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Home-Style Dishes

Donkey-Hide Gelatin Tonic Paste (Gu Yuan Gao)

Traditionally nourishes yin and blood, supports a weak constitution

In short: Donkey-Hide Gelatin Tonic Paste (Gu Yuan Gao) is a home-style dishe that Traditionally nourishes yin and blood, supports a weak constitution. It is most often made for energy & vitality, blood nourishment, everyday balance. Key ingredients: walnuts, black sesame seeds, red dates, shaoxing rice wine.

By · Published under our editorial policy · Research library

Cook
2 hr
Makes
Several jars
Energy & VitalityBlood NourishmentEveryday Balance
Donkey-Hide Gelatin Tonic Paste (Gu Yuan Gao)

Why people make this paste

A friend of mine had a run-down constitution — often dizzy, with sore lower back, easily cold, and catching colds at the drop of a hat. She had bought a box of donkey-hide gelatin (e jiao) but had no idea how to use it. To help build her up steadily, I suggested turning it into a sweet paste with a few nourishing add-ins, taken a spoonful or two a day. The ingredients are simple, but the making takes patience. For women especially, this paste is a well-loved traditional tonic — taken regularly it is associated with a brighter complexion and with nourishing yin and blood.

What studies say about the key ingredients

Traditional use is not the same as clinical proof. Here is the strongest human research we found for each ingredient, limitations included.

  • Walnuts · Randomized controlled trial, 305 participants · 2019
    Office systolic BP changed by -4.61 mm Hg with walnuts versus -0.59 mm Hg in controls (P=0.051); 24-hour ambulatory systolic BP difference was not significant (P=0.111). No diastolic BP changes were observed.Limitation: Only 236 of 305 participants (75%) completed the study, and the main between-group differences did not reach conventional significance.PubMed 30879358 · 2 more walnuts studies
  • Red dates · Meta-analysis, 483 participants · 2025
    Jujube was associated with significantly lower BMI and triglycerides, and lower fasting blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. LDL and total cholesterol fell only in some subgroups. HDL, AST and ALT did not change significantly.Limitation: The authors state the overall quality of the evidence is limited, and results varied significantly by dose, treatment duration and disease type.PubMed 40399274 · 3 more red dates studies

From the Nourilo Research Library. Findings come from specific doses, extracts and populations and may not apply to a home-cooked recipe.

Safety first — read before you cook

This is a traditional food, not a treatment. Please check with your doctor or pharmacist before making it a regular part of your diet if you:

  • are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are cooking for a young child;
  • take regular medicines — especially blood thinners, blood-pressure, diabetes or immune-suppressing drugs;
  • have a kidney, liver or heart condition, or a known food allergy.

Ingredient notes for this recipe

  • Rice wine / alcohol: This recipe contains alcohol. If you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, the NHS recommends not drinking alcohol; leave it out or choose another recipe. Source: NHS — Alcohol in pregnancy

Stop eating it and seek advice if you notice an allergic reaction or feel unwell. Safety notes reviewed 8 October 2026 · How we write safety notes

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