Musk
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Herbs for Resuscitation
Musk
Latin:
Moschus
Origin:
The dried secretion in the musk pod, a preputial gland in a pouch, or sac, under the skin of the abdomen of the male musk deer, such as Moschus berezovskii, Moschus sifanicus or Moschus moschiferus, an animal of the family Cervidae. Fresh musk is semi-liquid but dries to a grainy powder.
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Musk has a penetrating, persistent odour. It is used in the highest grades of perfume because of its odour characteristics, ability to remain in evidence for long periods of time, and ability to act as a fixative. It is prepared for use in perfumes by making a tincture in pure alcohol. After standing for several months, this solution imparts character, strength, and tenacity to perfume. Its quality varies according to the season and the age of the animal from which it is obtained.
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The odorous principle of musk is muscone (muskone), or 3-methylcyclopentadecanone. Muscone and other compounds that produce musk odour have been synthesized and used in perfumes.
In China, musk is mainly produced in the provinces Sichuan, Tibet, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Inner Mongolia, etc. The wild musk deer is mostly hunted in winter to the following spring. After a musk deer is hunted, its musk pod is cut off and dried in the air--this is customarily called the "hairy-shelled musk"--and then the musk pod is cut open to remove its core, which is called the "musk kernel."
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For domesticated musk deer, the musk is mostly taken out through an operation in which the musk kernel is removed from the musk pod, and then dried in the air. This drug should be packed, tightly sealed and stored away from light.
Properties:
Pungent in flavor, warm in nature, it is related to the heart and spleen channels.
Functions:
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Induces and promotes resuscitation, promotes blood circulation, restores menstrual flow, kills pain and expedites child delivery.
Applications:
1. Treats coma in excess syndrome of stroke:
Pungent in taste, warm in nature, extremely fragrant in smell and strongly migratory in property, musk is very powerful in inducing and promoting resuscitation, so it is a major drug for promoting resuscitation, which is most applicable to and effective on coma in an excess syndrome of stroke, either of the cold or the heat type.
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a) Coma in cases of apoplectic syndrome caused by an acute attack of heat-evil, such as invasion of the pericardium by heat in a febrile disease, impairment of consciousness caused by invasion of phlegm-heat into the heart, infantile convulsions and apoplectic coma due to accumulation of phlegm, etc.:
This drug is often used in combination with such drugs as bezoar, borneol, cinnabar, etc., to form a heat-clearing resuscitative preparation, such as Angong Niuhuang Wan, Zhi Bao Dan, Niuhuang Baolong Wan, etc.
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b) Coma in case of apoplectic syndrome caused by acute attack of cold-evil, such as sudden apoplectic coma and disturbance of mental activity due to obstruction by cold-phlegm or phlegm dampness, such as fullness and pain in the chest and abdomen due to attack by pestilent factors:
Musk is often used in combination with oriental sweetgum resin (Resina Liquidambaris Orientalis), sandalwood, benzoin, etc., to form a cold-phlegm-removing resuscitative preparation, e.g., Suhexiang Wan.
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2. Treats ulcers with pyogenic infections and sore throat:
Pungent in taste, fragrant in smell and moving and dispersing in property, this drug has good effects at promoting blood circulation, resolving hard masses, subduing swelling and killing pain and it produces good effects both when taken orally and applied externally.
a) Ulcers with pyogenic infections:
It is often used together with realgar, olibanum and myrrh, i.e., Xingshen Wan, or it is used together with bezoar, olibanum, myrrh, etc.
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b) Sore throat:
The drug can be used in combination with bezoar, toadcake, pearl, etc., e.g., Liushen Wan.
3. Treats amenorrhea (abnormal absence or suppression of menses) due to blood stasis, masses in the sbdomen, sudden pain in the chest and abdomen, traumatic injuries, damp arthralgia due to wind-cold, etc.:
Pungent in taste, fragrant in smell and migratory and dredging in property, musk can remove blood stasis to promote circulation and dredge away obstruction in the channels to restore menstrual flow, resolve hard masses and kill pain.
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a) Amenorrhea and masses in the abdomen:
This drug is often used in combination with drugs that promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, such as safflower, peach kernel, chuanxiong (Rhizoma Ligustici Chuanxiong), etc., e.g., Tongqiao Huoxue Tang.
b) Sudden pain in the chest and abdomen:
It is always used in combination with drugs that activate the flow of qi and promote blood circulation, such as aucklandia root, peach kernel, etc., e.g., Shexiang Tang.
