Skip to content
Neijing
pldeesfr

Knowledge baseHerbs

Long Gu龙骨

Fossilia Ossis MastodiDragon Bone

Also known asOs Draconis · Stegodon · Fossilized vertebrae and bones of the extremities of mammals

Category
Substances that Anchor, Settle and Calm the Spirit
Nature
neutral
Taste
sweet, astringent
Channels entered
Heart, Liver, Kidney
Secondary channels
Gallbladder, Large Intestine
Dosage
15–30 g

Actions & indications

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

  • Contraindicated for Damp-Heat.
  • Contraindicated for External disorders.
  • Contraindicated for diarrhea, dysenteric disorder, gynecological bleeding, or hematuria from Blood Heat.
  • Contraindicated for loss of Jing from Excess Fire.
  • Avoid combining with fish.

Incompatibilities

Antagonizes Gypsum Fibrosum Shi Gao.

Combinations

Notes

  • Dens Draconis, Long Chi 龙齿 (“Dragon's Teeth”, fossilized teeth), is astringent and Cool with functions largely paralleling Long Gu, though the “teeth” work especially well for palpitations with anxiety, insomnia, dream-disturbed sleep, convulsion and delirium, and are also used for arthritis, osteomyelitis and gastralgia, at a dose of 9-16g. For restlessness or night crying in children, it is combined with Rx. Paeoniae Alba Bai Shao, Rx. Ophiopogonis Mai Men Dong, Rx. et Rz. Rhei Da Huang, and Rz. Cimicifugae Sheng Ma.
  • Despite appearances, this substance is mineral rather than animal — the fossilized remains of various animals, rich in assorted calcium salts and other minerals.
  • Used alone topically, it treats non-healing sores, ulcers, eczema, or rashes.
  • Some sources credit it with settling fright and stabilizing Liver Wind.
  • It is used for disorders of the Dai channel.
  • This herb and Concha Ostreae Mu Li both have astringent properties; Mu Li additionally softens hardness and disperses nodules, while Long Gu is superior at calming the Spirit, and the two are often paired to strengthen their joint ability to subdue Rising Yang.
  • Long Gu and Concha Ostreae Mu Li share many qualities and are frequently combined. Long Gu, sweet and astringent, enters the Heart and Liver channels and is better suited to stopping abandonment, suppressing fright and calming the Spirit; it does not soften hardness or disperse clumping and has far less Yin-nourishing capacity, so it is used less for night sweats from Yin Deficiency. Mu Li, salty and astringent, enters the Kidneys to soften hardness, transform Phlegm, and cool Heat.
  • Calcined Dragon Bone, Duan Long Gu, has a heightened ability to restrain and bind — stopping sweat, astringing Jing, stopping bleeding, binding the Intestines, and generating flesh. It is used mainly for night sweats, spontaneous sweating, spermatorrhea, vaginal discharge, continuous uterine bleeding, and chronic diarrhea or dysenteric disorder, and applied externally to help close non-healing sores.

Appears in