🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Ha Jie is a precious tonic in traditional Chinese medicine specifically used for lung tonification, belonging to the gecko family. Listed under reptiles in the "Bencao," it is praised as having "the affection of mandarin ducks and the efficacy surpassing ginseng." The male's call "ge ge" gives its name "Ha," while the female's "ji ji" gives "Jie." During mating season, their soft whispers resemble "brother, sister." Moreover, Ha Jie lives at night in banyan trees, forming monogamous pairs that respond to each other, always together—often caught in pairs, even dying together. Thus, when used medicinally, they are traditionally paired. In the early Ming Dynasty, people would tightly wrap them in straw, steam and dry them, then use them as aphrodisiacs to enhance passion—both touching and lamentable! Since its first recorded use in the Song Dynasty's "Kai Bao Ben Cao," Ha Jie has remained renowned for over a thousand years. Originally wild, it is found in mountainous areas of southern Sichuan, Guangdong, and Guangxi, but rare in quantity. It is said that when captured, Ha Jie often severs its tail to disperse medicinal potency—hence the saying "chasing a flying horse, double prongs stick to head and tail"—otherwise, complete specimens are hard to obtain. Due to scarcity, rarity increases value. Ha Jie possesses remarkable effects: according to "Compendium of Materia Medica," it nourishes lung deficiency, treats fatigue, strengthens yin, enhances essence, and treats chronic cough, consumption (tuberculosis), pulmonary abscess, and pulmonary atrophy, promoting blood circulation and enhancing sexual function. In Qing Dynasty, Ge Kejiu’s "Shi Yao Shen Shu," a specialized treatise on tuberculosis, praises Ha Jie as having "efficacy equivalent to ginseng," creating the formula "Ren Shen Ha Jie San" to treat late-stage tuberculosis with weakness, low-grade fever, night sweats, phlegm, hemoptysis, and frequent urination—considered an excellent remedy for "repairing the damage after loss." This formula remains widely used by physicians today. In recent decades, artificial breeding of Ha Jie has been developed in Guangxi and Guizhou, using stone and mud-brick structures with many holes, enabling rapid reproduction. Fed on insects like grasshoppers, they grow fat and are easily harvested. New formulations such as Ha Jie Dabu Wine, Ren Shen Ha Jie Essence, Ha Qing Injection, and Ha Jie Shen Qi Ointment have emerged, offering economic and practical benefits. Besides treating illness, these products serve as tonics for elderly people with weak heart and lung functions. According to legend, dragons produce nine kinds—do you know Ha Jie is among them? (The others include dragon, hang, jiao, tuo, lingli, shilongzi, shougonglong, and yanlong). Using dragon-based remedies to strengthen the body—how extraordinary!<Bu Fei Yi Jing>