Dong'e donkey hide gelatin
Donkey-hide gelatin
A slab of donkey-hide gelatin
The donkey or ***
Donkey-hide gelatin or
***-hide glue (
Latin:
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,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. Shandong's
Dong'e County was where "ejiao" got its name and the most famous.
According to a ca. 1723 account by the French
Jesuits Dominique Parrenin, there was a well in Dong'e which was normally kept closed and sealed, and which was only opened when water was taken to be used in preparation of
ejiao for the emperor's court.
Contents
Manufacture
Manufacture
According to Parennin, the product was traditionally prepared during the late fall and winter (from after the harvest and until the beginning of March). It was supposed to be made from the skin of a recently killed well-nourished black donkey.
Ejiao is either prepared as dry gelatin or mixed with powdered oyster shell or pollen to form glue balls. It tastes sweet.
In the 21st century, ejiao manufacturers experience problems with the supply of genuine donkey hides, as fewer people raise these animals these days. The decreasing supply combined with strong demand for ejiao has led to greatly increased prices for donkey hides in China. This trend is also supported by restrictions on importing animal hides from outside the country. Qin Yufeng, the chairman of a major ejiao manufacturer and a member of Shandong's provincial legislature, has advocated for government support for donkey husbandry.
Donkey thefts and population declines
In the mid-2010s, donkey prices in many places around the world began to rise sharply amid Chinese herbalism demands. Uganda, Tanzania, Botswana, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Senegal have banned donkey exports to China.
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.
The edible form of
ejiao is often mixed with
almonds and
sesame seeds and served as a
snack that 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.
It is also used for applying
di mo, a special paper-like
musical reed membrane, to the
dizi, a transverse
Chinese flute; it dries quickly, holds quite firmly, and is water-soluble, allowing later replacement of
di mo.
The molecular basis for its usage in treating anemia has been shown at least in part from the peptidic components combining multiple approaches. The hematopoietic effect of Colla Corii Asini may benefit cancer patients suffering from myelosuppression due to radiotherapy or chemotherapy.