Witnessed by: TCM
Dragon bone, of the fossil (biogenic mineral) family. Mineralised (fossil) bone in white-grey to yellowish earthy or bone-textured pieces; native range: fossil beds of northern and central China, dug as the mineralised bones of extinct large mammals. Globally recognized as long gu (龍骨) in Chinese, ryukotsu in Japanese, and dragon bone, fossil bone in English. The part used is the fossilised bone. Chalky and light, white to yellowish-brown, sometimes with a bone grain; famously it clings to and sucks at a moistened tongue.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
DRAGON BONE
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- dragon bone
- Family
- fossil (biogenic mineral)
Form
- Part used
- the fossilised bone
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- sweet · astringent
Temperature
- TCM
- neutral
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Heart · Liver · Kidney
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- settles the spirit and calms the shen, anchors and preserves floating yang, subdues ascendant Liver yang, and astringes (restrains sweat, essence, discharge and bleeding); calcined, absorbs dampness and heals sores
Cautions
- Contraindications
- damp-heat conditions and cases with lingering pathogenic heat
- Toxicity
- low toxicity in ordinary use
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