Deer Antler Glue, also known as white glue or deer glue, is mentioned in the "Shennong's Herbal Classic". It is a solid glue made from the ossified antlers or the antler bases (known as deer antler plates) of the deer species Cervus elaphus Linnaeus or C. nippon Temminck, which have been sawn and boiled in water. The preparation process usually takes place between November and March of the following year. The deer antlers are sawn into segments about 6-10cm long, soaked and washed until the water is clear, then boiled in water multiple times until the gelatin is fully extracted and the keratin becomes soft and brittle. The mixture is then filtered, the filtrate is collected (with a small amount of alum powder added if desired), and left to settle. The glue liquid is filtered, simmered over low heat (or mixed with a small amount of soybean oil, 5% rock sugar, and 3% yellow wine) until it becomes a thick paste, which is then cooled, solidified, cut into pieces, and dried in the shade. Alternatively, the "hot-pressed glue-making method" can be used, where the deer antler segments or crushed pieces are washed and placed in a high-pressure sterilization pot with water for 18 hours, then transferred to a regular pot for extraction and boiled for 48 hours, changing the water every 3-4 hours to fully extract the gelatin. The extracted liquid is combined, filtered while still hot, simmered over low heat, and poured into a glue tray to naturally condense and solidify before being taken out and dried in the shade.
Processing method:
1. Grinding the deer antler glue: According to the "Tai Ping Sheng Hui Fang", it should be "pulverized". According to the "Pu Ji Fang", it should be "pounded and ground". Currently, the raw medicinal material is taken, impurities and dust are removed, and it is crushed into small pieces or cut into small squares after being softened by heating.
2. Frying the deer antler glue with clam powder: According to the "Wai Tai Mi Yao", it should be "roasted and ground". According to the "Tai Ping Sheng Hui Fang", it should be "fried until yellow and dry". According to the "Hongshi Ji Yan Fang", it should be "fried with wheat bran". According to the "Lei Bian Zhu Shi Ji Yan Fang", it should be "fried with clam powder" or "fried with conch powder". According to the "Pu Ji Fang", it should be "fried until it resembles pearls" and "fried until slightly yellow". Currently, the clam powder is heated in a hot pan over medium heat until it becomes pliable, then the deer antler glue is added and continuously stirred until it forms a round ball without any runny texture inside. It is then taken out, sifted to remove the clam powder, and left to cool.
