Sheep liver is described in the "Pharmacology" as the liver of the bovine animal, goat Capra hircus Linnaeus or sheep Ovis aries Linnaeus. The liver is taken from the slaughtered animal, washed, and used fresh or sliced and dried in the sun or oven-dried.
[Processing Method] According to the "Emergency Golden Prescriptions": "Thinly slice and dry quickly." According to the "Dietary Therapy Materia Medica": "Remove the fat membrane, thinly slice, place in a bowl and refine over charcoal fire until the fat juice is exhausted, then wait until it is completely dry." According to the "Extraordinary Efficacy and Good Prescription": "Finely slice with a bamboo knife and grind." According to the "Compendium of Materia Medica": "Remove the membrane, finely slice, and boil until cooked." According to the "Examination of the Jade Box": "Thinly slice with a bamboo knife, roast until charred, avoid using an iron knife, and remove the tendons and membrane." Currently, the original medicinal material is taken, impurities are removed, washed, sliced, and dried.
[Characteristics of the Herb] It appears as irregularly shaped slices, varying in size. The surface is wrinkled and uneven, with a purple-black color and a glossy appearance. It has a crispy texture and is easily broken. The cross-section is purple-black, dull, and has a pungent odor.
[Processing Effects] Sheep liver has a sweet and bitter taste, and a cool nature. It belongs to the liver meridian. It has the functions of nourishing blood, tonifying the liver, and improving eyesight. Processing removes impurities, making the medicine clean and increasing the dissolution area, which facilitates the extraction of effective ingredients and enhances the efficacy. It is commonly used for blood deficiency and jaundice, emaciation and fatigue, liver deficiency and dim vision, myopia, glaucoma, and cataracts. Examples include the sheep liver formula for treating asthenia (from the "Complete Collection of Holy Benevolence"), the sheep liver pill for treating various eye diseases and opacities (from the "Prescription for Transmitting Trust"), the sheep liver powder for treating infantile myopia (from the "Collection of Immortal Fingers"), and the sheep liver and pig gall pill for treating blurred vision and asthenopia (from the "Medical Compendium for Selecting Eastern and Western Records"). It is combined with cassia seed to treat blindness (from the "Dietary Therapy Materia Medica"), and with wolfberry, chrysanthemum, Rehmannia, Scrophularia, and cassia seed to treat redness, swelling, and pain in the eyes (from the "Qingdao Chinese Herbal Medicine"). It is also combined with cinnabar to treat gingival inflammation and pain (from the "Compendium of Materia Medica").
[Processing Research] In the Tang Dynasty, sheep liver was "thinly sliced" (from the "Emergency Golden Prescriptions") and "thinly sliced... refined until the fat juice is exhausted" (from the "Dietary Therapy Materia Medica"). In the Song Dynasty, it was "membrane removed, ground" (from the "Prescription for Transmitting Trust") and "thinly sliced with a bamboo knife" (from the "Classified Compilation of Zhu's Collection of Verified Medical Formulas"). In the Ming Dynasty, it was "finely sliced with a bamboo knife" (from the "Extraordinary Efficacy and Good Prescription") and "finely sliced" (from the "Compendium of Materia Medica"), with the addition of the method "roast until charred" (from the "Examination of the Jade Box"). Currently, the processing method of slicing and drying is used.
