Moschus moschiferus. M. bereznvskii   麝香 Shè xiāng Musk deer secretion     
M. anhuiensis – Anhui musk deer
M. berezovskii – dwarf musk deer
M. chrysogaster – alpine musk deer
M. cupreus – Kashmir musk deer
M. fuscus – black musk deer
M. leucogaster – white-bellied musk deer
M. moschiferus – Siberian musk deer
Musk is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, and some similar plants with similar odor.
The musk deer is a small, graceful animal about the size of the roebuck, and inhabits a large area in Central Asia, extending from the Caspian Sea to the eastern boundaries of the Chinese Empire. The male animal, which alone produces the musk, bears on its belly, a short distance behind the navel and just in front of the preputial orifice, a small sac produced by an infolding of the skin. This sac is the musk sac or musk pod, and it contains a treacly or soft, unctuous, brownish substance, musk, which is remarkable for its intense, penetrating, and persistent odour. The musk is formed in alveoli produced on the inner lining of the sac and is discharged into the cavity. The outer surface of the pod is covered with hairs and is provided with a small canal, serving for the discharge of the secretion, debouching close to the preputial orifice. Very young animals do not secrete musk and old animals but little.[3]
Nature: Warm    FLAVOR: Pungent. ODOR: Animalistic, earthy and woody or something akin to the odor of babies' skin.
FUNCTIONS
GROUP: Aromatic Stimulants
1. Open up cavities, wake up spirits.[1]
2. Activate Blood, facilitate Channels, disperse coagulation, relieve pain.[1]
INDICATIONS
1. Hot diseases, convulsion, apoplexy with coma.[1]
2. Acute abdominal pain, angina pectoris, abdominal enlargement and lumps, numbness of limbs, pain, fall injuries, carbuncle and ulcer.[1]
PREPARATIONS: Dry secretion  0.03-0.1 g.[1]
The musk pod is normally obtained by killing the male deer through traps laid in the wild. Upon drying, the reddish-brown paste inside the musk pod turns into a black granular material called "musk grain", which is then tinctured with alcohol. The aroma of the tincture gives a pleasant odor only after it is considerably diluted.[2]
Adulterants: Musk is liable to gross adulterations, which is in some cases easy to detect, but in others exceedingly difficult. The sophistication of the drug is effected by the Chinese, and is practised to such an extent as to lead to the assertion that pure musk is scarcely procurable. The pods are skilfully opened, part of the musk is removed and replaced by some worthless substitute. Inorganic substances, such as small stones, leaden shot, etc, are comparatively easily detected, and so are such adulterations as scraps of leather or horn. Dried blood yields a red ash, whereas the ash of genuine musk is whitish. Resin and other substances soluble in spirit increase the alcoholic extract. Earthy matter raises the ash.[3]
    
ORIGIN: The musk deer belongs to the family lives in Nepal, Tibet, India, Pakistan, China, Siberia and Mongolia.
DESCRIPTION: The best variety of the drug is that known as Tonquin. This is imported in pods packed in ' caddies ' or latterly in larger tins. The pods are nearly circular or sometimes distinctly oval in outline and lenticular in shape; they resemble small dark flattened cakes about 5 to 7 cm. in diameter and 2 to 3 cm. thick. On one of the flattened surfaces (the lower surface of the pod as attached to the animal) is a circular or oval piece of brown skin about 4 cm. in diameter; this is part of the hide of the animal, and exhibits when closely examined a central or nearly central small orifice (the orifice of the pod), around which are arranged tangentially directed hairs. The latter vary from whitish to brown in colour; those near the orifice are naturally short, but those a little distance removed have been clipped and are stiff and bristly.
The remainder of the pod is covered with a very thin, soft, supple membrane, and appears dark brown in colour when the pod is filled with musk. It often exhibits a fine steel-blue iridescence, whence the term ' blue skin,' by which this variety of Tonquin pods is known. This thin blue skin is the inner skin of the pod, the outer skin, which is tough and fibrous, having been carefully stripped off with the exception of the circular piece surrounding the orifice. By this means the appearance of the pod is improved and its value enhanced. Good pods weigh about 30 to 40 grammes, and contain about half that weight of granular musk which fills them loosely.
The pods from which the outer skin has not been removed are also imported; these are known as 'natural skin' 'thick skin,' or 'old style' pods. They are usually convex on the lower surface, which is covered with the hide of the animal, but nearly flat on the upper surface, and there protected by a tough, fibrous but hairless skin.
The musk contained in the pods is always moist, and often has a strongly ammoniacal odour. It can be freed from moisture and ammonia by exposing it to the air, and then forms dark reddish brown unctuous grains ('grain musk') with which occasional short hairs are mixed; it possesses a strong characteristic odour and bitter taste.
References
Inner Path can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Constituents
Research

Pharmacological properties of musk.
Morishita S, Mishima Y, Shoji M.
Abstract
The general pharmacological properties of musk were studied. After the application of musk, inhibition of acetic acid-induced writhing, hemolytic effect and excitation of spontaneous uterine motility of rats, inhibition of spontaneous motility in isolated ileum of rabbits, and anti-inflammatory effects and potentiation of beta-adrenergic action in isolated preparations of guinea pig trachea were observed. These effects were not observed after application of muscone or allantoin, constituents of musk.
PMID: 3569852 Gen Pharmacol. 1987;18(3):253-61. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov