Witnessed by: TCM
Pig trotter (Sus scrofa domesticus), of the Suidae (Mammalia) family. The domestic pig; the drug is its foot; native range: gathered wherever pigs are slaughtered. Globally recognized as zhu ti (豬蹄), zhu jiao (豬腳) in Chinese, and pig trotter, pig's foot in English. The part used is the trotter (the foot with its skin, tendon and bone). A pale cloven foot, mostly skin, sinew and bone, hard and unpromising raw; long boiling turns it to a rich sticky gelatine and a broth that goes milk-white and sets firm on cooling.
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.
PIG TROTTER
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- pig trotter
- Scientific name
- Sus scrofa domesticus Erxleben, 1777
- Family
- Suidae (Mammalia)
Form
- Part used
- the trotter (the foot with its skin, tendon and bone)
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- sweet (甘) · salty (咸)
Temperature
- TCM
- neutral (平)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Stomach · Spleen
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- nourishes the blood, promotes lactation, and generates flesh and closes sores
Cautions
- Contraindications
- phlegm-damp and sluggish, weak digestion; the fresh sore that is still hot and toxic, before it has been cleared
- Toxicity
- none as a food; very rich and fatty
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