Shan Yang Jiao

Shan Yang Jiao (“mountain-goat horn”) is an animal-derived substance, not a plant. It is traditionally the horn of the goral or serow — Naemorhedus goral (Hardwicke), Naemorhedus caudatus, or Capricornis sumatraensis (Bechstein) (Bovidae) — mountain ungulates of forested Himalayan and East Asian uplands. The horns are short, slender, curved-backward, dark grey to black, and conical, used in TCM as a substitute for the protected Ling Yang Jiao (saiga antelope horn) to clear Liver heat, extinguish wind, and treat convulsive disorders. CITES Appendix I/II protections apply to several source species and trade is heavily restricted or banned; modern practice favors documented substitutes such as buffalo horn or plant-based formulations. Practitioners must verify legal sourcing and conservation status before any clinical use.