Wiseman’s Chinese Medical Database

xī xiān cǎo / 豨莶草 / 豨薟草 / siegesbeckia

Latin pharmacognostic name: Siegesbeckiae Herba

Alternate English names:

Alternate Chinese names: 豨莶 xī xiān

Origin: Plant

Use: medicinal

Category: Wind-damp–dispelling agents / Wind-damp-heat–dispelling agents

Properties: Bitter; cold.

Channel entry: liver and kidney channels.

Indications:

• Dispels wind-damp, frees the channels and quickens the network vessels: Wind-damp impediment patterns, possibly with joint pain, numbness and tingling of the limbs, and weakness of the legs.
• Clears heat and resolves toxin: Toxin swelling of sores, itchy eczema.

Dosage & Method:

Oral: 15–20g in decoctions; also used externally. In general, the processed form is used to treat wind-damp impediment patterns, while the raw form is more suitable for impediment patterns with heat and for damp sores and eczema.

Quality:

Leafy plants with thick stems and unopened flowers are the best.

Product Area:

Northern and central regions of China, especially Húběi, Húnán, and Jiāngsū.