What does elk horn do?
Elk horn, also known as elk horn, is the old bone horn of male elk in Cervidae. It has always been a valuable Chinese herbal medicine with high medicinal value. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that it has the functions of strengthening yang, replenishing essence, strengthening tendons and nourishing blood. [1]. However, due to the extinction of modern elk, it was forced to stop using it, and there were few reports about elk horn at home and abroad. Elk is a first-class rare protected animal in China. At present, there are more than 1000 milu deer in Beijing Elk Ecological Experimental Center, Jiangsu Dafeng, Hubei Shishou and other places, and their large-scale reproduction provides a source for the medicinal restoration of elk horn. Because its antlers naturally fall off after changing angles, they fall off once a year from the second-year-old elk [3], and the drug source is sufficient. At present, the number of horns that naturally fall off is tons, which is in urgent need of development and utilization. In order to rationally develop and utilize this precious medicinal source, this paper discusses the research status and development and utilization prospect of elk horn.
1 medicinal history of elk horn
Elk horn, first seen in Bielu of Famous Doctors, was mainly used in medical books of past dynasties. "Don't record" said: "Elk horn is sweet and non-toxic. Treat paralysis, stop bleeding and benefit qi. " [4] Meng Wei said: "Tonifying marrow, benefiting blood, warming waist and knees, strengthening yang and pleasing color, governing the atmosphere and governing the husband." "Nourishing yin and nourishing blood is the same as velvet antler." The theoretical basis of the traditional efficacy of elk horn has always been controversial, and the focus of debate among doctors in previous dynasties mainly focused on the theory of Yin and Yang. Although ancient doctors believed that elk horn was beneficial to nourishing yin, there were many different theories. "Elk Horn always wears a uniform, and it is the Ocean Road." "Boiled horn glue is better than white glue," Shi Zhen said. "Deer antler supplements yang, which is suitable for people with insufficient essence of right kidney. Deer antler nourishes yin, which is suitable for patients with left kidney blood deficiency. This is the secret of the times. Although the predecessors' methods existed, they were not developed, so people have different opinions, and they also said that "people with yin deficiency and hyperactivity of yang should avoid them." "Cutting with Medicinal Properties" says: "It can supplement the yin in the yang." Li Birthday: "Ancestor cloud: Antlers are yang, elk horns are yin. A herd of deer won the moose, and a herd of moose won the deer. You should know that the nature of elk and deer, together, are warm and nourishing things "[5, 6]. Based on TCM syndrome theory and modern pharmacological research, Wang et al. [7, 8] used mouse models of yin deficiency syndrome and yang deficiency syndrome respectively to measure the different reactions of different model animals to elk horns and antlers. The results show that the influence of elk horn on yin deficiency syndrome is more significant than that of antlers. It is believed that elk horn is the main therapeutic drug for yin deficiency syndrome, and its efficacy theory and material basis of traditional Chinese medicine should be inclined to nourish yin and help yang, which proves that the description of elk horn's efficacy by ancient doctors is scientific and reasonable, but it has a certain overlapping effect on yin and yang deficiency syndrome, and its effect has no absolute limit. Elk horn has a long medical history. There are five prescriptions of Elk Horn Pill in Taiping Shenghui Prescription in Song Dynasty, all of which take Elk Horn as the monarch medicine. In the Song Dynasty's Records of Sheng Ji Zong, there were milu deer velvet ointment pills. Sun Simiao's "Qian Jin Fang" contains 1 10 kinds of mijiao pills, saying: "mijiao pills tonify the mind, secure the viscera, replenish the bone marrow, straighten the waist and feet, stand up for a long time, be alert and clear-eyed, whiter and darker, and not show old age." One of them comes from "Three Causes", "Treating five flaccidity, slow skin and dry blood vessels"; On the other hand, Peng Zu Elk Horn Pill, "makes people strong and young, with no sexual strain and lasting strength". There is Erzhi Pill in Yangjia Tibetan Prescription, which has the effects of "tonifying deficiency, producing essence, expelling wind and dampness, and strengthening bones and muscles". But it is "overtemperature, only suitable for the ears of people with yang deficiency, cold dampness and blood stasis [5]".
