What are the effects and functions of water buffalo horn?

Water buffalo horn is a substitute for the traditional Chinese medicine rhinoceros horn, also known as niujiaojian, shaniujiao, etc. It is the horn of the water buffalo, a bovine animal. When used as medicine, it has the effects of clearing heat, cooling blood, calming fright, and detoxifying, and it has therapeutic effects on conditions such as high fever in warm diseases, coma and delirium, skin eruptions and rashes, hematemesis and epistaxis, and convulsions and mania. Let us take a look at the effects and functions of water buffalo horn below!

The medicinal effects of water buffalo horn

[Nature and flavor] Bitter in flavor, cold in nature.

[Meridian tropism] Heart and liver meridians.

[Effects] Clears heat and cools blood, detoxifies and calms fright. Mainly treats high fever in warm diseases, coma and delirium, skin eruptions and rashes, hematemesis and epistaxis, and convulsions and mania.

Medicinal discussions of water buffalo horn

1. Bielu: Treats seasonal qi cold-heat headache.

2. Rihua Zi Bencao: Decocted, treats heat-toxin wind and high fever.

3. Bencao Gangmu: Treats strangury, breaks blood.

4. Luchuan Bencao: Cools blood and detoxifies, stops epistaxis. Treats febrile disease coma, measles and smallpox eruptions, hematemesis, epistaxis, blood heat, and red urine.

Medication contraindications and precautions for water buffalo horn

1. The horn of an old or self-dead ox, when taken, harms people.

2. Pregnant women and those with middle deficiency and stomach cold should take it cautiously; it is not suitable for non-excess heat patterns.

3. When taken in large amounts, reactions such as upper abdominal discomfort, nausea, abdominal distension, and poor appetite often occur.

Medicinal selected formulas of water buffalo horn

1. To treat bleeding: Ox and sheep horns and hoof nails, after being washed clean, are placed in a sealed container and burned to carbonization, then ground into fine powder and sifted. For internal bleeding, take 2 grams orally three times daily; for external bleeding, sprinkle on the affected area.

2. To treat throat obstruction with swelling and blockage that seems fatal: Sand ox horn, burned, scrape off the ash, sift finely, mix with wine and take an amount about the size of a jujube; mixing with water is also acceptable. Also, for infants who cannot drink milk smoothly and seem to have throat obstruction, apply this ash on the nipple and let them swallow it.

3. To treat urolithiasis and break blood: Ox horn burned to ash, take one fangcunbi with wine, five times daily.

4. To treat blood reversing upward to the heart with restlessness and stabbing pain: Water buffalo horn, burned to powder, take one fangcunbi with wine.

5. To treat ox-path swelling and pain, with swelling raised and protruding, making it difficult to walk, and after a long time rupturing with pus and water flowing: Ox horn tip (burned to ash), water dragon bone, rosin, and calomel in equal parts. Grind together into powder. Mix with ox bone marrow and apply; for the weak, take Shiquan Dabu Tang.

6. To treat red baldness and hair loss: Ox horn and sheep horn (burned to ash) in equal parts.