Search in medicinals
Andrographis
穿心莲 〔穿心蓮〕chuān xīn lián
Latin pharmacognostic name: Andrographis Herba
Alternate Chinese names: 一见喜 yī jiàn xǐ; 川心莲 chuān xīn lián; 榄核莲 lǎn hé lián
Kingdom: Plant
Origin in PRC Pharmacopoeia: Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) Nees. (PRC Pharmacopoeia)
Origin (other sources): Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) Nees* [= Justicia paniculata (Burm. f.) Nees]
Use: Medicinal
Category: Heat-clearing agents / Heat-clearing toxin-resolving agents
Properties: Bitter; cold.
Channel entry: Lung, stomach, large intestine, and small intestine channels.
Indications:
- Clears heat and resolves toxin: Initial-stage warm heat disease with heat effusion, headache, and painful swollen throat; heat panting and cough; pulmonary welling-abscess.
- Clears heat and dries dampness: Damp-heat diarrhea or damp-heat dysentery, heat strangury (rè lìn), eczema.
Dosage & Method: Oral: 3–15g in decoctions. Chuān xīn lián has a very bitter flavor and is often made into pills, powders, and tablets.
Warnings: Chuān xīn lián is bitter and cold, so it easily damages stomach qì. Thus, it should not be taken in large quantities and should not be used for a prolonged period of time. There is some variance in the recommended dosage across primary source texts; one core source recommends only 3–6 g by decoction, while another lists 6–15g. Several texts caution that decocted preparations easily cause vomiting.
Product Area: Grows wild in tropical and subtropical areas and is cultivated in warm areas south of the Yangtze.
Back to previous page