bubble_chart Source

The skeleton of the feline animal tiger (Panthera tigris L.). Tiger ("The Book of Songs"), also known as Yutu ("Zuo Zhuan"), Big Insect (Zhouhou Fang). The body shape resembles a cat but is larger, with a body length of about 1.6 to 2.9 meters, a tail length of about 1 meter, and a weight of 180 to 320 kilograms, with females being smaller. The head is round and wide, with a relatively short neck. The eyes are round. The ears are short and small. Long whiskers grow beside the mouth, and the canine teeth are thick and sharp. The limbs are thick and powerful. The body is majestic, with bright fur color, darker in summer, appearing brownish-yellow or orange-yellow. In winter, the color is lighter, appearing yellow or light yellow. There are many black horizontal stripes, with every two stripes close together, and the black stripes on the back of the body are numerous and dense. The belly fur is white, also with black stripes. The black stripes on the head are denser, with a white area above the eyes, hence the name white-forehead tiger. The nose is brown without stripes. The back of the ears is black, with a round white spot in the middle. The chin is white. The outer sides of the limbs are brownish-yellow, the inner sides are white, all with black spots. The base of the tail is brownish-yellow, the middle part has alternating black and white, forming rings, and the end of the tail is black. The tigers in the northeastern region of the mainland are larger in size, with long fur, narrow and light-colored stripes, called Northeast tigers or North tigers; the tigers in the southern region of China are smaller in size, with short and dark-colored fur, numerous and wide stripes, called South China tigers or South tigers. They inhabit forests, shrubs, and high mountain grasslands. Solitary, without fixed nests, active at night, especially at dawn and dusk, agile in movement, good at swimming, and fierce in nature. They feed on other animals. Distributed in Northeast China, South China, and other places. Imported tiger bones mainly include Bengal tigers, Australian tigers, and African tigers, produced in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and other countries, as well as Australia and Africa. They can be captured all year round, with more in winter and spring. After capture, the skin and flesh are removed, leaving the skin and hair on the four claws and the claws to maintain integrity and facilitate distinction from the skeletons of other animals. The remaining muscles and tendons are then cleaned and dried in the shade.

The meat of the tiger (tiger meat), eyes (tiger eyes), teeth (tiger teeth), tendons (tiger tendons), claws (tiger claws), kidneys (tiger kidneys), gallbladder (tiger gallbladder), stomach (tiger stomach), and fat oil (tiger fat) are also used for medicinal purposes.

bubble_chart Morphological Characteristics

Tiger bones are categorized into whole skeletons and individual bones. Whole tiger skeletons include some muscle and connective tissue and are rich in oil. The skull is relatively round, flattened on the dorsal and ventral sides, with a short snout, flat frontal bone, and a shallow groove on the upper part of the forehead. There is often a ridge behind the parietal bone, and the zygomatic bone is robust, extending outward. Below each orbit is an elliptical perforation with an oblique surface. The maxilla has 3 pairs of incisors, 1 pair of canines, and 4 pairs of molars, while the mandible has 3 pairs of incisors, 1 pair of canines, and 3 pairs of molars, totaling 30 teeth. The incisors are small, the canines are conical, strong, sharp, and slightly curved inward. The molars are tricuspid and serrated. The last pair of molars in the maxilla is often not prominent in young tigers. The teeth are white or pale yellowish-white, glossy, and deeply embedded in the jawbone, hence the term "sitting bone teeth." There are 7 cervical vertebrae, with the first being butterfly-shaped and the third to seventh being saddle-shaped. There are 13 thoracic vertebrae, each with a long spinous process, connected to 13 pairs of ribs. The ribs are rounded near the spine and flattened near the chest, arching inward and connecting to the sternum. There are 7 lumbar vertebrae with long spinous processes on both sides. The 3 sacral vertebrae are usually fused into one, with 3 visible spinous processes. There are 22-25 caudal vertebrae, mostly even-numbered, slightly protruding in the middle. The ischium is rectangular and symmetrical. There are two scapulae, fan-shaped and semicircular, thin near the center, with a ridge-like projection on the outer side. The leg bones of the tiger have distinct ridges, with the upper section being a single bone and the lower section consisting of two fused bones. The lower end of the upper section of the forelimb has a long, flat hole near the bone ring, commonly called the "phoenix eye." The lower section has two similar, slightly flattened and twisted bones, one longer than the other. The upper section of the hind limb is cylindrical, able to lie flat on all sides without wobbling, with a round axis on the inner side of the upper end and a long, oval groove at the lower end, where the kneecap is located. The kneecap (tiger tibia) is long and oval, smooth on the inside, thick, heavy, and often accompanied by a tongue-like tendon. The main bone of the lower section is thick and columnar, resembling Sparganium Rhizome, while the other bone is very thin, commonly called the "bang bone." The forefoot has 5 toes, and the hind foot has 4 toes, all with short claw hooks. The surface of tiger bones is yellowish-white or grayish-white, fine and oily. The bones are heavy and solid. The cross-section shows that the middle cavity occupies about one-third, with the marrow forming a network of gray-yellow strands. The smell is fishy. Larger, heavier, solid, yellowish-white bones without residual flesh are of superior quality. Smaller, lighter, grayish-white bones with residual flesh are of inferior quality. Bones that turn black due to poisoning should not be used for medicinal purposes. Tiger bones are mainly produced in Jilin, Heilongjiang, Hunan, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou. They are also produced in Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Guangxi, Hubei, Anhui, and Fujian. The quality of tiger bones from the northeast is superior.

bubble_chart Properties and Meridians

Acrid, warm.

