Phlegm collapse from Phlegm-Heat, recurrent childhood convulsions and withdrawal-mania patterns. Niu Huang is stronger at clearing the Heart, opening the Orifices, cooling the Blood and resolving toxicity, so it treats high fever, delirium, impaired consciousness and swollen sores from Heat toxin. Dan Nan Xing is stronger at eliminating Phlegm, expelling Wind and arresting convulsions, and it treats Phlegm-Heat better.
12. Niu Huang and Venenum Bufonis Chan Su both excel at resolving toxicity, reducing swelling, opening the Orifices and restoring consciousness. Niu Huang has a strongly cooling nature that resolves toxicity and clears Heat, along with an aromatic quality that dislodges Phlegm and opens the Orifices; it is used for clouded consciousness from febrile disorders or Wind-Stroke. Chan Su is acrid, warm, mobilizing and dispersing, and it treats sores and toxic swellings by reducing swelling and stopping pain. It also opens the Orifices and clears turbid filth, treating fainting from Heat-Stroke as well as vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain from exposure to turbidity during the hottest days of summer.
13. It is very costly and hard to obtain.