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c) Traumatic injuries, fractures and sprains:
The drug can be used in combination with drugs that promote blood circulation, remove blood stasis, subdue swelling and kill pain, such as olibanum, myrrh, safflower, etc., e.g., Qili San or Bali San.
d) Sprains of the waist:
In recent years, a musk injection has been injected weekly into painful points for the treatment of any sprain of the waist, with 2 weeks to be counted as one course of treatment, producing satisfactory effects.
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e) Obstinate prolonged pain in cases of arthralgia-syndrome:
It can be used together with such antirheumatics as angelica root (Radix Angelicae Pubescentis), Chinese clematis root (Radix Clematidis), parasitic loranthus, etc.
4. Treats dystocia (slow or difficult labor or delivery), retention of dead fetus and retention of placenta:
Musk can promote blood circulation and restore menstrual flow and it can also expedite child delivery or the discharge of a dead fetus.
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a) Dystocia, retention of dead fetus and retention of placenta:
This drug is often made together with cassia bark into powder, e.g., Xiang Gui San in the book entitled 'Zhang's Treatise on General Medicine'. Musk is also used together with honeylocust fruit (Fructus Gleditsiae Abnormalis) and Chinese trichosanthes root (Radix Trichosanthis) and made with onion juice into pills for external use, producing good effects, e.g., Duotai Wan in the book entitled 'The Collection of Choice Medicine of Hebei'.
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5. Miscellaneous:
In addition, it has recently been reported clinically that artificial musk tablets have been taken orally or that artificial musk aerosol has been used for the treatment of angina pectoris, both producing good effects; a musk angina pectoris plaster made of this drug, honeylocust fruit (Fructus Gleditsiae Abnormalis), dahurian angelica (Radix Angelicae Dahuricae), etc., have respectively been applied to the affected parts at the precardium and Xinshu acupoint, to be replaced once every 24 hours, for the treatment of coronary disease and angina pectoris.
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A musk injection has been injected subcutaneously for the treatment of vitiligo, producing remarkable effects. Musk can improve symptoms and increase appetite if it is implanted or its injection is used for the treatment of liver cancer and tumours of the organs in the digestive tract, such as esophagus, stomach, rectum, etc. It also has certain curative effects on paralysis from poliomyelitis.
Dosage and Administration:
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0.06-0.1 g.
Include in pills and powder.
Use an adequate amount externally.
It should not be included in any decoction.
Cautions on Use:
This drug should be avoided by pregnant women.
Reference Materials:
'Shen Nong's Herbal Classic' :
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"Removing pathogenic factors and eliminating ascarids, ancylostomi and tineae."
"Warm malaria, tympanites due to parasitic infection, epilepsy and spasms in case of epilepsy."
'Other Medical Records of Famous Physicians' :
"Attack by pestilent factors, sudden pain and acute distention in the chest and abdomen, feeling of fullness in the chest and upper abdomen, beriberi due to pathogenic wind, dystocia, abortion and mild nebula."
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'The Compendium of Materia Medica' :
"Clearing various passages, removing obstructions in the channels, penetrating bones and muscles to remove pathogens, relieving alcoholism and removing stagnancy of melons, fruits and other food. Musk is so migratory that it clears various impeded passages and removes obstructions in the channels. No one can avoid using musk as a guide to removing obstructions in the channels and clearing impeded passages in cases of various wind syndromes, qi syndromes, blood disorders, pains and masses."
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"Apoplexy, qi-sinking syndrome, attack by pestilent factors, coma due to accumulation of phlegm, masses and lumps."
Toxic or Side Effects:
Modern Researches:
The main aromatic ingredient of the drug is muskone. It also contains nitrogen compounds, cholesterol, fatty acid and inorganic salts.
A small dose of musk or muskone can stimulate the central nervous system, while a large dose can inhibit it. Musk can markedly alleviate cerebral edema, strengthen the tolerance of the central nervous system to anoxia and improve cerebral circulation.
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This drug shows its inhibitory effects on tumour cells in the tissue homogenate culture fluids of human esophageal squamous carcinoma, adenocarcinoma of the stomach, carcinoma of the colon and the carcinoma of the urinary bladder; the effects will be stronger the higher the concentration is.
Artificially synthesized musk has basically the same functions and applications as those of natural musk. Now it is being used extensively in clinical purposes as a substitute for natural musk in order to make up for insufficient supply., http://www.100md.com