1. Bielu: "neutral."
2. Yaoxing Lun: "acrid, slightly hot, nontoxic."
3. Yuqiu Yaojie: "acrid and salty, neutral."

act on liver and kidney meridians.

1. Leigong Paozhi Yaoxing Jie: "Act on kidney meridian."
2. Bencao Huiyan: "act on hand shaoyin and foot jueyin meridians."

bubble_chart Efficacy

Chasing wind to relieve pain, strengthening bones, calming fright.

bubble_chart Indications

Treats multiple arthralgia pain, limb spasms, inability to move the waist and feet, palpitation due to fright, epilepsy, hemorrhoids, and prolapse of the rectum.

1. Bielu: "Stops palpitation due to fright, treats malignant sores and ulcerated scrofula, especially effective with the skull."
2. Yaoxing Lun: "Neutralizes dog bite poison. Treats toxic wind causing spasms in the tendons and bones, inability to flex and extend, wandering pain, and warm malaria. Treats cold-damage disease and warm qi."
3. 《Qianjin·Shizhi》: "The skull treats wind evil."
4. Shiliao Bencao: "Mainly treats acute pain in the waist and knees, boil to make a bath or soak with vinegar, also good for treating wind-induced acute pain in the tendons and bones, especially effective with the shinbone."
5. Bencao Shiyi: "Boil the juice to bathe children, removes sores and scabies. (Treats) fright epilepsy."
6. Gangmu: "Chases wind and relieves pain, strengthens bones, stops chronic diarrhea and prolapse of the rectum, and treats bone obstruction in the throat."
7. Yuqiu Yaojie: "Treats cold joint qi, treats swelling and pain in the knees and shins. Expels bi and unblocks the joints, strengthens tendons and bones, reduces swelling and pain from multiple arthralgia, and heals weakness in the waist and knees."

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Gangmu: "Tiger bone can be used universally. For treating fright epilepsy, warm malaria, sores and ulcers, and head wind, the skull should be used; for treating various wind disorders of the hands and feet, the shin bone should be used; for treating various wind disorders of the waist and back, the spine bone should be used."
2. Yaopin Huayi: "The 'Materia Medica' states that the efficacy of tiger skull bone is the same as that of the shin bone. When combined with blood-tonifying and essence-nourishing medicines, it is mainly used to treat deficiency of essence and blood, weakness and lack of strength in the waist, legs, and knees, inability to move, or pain in the muscles and bones that makes bending and stretching difficult. If the condition is caused by dampness, the muscles and bones become lax and soft, or swollen and painful. If it is due to excessive alcohol, sexual indulgence, or overwork, leading to heat in the kidney and liver blood, there will be soreness and pain in the waist and knees, and leg pain, similar to the symptoms treated by tiger bone, but it should not be mistakenly used in such cases."

bubble_chart Usage and Dosage

For internal use: decoct in water, 3-5 qian; soak in wine or take in pill or powder form.

bubble_chart Cautions and Contraindications

Blood deficiency with excessive fire should be used with caution.

1. Bencao Mengquan: "It is incompatible with Dichroa Twig and Leaf, Pricklyash Peel, and Magnetite."
2. Bencao Jingshu: "For those with insufficient blood to nourish the tendons, leading to pain in the muscles and bones, it should be used sparingly."
3. Depei Bencao: "It is contraindicated for those with liver and kidney deficiency, and those experiencing wind-like pain in the waist and legs."

bubble_chart Processing and Storage

Tiger Bone: Take the original medicinal material and soak it in clean water. In winter and spring, soak for 10-15 days; in summer and autumn, soak for 3-5 days. Remove and rinse thoroughly in clean water. Use a knife to scrape off the rotten flesh and tendon membrane, wash clean, dry in the shade, and saw into small sections. Alternatively, separate by size and dry in the shade. Crush when ready to use.

Sand-fried Tiger Bone: First, place sand in a pot and heat over strong fire until the sand is smooth and easy to stir. Add the tiger bone sections and fry until the texture becomes crisp and the surface turns yellow. Remove and sift out the sand. While hot, immerse in vinegar solution (20-30 kg of vinegar per 100 kg of tiger bone) for a short time, then remove and dry in the sun or by baking. Grind into powder. Sand frying ensures even and thorough heating, causing cracks to form. Vinegar quenching makes it brittle and easier to crush for decoction. Sand frying and vinegar immersion enhance pain-relieving effects and remove the fishy smell.

