A Renowned Remedy for Tonifying Qi and Blood
By Winston Lee L.Ac., Ph.D., KMD
Gongjindan is among the most precious and expensive tonifying herbal medicines prescribed at acupuncture clinics. Some golfers even bring one to the golf course and take it before playing. This remedy is widely known because it is recorded in Donguibogam (Principles and Practice of Eastern Medicine) by Heo Jun, a renowned Korean medicine doctor from the Joseon Dynasty.
When we look at the prescription in Donguibogam, it is surprisingly simple, consisting of only four main ingredients: Deer Antler, Angelica Root, Cornelian Cherry, and Musk. However, in practice, most acupuncture clinics and practitioners customize this basic formula by adding their unique ingredients, often naming the modified version ○○dan according to their formulation. A typical variation includes Korean Ginseng, honey, and a gold leaf coating, which enhances its value and effectiveness.
Donguibogam describes Gongjindan as follows:
“Men in their middle years are prone to weaken vital energy, so nourishing their yin and blood is beneficial. Other medicinal ingredients tend to have weaker effects, making it difficult to achieve noticeable results. However, Gongjindan helps regulate the rising and descending movements of fire energy in the upper body and water energy in the lower body, allowing the five organs to achieve harmony on their own.”
Additionally, it includes the following recommendations:
“It should be taken with warm liquor or water boiled with salt.”
This is because warm liquor helps spread the medicinal effects throughout the body, while saltwater enhances the absorption of any medicine within the body.
In addition, the dosage is described as ‘made to the size of a Firmiana simplex (Phoenix tree) seed and taken in quantities of 70 to 100 pills per day.’ If this document is followed precisely, one must consume more than 27g daily. However, the commonly used Gongjindan pill today is at most about 5g per pill, meaning that to match the dosage specified in Donguibogam, one must take about 5 to 6 pills.
That being said, based on my experience, taking just 1 to 2 pills per day is sufficient to see significant effects.
Some people unexpectedly experience side effects when taking Gongjindan. In Korean Medicine, such individuals are considered to have “Liver Excess Syndrome.” These individuals tend to get angry quickly and may feel a pulling pain in their sides. If they take this medicine excessively, they may experience side effects, so caution is needed.
Among the four medicinal ingredients of Gongjindan, musk is the most expensive per unit weight. Musk is found in the navel gland of male musk deer, which releases a scent to attract females. This substance can disperse widely, making it highly effective in unblocking obstructions.
Since musk deer are a protected and endangered species worldwide, the cost of musk per gram is higher than that of ginseng, antlers and even pure gold. Due to its high price and the fact that musk is not the primary ingredient of Gongjindan, Agarwood and Costus root, which have nearly identical effects, are often used as substitutes to reduce production costs.
From personal experience—both taking and prescribing various Gongjindan formulas—I have found that if the highest-quality Deer Antler, Ginseng, Angelica Root, and Cornelian Cherry are used, then substituting Musk with Agarwood or Costus root still achieves over 90% of the original effectiveness.
A recent clinical study in Korea confirmed that Gongjindan is effective for anti-aging and memory enhancement. One research team found that Gongjindan exhibits antioxidant effects, prevents DNA damage in brain neurons, and enhances the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF), thereby improving neuronal survival.
