Chinese Herbs Healing

Art of Herbal Remedies Revealed

E Jiao (Colla Corii Asini, Donkey-Hide Gelatin)

E Jiao herb, also known as Donkey-Hide Gelatin and Colla Corii Asini in Latin name, has a
long history in China. It was initially listed and classi ed as top grade herbs in Shen Nong’s
Herbal Classic, China’s rst Materia Medica compiled about 2,500 years ago. In Chinese
medicine, this herb has developed a reputation as an e ective gynecological medicine
thanks to its amazing performance on nourishing yin and supplementing blood,
miscarriage prevention, emmeniopathy treatment, and so on.

What is donkey hide gelatin or E Jiao?

Actually this is not an herb at all, but the solid glue made of the hide of Equus Asinus L. donkey. The main processing
steps include boiling and concentrating the donkey hide. And it gets its name because in ancient time it was produced in
Dong’e County in Shandong province. Nowadays it mainly comes from Shandong, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu. It comes with
plenty of common names, including Donkey-hide Glue, Asini Corii Gelatinum, Ass-hide Glue, donkey glue, Donkey-hide
Root, donkey skin glue, Colla Corii Asini, Ejiao Gelatin, donkey gelatin, Gelatinum Corii Asini, E’jiao, Donkey-Hide Gelatin,
and more. Usually it is used by the original gelatin block or beads that are fried and formed by smashed gelatin block
with clam shell powder or cattail pollen.

However, you may not know that initially E’jiao was not made of donkey hide only but cowhide and other many other
animal skins. It wasn’t until the Tang Dynasty others weren’t used anymore because people came to realize that the
e cacy of donkey hide was the best. Its end product is in the shape of neat rectangular or square blocks, usually about
8.5cm long, 3.7cm wide, and 0.7cm or 1.5cm thick. Surface is brown or dark brown and with sheen. Quality is hard and
brittle and with shiny sections. Fragment is brown and translucent if held up to the light. And it has slight odor and
slightly sweet avor.

Main chemical constituent is gelatin. And the hydrolysis of gelatin gets a variety of amino acids, including lysine,
arginine, histidine, cystine, tryptophan, hydroxyproline, aspartic acid, threonine acid, serine, glutamic acid, proline,
glycine, alanine, and so on.

E Jiao bene ts

As previously mentioned this is a common Chinese herb and has long been used as blood tonic in TCM practice. As you
know, this animal part is good at enriching the blood, especially in the case of blood de ciency due to bleeding. Next
modern pharmacology will tell you the truth about this amazing herb.

Modern pharmacological actions

1. Strong function of enriching blood was showed in the experiment of the bled dogs with declined hemoglobin and
erythrocytes. And it is more e ective than iron supplements;
2. Serum calcium concentration slightly rose but clotting time remained after it was taken;
3. Rabbit chronic nephritis model induced by Vassili improved method gained positive nitrogen balance two weeks after
taking the Donkey-Hide Gelatin. By contrast, the control group still remained negative balance.

Proven E’jiao related herbal remedies

TCM (Traditional Chinese medicine) think that this herb is sweet in avor and neutral in properties. It covers meridians
of liver, lung, and kidney. Chief functions include enriching blood, hemostasis, nourishing Yin, and moistening dryness.
Main E Jiao uses and indications are hemopenia, consumptive hemoptysis, hematemesis, hematuria, hemafecia, bloody
ux, bleeding during pregnancy, metrorrhagia and metrostaxis, yin-de ciency agitation and sleeplessness, irritating dry
cough caused by lung de ciency, spasm due to de cient wind agitation, and more. Recommended Ejiao dosage is from
5 to 10 grams. As for how to eat E Jiao for best health bene ts, melting it by heat is highly advisable while the decoction
is just done and still steaming hot.

E Jiao Huang Qin Tang

This formula is chosen from EQ Chong Ding Tong Su Shang Han Lun (Revised Popular On Cold Damage). It is basically
used for autumn-dryness disease. Other key herbal ingredients include Xing Ren (Apricot Seed), Sang Bai Pi (Mulberry
Root Bark), Bai Shao (White Peony Root), and so on.

E Jiao Ji Zi Huang Tang

This is a formula from Revised Popular On Cold Damage too. It is mainly formulated to nourish yin and extinguish wind.
Other basic herbs include White Peony Root, Shi Jue Ming (Abalone Shell), Gou Teng (Gambir Vine Stems and Thorns),
Sheng Di Huang (Rehmannia), Ji Zi Huang (Galli Gigeriae Vitellus), and more.

Huang Lian E Jiao Tang

This prescription comes from Shang Han Lun (On Cold Damage). It is primarily designed to nourish yin to lessen re and
soothe the nerves. The rest herbs are Huang Lian (Coptis Rhizome), Huang Qin (Scutellaria), White Peony Root, and Galli
Gigeriae Vitellus.

Bu Fei E Jiao Tang

This is a prescription from Xiao Er Yao Zheng Zhi Jue (Key to Syndrome Identi cation and Treatment of Diseases in
Infants). It is mainly used to tonify lung by nourishing Yin and clear heat and staunch a bleeding. The rest major herbs
are Niu Bang Zi (Arctium), Gan Cao (Licorice Root), Xing Ren (Apricot Seed), and so on.

E Jiao Buxue Gao

It comes from Zhong Guo Yao Dian (Chinese pharmacopoeia). It is usually applied to replenish qi and enrich the blood.
Other key herbs are Shu Di Huang (Rehmannia), Dang Shen (Codonopsis Root), Huang Qi (Astragalus Root), and more.

Potential E’jiao side e ects and contraindications

TCM believes that E Jiao is sticky and greasy, which can easily lead to indigestion. As a result, Use it with care in case of
de ciency of spleen and stomach.
8 thoughts on “E Jiao (Colla Corii Asini, Donkey-Hide Gelatin)”

Hobo
December 27, 2016 at 11:45 am

Can we use simple gelatin powder (I think it is made of pork) instead of Donkey-Hide Gelatin ?

admin Post author

December 28, 2016 at 11:18 am

No, they are two totally di erent things, from the perspective of medicinal properties in traditional Chinese medicine.

C.S. Purdy
February 5, 2017 at 7:33 pm

Please don’t use this product – donkey populations are being decimated. And animal deaths in China are anything but
humane.

silvana olivo
March 13, 2017 at 12:48 pm

it is unacceptable that TCM should be allowed to exploit donkeys on such a wide scale , implicating mass su ering and
also impoverishing rural communities in many countries in Africa and South America, for the production of this e-jiao
for its supposed curative e ects. The negative e ects on the animals exploited and killed and on the communities who
are being deprived of their donkeys for export to China to produce e-jiao, are completely our of proportion compared to
the bene ts for the end consumers. This is so clear and obvious , that the Chinese government should be denounced
for not banning this production and import of donkeys, as it causes worldwide su ering and negative consequences not
only to animals but to human communities. Shame on you and shame on your government !

diane
April 30, 2017 at 12:42 am
Article on the exploitation of donkeys for human consumers.
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/29/world/asia/china-tcm-donkey-skin-gelatin.html?_r=0

Junior
May 10, 2017 at 5:39 am

What is the process of making this ejiao gelatin?

admin Post author

May 10, 2017 at 7:38 am

Because the production process of donkdy-hide gelatin is very complicated, it is highly recommended to buy the ready-
made one.

Ngaka Ngaka
July 25, 2017 at 7:33 pm

Seting up an Abatoir for donkey and to make e-jaio

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