Wiseman’s Chinese Medical Database

zé lán / 泽兰 / 澤蘭 / lycopus;

Latin pharmacognostic name: Lycopi Herba

Alternate English names: bugleweed; water horehound

Alternate Chinese names: 虎兰 hǔ lán; 虎蒲 hǔ pú; 小泽兰 shuǐ zé lán; 草泽兰 cǎo zé lán; 泽兰叶 zé lán yè

Origin: Plant

Use: medicinal

Category: Blood-Quickening Stasis-dispelling agents / Blood-quickening menses-regulating agents

Properties: Acrid, bitter; slightly warm.

Channel entry: liver and spleen channels.

Indications:

• Quickens the blood and dispels stasis: Blood stasis with menstrual pain, amenorrhea, menstrual irregularities, postpartum stasis obstruction abdominal pain, injury from knocks and falls, and swelling of welling-abscesses.
• Disinhibits urine and disperses swelling: Postpartum water swelling, puffy swelling, and ascites.

Dosage & Method:

Oral: 10–15g in decoctions.

Warning:

Contraindicated in pregnancy; use with care in the absence of stasis.

Quality:

Undamaged young leafy herbs with firm stems are the best.

Product Area:

Most parts of China.