Deer tendon

Deer tendon

　　Deer tendon is a rare ingredient with a warm nature. It helps strengthen tendons and bones, nourish kidney yang, and is effective in treating conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, weakness in hands and feet, and stomach cold.

　　Deer tendon comes from the tendons of sika deer or red deer, animals of the Cervidae family. It has been used medicinally for nearly a thousand years, first recorded in the Tang Bencao (Tang Materia Medica). Dried deer tendon appears as slender, strip-like pieces in golden or brownish-yellow color, glossy and translucent, measuring about 45–65 cm in length and 1.5–2 cm in diameter. The upper end retains some fleshy tissue, while the lower part features two semi-circular black hoof shells, and sometimes four small hoof bone fragments. The area around the hoof shell retains a bit of skin with short brown or light brown hair. The texture is tough, and it has a faint fishy smell. High-quality deer tendon is dry, long, thick, and golden yellow in color.

　　The eastern Changbai Mountains and central Dou Mountain area in Jilin Province are major habitats of sika deer and red deer in China. Deer tendon can be harvested all year round. The tendons are extracted from the limbs of the deer, with the hoof shells retained, and then air-dried. During processing, the hoof shells are removed, the tendons are rinsed briefly with warm water, softened over charcoal fire, and then cut into small sections.