Oil-roasted Tiger Bone: First, take sesame oil (20-30 kg of sesame oil per 100 kg of tiger bone) and heat it in a pot until boiling. Add the tiger bone sections and fry until crisp, then remove. Alternatively, coat with sesame oil and roast over fire until crisp, then remove and grind. Also known as "processed tiger bone." Oil roasting makes the texture crisp, facilitating grinding and decoction, and also reduces the fishy odor.

Vinegar Tiger Bone: Take sand and fry in a pot until loose. Add clean tiger bone and fry until yellow. Sift out the sand and immediately quench the tiger bone in vinegar until crisp. Remove and dry. (Use 20-30 kg of vinegar per 100 kg of clean tiger bone.)

Bones that have turned black should not be used as medicine.

1. Bencao Mengquan: "Tiger bone coated with酥油 and roasted until crisp should not be used for decoction, but only for making pills or powders."
2. Gangmu: "When using any of the tiger's bones, crush them and remove the marrow. Coat with酥油, wine, or vinegar according to the method, roast over charcoal fire until yellow, and then use as medicine."

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

Contains protein, calcium phosphate, tiger bone gelatin, and tiger bone gelatin Jingshui, which resolves multiple amino acids.

1. Anti-inflammatory effect: Tiger bone gelatin has a certain degree of anti-inflammatory effect on formaldehyde-induced arthritis in rats. A 10% suspension of tiger bone powder significantly inhibits both formaldehyde-induced and egg white-induced arthritis in rats, but it is ineffective in experimental arthritis in rats with adrenal glands removed or under anesthesia. Therefore, it is believed that its anti-inflammatory effect is mediated through the nervous system affecting adrenal cortical function. Additionally, it can reduce capillary permeability in rabbits, which may also be related to its anti-inflammatory effect.
2. Analgesic effect: Using a light source to focus on the tail of rats, it was preliminarily observed that tiger bone gelatin has a good analgesic effect.
3. Other effects: Administering tiger bone gelatin orally to mice (1g/kg) showed a certain sedative effect within 2 hours (shaking cage method). Mice were given a suspension of tiger bone powder (1g/kg or 2g/kg) orally daily for 2 weeks, and no toxicity was observed, with no significant impact on growth.

bubble_chart Selected Prescriptions

1. To treat wandering pain of white tiger wind and heat swelling of both knees: Tiger tibia bone (coated with suet and roasted) and black Aconite Lateral Root (cracked and peeled) each one liang. Grind into powder, take two qianbi each time with warm wine, twice a day. ("Jingyan Houfang")
2. To treat acute pain in the tendons and joints: Boil tiger bone and Ricepaperplant Pith to make a juice, take half a liter on an empty stomach, cover and lie down for a short while, sweat will come out. ("Shiliao Bencao")
3. To treat multiple arthralgia and pain in all joints, unbearable day and night: Myrrh (ground) half liang, tiger tibia bone (roasted with wine) three liang. Grind the two ingredients into powder, take two qianbi each time with warm wine, three times a day, regardless of time. ("Shengji Zonglu Myrrh Powder")
4. To treat inability to move the waist and legs: One tiger spine bone, the front two leg bones, finely pounded, placed on an iron bed, evenly roasted over a slow charcoal fire, turned over until the fat comes out, then soaked in thick, fine ash-free wine and sealed. In spring and summer for seven days, in autumn and winter for three to seven days. Drink on an empty stomach daily, more if the nature is strong, less if weak, warm drink before meals. ("Haishang Jiyanfang")
5. To treat forgetfulness and palpitations due to fright: Tiger bone (roasted with suet), white Fossil Bone, Milkwort Root meat in equal parts. Grind into powder, take with Fresh Ginger Rhizome decoction, three times a day. ("Yonglei Qianfang Yuzhi Powder")
6. To treat long-standing dysentery that does not heal over time (recurrent dysentery): Roast tiger bone until yellow and charred, grind into powder, take one square-cun spoon with water, three times a day. (Zhang Wenzhong)
7. To treat large intestine hemorrhoids, fistula disease, and prolapse of the rectum: Two sections of tiger tibia bone, two liang of honey. Roast until red, grind into powder, steam cake pills the size of tung seeds. Take twenty pills with warm wine at dawn. ("Shengjin Fang")
8. To treat sores on the shin: Wash with pickled vegetable juice and dry, scrape tiger bone and apply. ("Bianmin Tuzuan")
9. To treat eczema of the external ear: Two liang of tiger skull bone (crushed), one liang of Spirodela (shredded). Fry the two ingredients with one jin of lard until the bone turns yellow into an ointment, apply to the sores. ("Yao Sengtan Jiyanfang")
10. To treat burns and scalds: Roast tiger bone until charred, grind and apply. ("Gongshi Yijian Fang")
11. To treat injuries from falls and sprains, pain in the muscles and bones: One liang of tiger bone (roasted with suet and ground separately), one liter of wine, one liter of Unprocessed Rehmannia Root yellow juice. Boil the Rehmannia juice with wine until boiling, add tiger bone powder and boil several times. Take one cup each time, warm, regardless of time. ("Shengji Zonglu Tiger Bone Powder")