E Jiao (Donkey-hide Gelatin)

Official E Jiao (阿胶) is the solid glue prepared by decocting and concentrating the hide of Equus asinus. The pharmacopoeial name is Asini Corii Colla. Huang Ming Jiao is usually bovine hide, a separate drug, and must not be labeled E Jiao. So-called new substitutes differ in composition. Adulteration with other hide glues is common; buy a licensed maker and batch, not a place-name marketing story.

According to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, E Jiao is sweet and neutral, enters the Lung, Liver and Kidney channels, and acts to tonify Blood and enrich Yin, moisten dryness, and stop bleeding. It is used for Blood-deficiency sallowness, dizziness and palpitations, weak muscles, vexation insomnia, internal stirring of deficient wind, dry Lung cough, taxation cough with blood, vomiting or urinating blood, stool blood and flooding, and spotting in pregnancy. Sweet-neutral and cloying, it tonifies Blood while it also nourishes Yin, moistens the Lung and secures the menses to stop bleeding.

Raw cubes (E Jiao ding) more strongly enrich Yin and tonify Blood. Clam-powder-fried beads are less cloying, correct the odor, and lean to moistening the Lung for dry Yin cough and blood-streaked sputum. Cattail-pollen-fried more strongly stops bleeding and settles the network vessels for hemoptysis, flooding and stool blood. Raw glue is usually dissolved separately into the strained decoction; fried beads may be decocted or powdered. Name the specification.