Donkey-hide gelatin
Donkey-hide gelatin or ass-hide glue (colla corii asini) is gelatin obtained from the skin of the donkey (equus asinus) by soaking and stewing. It is used as an ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine,[1][2] where it is called ejiao (simplified Chinese: 阿胶; traditional Chinese: 阿膠; pinyin: ē jiāo).
The gelatin is produced in several coastal provinces of China: Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong. The last being the most famous since Shandong's Dong'e County was where "ejiao" it got its name. It is either prepared as dry gelatin or mixed with powdered oyster shell or pollen to form glue balls. It tastes sweet.[1]
[edit] Applications
It is used for several different types of complaint. An amount of 5 to 10 grams may be dissolved in hot water or wine and mixed with other ingredients in the traditional Chinese materia medica or taken alone. It is used for a variety of conditions including bleeding, dizziness, insomnia and a dry cough.[1]
The edible form of ejiao is often mixed with almonds and sesame seeds and served as a snack that is popular in Shandong. It can also be used as an edible coating for dates, producing another type of snack.
Quite a few manufacturers produce an ejiao bar called "Gu Yuan Gao" (固元膏) in Shandong province. Gu Yuan Gao is a bar made up of ejiao, nuts, sesame, Chinese dates and cooking wine.
And it is also well known as the substance used for applying di mo, a special paper-like musical reed membrane, to the dizi, a transverse Chinese flute. Ejiao is quite well suited to the task of applying di mo, since it dries quickly, holds quite firmly, and is water soluble, allowing later replacement of di mo.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Jing-Nuan Wu (2005), An illustrated Chinese materia medica, Oxford University Press, pp. 284-285, ISBN 9780195140170
- ^ Xinrong Yang (2003), Encyclopedic Reference of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Springer, p. 168, ISBN 9783540428466
- ^ Dimo Membrane Paper. Lark in the Morning Musique Shoppe.
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