• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.323-333
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• 2016

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to investigate musk deer in taxonomic status and genus species. We investigated the characteristic of musk deer for medicinal usages. Methods : To identifications of musk deer on the taxonomic status and genus species, the literary investigation were conducted on the Korean, China, and Japan pharmacopoeia and published herbal books, CITES Species Lists too. Results : Musk deer placement in a separate family status is the Moschidae. M. chrysogaster Hodgson and M. sifanicus Przewalski was the same species. So, Alpine musk deer revised M. chrysogaster Hodgson[=M. sifanicus Przewalski]. Geographic distribution of M. moschiferus L. divided Sibirica group and himalaica group. Group himalaica contains three subspecies: Korean musk deer(M. moschiferus parvipes Hol.), Chinese musk deer(M. chrysogaster Hodgson), and Himalayan musk deer(M. leucogaster Hodgson). The genetic divergence between M. moschiferus L. and other species was clearly distinguished from the others. M. berezovskii Flerove was less than the others. However, the divergence among M. chrysogaster Hodgson, M. fuscus Li, and M. leucogaster Hodgson were quite low. Musk deers are mostly distributed around the high-plateau. Moschus were from Nepal, Bhutan, Russia, China. Forest musk deer(M. berezovskii Flerove) farming was conducted in China from 1950s. In the Korean hebal pharmacopoeia, Moschus include l-muscone($C_{16}H_{30}O$ : 238.40) over 2% for quantitative test. Conclusions : There are three species of musk deer, Siberian musk deer(M. moschiferus L.), forest musk deer(M. berezovskii Flerove), and Alpine musk deer(M. chrysogaster Hodgson) for medicinal usages.