Elk was originally a unique species in China, and its horns were used by Dr. China for more than two thousand years. For a long time, due to a large number of hunting, its wild population has become increasingly scarce. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, due to flooding and looting caused by Eight-Nation Alliance's occupation of the country, the medicine source of the elk was completely cut off, and the elk horn was forced to stop using [9]. 1986, 39 elk returned home from England. Dafeng Elk Nature Reserve was built in the Yellow Sea Beach of Dafeng City, covering an area of about 77,333 hectares, for elk to live and breed. Now it has increased to nearly 800, and it has been released in the wild and naturally propagated successfully. The number of wild population reached 100. At present, there are more than 2,000 milu deer in China [10]. The success of artificial breeding technology of elk ensures the coordinated development of medicinal resources and ecological environment, and provides a source for the medicinal restoration of elk horn. With the passage of time, the number of elk will become more and more considerable, and only the horns that fall off naturally will be used as medicine, so there is no need to kill them, and the medicine source is sufficient. At present, the natural horn has reached several tons, which needs to be developed and utilized urgently.
2 the research status of elk horn
2. Chemical composition analysis of1elk horn
The preliminary study of chemical constituents shows that elk horn contains a variety of amino acids, trace elements and vitamins needed by human body. Amino acids can directly participate in the synthesis of various enzymes and hormones in human body and regulate the balance of metabolism in human body, while various trace elements have direct or indirect effects on the activities of various enzymes in human body, the synthesis of nucleic acids and protein, and the immune process and cell reproduction. 18 kinds of hydrolyzed amino acids were detected in elk horn, and the total amount was 3 1.8%, which was between sika deer horn and red deer horn. Eight kinds of amino acids needed by human body were detected, and the total amount was higher than that of sika deer horn. Among them, lysine is the main component of neurotrophic factor, which has the function of repairing, activating and regenerating various tissues and cells of human body [1654]. The analysis results of 23 elements in elk horn show that the contents of calcium, sodium, sulfur, magnesium and potassium are all above 1 g/kg, which are macro elements. Among trace elements, iron, zinc and aluminum are abundant, followed by silicon, strontium, boron, copper, manganese, chromium and barium [12]. The content of trace elements necessary for human body (1× 10-6g) is 548.00, which is higher than that of two kinds of antlers. In addition, the cholesterol content in elk horn is extremely low, which is between that of red deer horn and sika deer horn, and its intake is harmless to human body, and the trace cholesterol can be converted into male and female sex hormones, adrenocortical hormones and vitamin D3 in human body, so it can be considered that the kidney-warming and yang-strengthening effects of elk horn are also inseparable from its trace cholesterol [1 1]. It can be seen that the health care and medical functions of elk horn may be equivalent to those of antlers, and even better than antlers in some aspects, showing a good application prospect.
2.2 pharmacological effects of elk horn
Pharmacological research shows that elk horn has the functions of anti-fatigue, anti-aging, regulating immunity, enhancing disease resistance and improving physical fitness.
It is found that the ethanol extract from elk horn can significantly prolong the anti-fatigue and hypoxia tolerance of mice at room temperature, enhance the stress ability of the body, and may reduce the free radical damage of the body under stress, which may be one of the mechanisms of enhancing physical fitness and prolonging survival time. At the same time, the extract can significantly increase the SOD activity related to cell oxidation in the blood of aging model mice, and reduce the MDA content, indicating that it can enhance the body's ability to scavenge free radicals and reduce the degree of tissue and cell damage, and has certain anti-aging effect [15].
The ethanol extract from elk horn has a certain regulatory effect on immune function, which can increase the spleen index and decrease the thymus index of normal mice. Qin et al. [16] further studied the effect of ethanol extract from elk horn on the immune function of normal mice from three aspects: the function of mononuclear macrophages, the weight of immune organs, the formation of hemolysin and the transformation of lymphocytes. The results showed that the ethanol extract of elk horn could enhance the function of mononuclear phagocytes in mice, and promote the humoral and cellular immune functions of mice to a certain extent, indicating that elk horn has immune enhancement activity and has broad development and application prospects.
The basic research work of elk horn was carried out late, and there are few related literature reports at home and abroad at present, which needs further study.