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e Jiao Ji Zi Huang Tang (Ass Hide Gelatin and Egg Yolk Decoction)

e Jiao Ji Zi Huang Tang

Ass Hide Gelatin and Egg Yolk Decoction

Category
Formulas that Expel Wind
Subcategory
Formulas that Extinguish Internal Wind
Ingredients
9 herbs
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What does E Jiao Ji Zi Huang Tang do?

E Jiao Ji Zi Huang Tang nourishes yin and blood while extinguishing internal wind — specifically the wind that stirs after a warm/febrile disease (Wen Bing) has scorched the body’s yin fluids in its late stage, leaving the Liver undernourished and prone to internal movement (tremor, spasm).

The nine ingredients (plus egg yolk, blended in at the end) divide by role:

  • Chief: E Jiao (donkey-hide gelatin) and Ji Zi Huang (egg yolk) — paired “blood-and-flesh” substances that richly replenish nearly-exhausted true yin; E Jiao nourishes Liver and Kidney yin and enriches blood, while Ji Zi Huang nourishes yin from the Kidney below and settles the spirit at the Heart above.
  • Deputies: Sheng Di Huang reinforces the chiefs’ yin-nourishing action and cools residual heat in the blood; Bai Shao nourishes Liver blood directly and softens the Liver.
  • Assistants: Gou Teng, Shi Jue Ming, and Mu Li extinguish wind and anchor rising Liver yang — the two shells (Shi Jue Ming, Mu Li) are heavy, sinking substances that subdue hyperactive yang from above while the yin tonics rebuild the foundation from below; Fu Shen calms the spirit; Luo Shi Teng clears heat from the channels and relieves spasm.
  • Envoy: Zhi Gan Cao harmonizes the formula.

Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references + Bensky & Barolet, Formulas & Strategies (chief/deputy/assistant/envoy analysis; roles applied here as our role flags are unset). Traditional-use framing; not medical advice.

Indications

What is E Jiao Ji Zi Huang Tang used for?

E Jiao Ji Zi Huang Tang treats internal wind arising from blood and yin deficiency — classically the aftermath of a warm/febrile disease that has consumed yin fluids, leaving the Liver unnourished and wind stirring internally (rather than wind from an acute external invasion).

Its classic presentation:

  • Wind signs: rigid or twitching extremities, muscle spasm and tremor of the hands and feet, dizziness or vertigo.
  • Yin/fluid-deficiency signs: dry mouth and parched lips.

Tongue and pulse: deep red tongue with little coat; thin, rapid pulse.

Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references on pattern/tongue/pulse + Bensky & Barolet, Formulas & Strategies, cross-checked against other TCM formula references. Traditional-use framing; not medical advice.

Western Uses:

  • What is E Jiao Ji Zi Huang Tang used for in modern practice?

    In modern practice this formula’s yin/blood-nourishing, wind-extinguishing pattern has been referenced for neurological presentations described as “deficiency wind” — dizziness and vertigo linked to vascular or degenerative change, tremor, facial muscle spasm, and recovery after severe febrile/CNS infections such as encephalitis, contexts where Western medicine recognizes tremor disorders and post-infectious neurological sequelae.

    These biomedical correlates are offered as a reference to the formula’s traditional use, not as a claim that it treats any disease. Dedicated modern research on this specific formula is sparse (see research). Any use for a diagnosed condition belongs with a qualified practitioner and appropriate medical care.

    Source: traditional-use correlates summarized from Bensky & Barolet, Formulas & Strategies, cross-checked against secondary TCM formula references; reference only, not a treatment claim.

Ingredients

9 substances in e Jiao Ji Zi Huang Tang — each links to its full herb monograph.

E JiaoE Jiao6 gTonify BloodBai ShaoBai Shao9 gTonify BloodSheng Di HuangSheng Di Huang12 gCool the BloodFu ShenFu Shen12 gRegulate Water and Drain DampnessGou TengGou Teng6 gExtinguish Wind and Stop TremorsLuo Shi TengLuo Shi Teng9 gDispel Wind-DampnessMu LiMu Li12 gAnchor, Settle, and Calm the SpiritShi Jue MingShi Jue Ming15 gExtinguish Wind and Stop TremorsZhi Gan CaoZhi Gan Cao1.8 gTonify Qi

Preparation & dosage

How is E Jiao Ji Zi Huang Tang prepared?

E Jiao Ji Zi Huang Tang ("Ass-Hide Gelatin and Egg Yolk Decoction") is prepared as a water decoction (tang) of Sheng Di Huang, Bai Shao, Zhi Gan Cao, Gou Teng, Shi Jue Ming, Mu Li, Fu Shen and Luo Shi Teng, with two rich yin-and-blood additions made off the heat.

After straining, the E Jiao (donkey-hide gelatin) is dissolved, and two raw chicken egg yolks (Ji Zi Huang) are blended into the still-warm (not boiling) decoction — heat would cook them — to nourish yin and blood and extinguish internal wind. Shi Jue Ming and Mu Li (shells) are cooked first/longer. A practitioner-directed formula.

Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (composition and preparation note) + Bensky & Barolet, Formulas & Strategies.

Decoction; two chicken egg yolks (Ji Zi Huang) blended into the final strained decoction. Reference relative amounts: Shi Jue Ming 15 g; Sheng Di Huang 12 g; Mu Li, Fu Shen 12 g each; Bai Shao, Luo Shi Teng 9 g each; E Jiao, Gou Teng 6 g each; Zhi Gan Cao 1.8 g. Reference only.

Safety — read before use

What are the cautions for E Jiao Ji Zi Huang Tang?

As a rich yin-and-blood-nourishing formula for deficiency-pattern wind, E Jiao Ji Zi Huang Tang is inappropriate for excess-type wind (e.g. wind from an acute external invasion, or phlegm-heat stirring wind) and can be cloying for a weak, damp-prone Spleen — E Jiao especially is rich and can be hard to digest.

  • Avoid in excess or exterior wind patterns without an underlying yin/blood-deficiency picture.
  • Spleen-Yang deficiency or dampness: the rich tonics (E Jiao, Sheng Di Huang) can burden digestion — watch appetite and stool if used here.
  • E Jiao’s blood-related action warrants caution alongside anticoagulant therapy and in pregnancy — use only under professional guidance.

Source: Bensky & Barolet, Formulas & Strategies (cautions for rich yin-nourishing/wind-extinguishing formulas) + general E Jiao caution profile. Traditional-use framing; not medical advice.

Originally Appeared In:

  • Revised Popular Guide to the Discussion of Cold Induced Disorders (Chong Ding Tong Su Shan Han Lun)

Notes:

  • How is E Jiao Ji Zi Huang Tang different from Da Ding Feng Zhu and San Jia Fu Mai Tang?

    All three are late-stage Wen Bing (warm-disease) formulas that nourish yin to extinguish wind and share E Jiao as a core ingredient; they differ mainly in intensity and which anchoring/shell herbs are used.

    • vs Da Ding Feng Zhu: Da Ding Feng Zhu (also built on E Jiao and egg yolk, in Sacred Lotus) adds three yin-anchoring substances — Gui Ban, Bie Jia, and Mu Li — plus Wu Wei Zi, Mai Men Dong, and Huo Ma Ren, making it the stronger, more classic “arrest wind” formula for severe, near-exhausted yin with marked tremor. E Jiao Ji Zi Huang Tang is comparatively milder and leans more on wind-extinguishing herbs (Gou Teng, Luo Shi Teng) alongside just one shell pair (Shi Jue Ming, Mu Li).
    • vs San Jia Fu Mai Tang (“Three-Shell Decoction to Restore the Pulse”): in Sacred Lotus, this formula is Jia Jian Fu Mai Tang (Zhi Gan Cao, Sheng Di Huang, Bai Shao, Mai Men Dong, Huo Ma Ren, E Jiao) plus three shells (Mu Li, Bie Jia, Gui Ban) for stronger yin-anchoring where tremor of the hands and feet is pronounced. E Jiao Ji Zi Huang Tang instead pairs E Jiao with egg yolk as its core chief pair and adds Gou Teng/Luo Shi Teng for wind-channel action rather than a third shell.

    Specific clinical modifications for E Jiao Ji Zi Huang Tang were not found in the sources reviewed and are omitted rather than guessed.

    Source: Bensky & Barolet, Formulas & Strategies (Wen Bing yin-nourishing/wind-extinguishing formula group) + Sacred Lotus compositions for Da Ding Feng Zhu and San Jia Fu Mai Tang.

Clinical Studies & Research:

  • Is there modern research on E Jiao Ji Zi Huang Tang?

    No dedicated clinical or pharmacological studies on this specific classical compound formula were found in available searches — it remains documented mainly through classical and clinical case literature rather than controlled trials. What has been studied is one of its two chief ingredients on its own.

    • E Jiao (component-level, clinical): a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in women with blood-deficient-pattern symptoms reported improvement with donkey-hide gelatin (PMID 34707496) — evidence on the herb, not on this compound formula.
    • Formula-specific: no PubMed-indexed clinical or pharmacological studies on E Jiao Ji Zi Huang Tang itself were identified as of this review (2026-07).

    Sources: PubMed 34707496; PubMed search conducted 2026-07 for “E Jiao Ji Zi Huang Tang” / 阿胶鸡子黄汤 returned no formula-specific studies. Research context on a component herb, not a therapeutic claim for the formula.

Sources & References

Compiled and edited by Thomas Dehli, Founder & Editor, Sacred Lotus Updated

The information here is referenced from numerous sources — teachers, practitioners, class notes from Five Branches University, the books below, and the published research literature, with citations given as resolvable PubMed identifiers. Where sources disagree, I have flagged the discrepancies directly. If facts couldn't be verified, I have left them out. How we source our content.

Reference information for students and practitioners — not medical advice. Consult a qualified practitioner. Terms of use.

Chinese Formulas Books & References

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    Dan Bensky

  • https://amzn.to/4j55NRA

    Volker Scheid, Andrew Ellis

  • https://amzn.to/4gMROyv

    Him Che. Yeung

  • https://amzn.to/4h7msSK

    Qiao Yi

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