dragon's bone

Dragon's bone (Chinese name: 龙骨, pinyin: long gu) is a traditional Chinese medicine substance consisting of fossilized bones from prehistoric animals such as mastodons, rhinoceroses, deer, oxen, and occasionally dinosaurs. It is primarily composed of calcium carbonate and calcium phosphate. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), dragon's bone is used for its calming effects on the spirit (Shen), to soothe nerves, reduce stress and anxiety, treat insomnia and manic behavior, stabilize mood disorders such as irritability or acute anger, and address conditions like palpitations or tremors. It also has astringent properties used to treat excessive perspiration (hyperhidrosis), night sweats, chronic diarrhea, and fluid loss. Dragon's bone is usually administered in powdered form as part of herbal formulas combined with other substances like oyster shell or bupleurum root. There is no scientific evidence supporting its efficacy for these uses; it remains an important mineral supplement due to its high calcium content[1][2][3][5][6].

Other names

long gu龙骨dragon boneOs Draconnis