Pinyin: Jixuecao
Aliases
Lianqiancao, Laogonggen, Tougucao
Source
Plants of the Apiaceae family, *Centella asiatica*Centella asiaticaDried whole plant of (L.) Urb.
Botanical Description
Perennial herb, stem creeping, slender, rooting at nodes, glabrous or sparsely hairy. Leaves simple, alternate; petiole 2-15 cm long, base sheathing; leaf blade reniform or suborbicular, 1-3 cm long, 1.5-5 cm wide, base broadly cordate, margin obtusely serrate. Glabrous on both surfaces or sparsely hairy on abaxial veins; palmate veins 5-7. Simple umbels solitary, or 2-4 clustered in leaf axils; bracts 2-3, ovate, membranous; umbels with 3-6 flowers, aggregated into a capitulum; petals ovate, purplish red or milky white. Fruit globose, base cordate or truncate, 2-3 mm long, 2-3.5 mm wide, with several longitudinal ribs on each side, with distinct transverse veinlets between ribs, reticulate, smooth or sparsely hairy. Flowering and fruiting period: April to October.
Habitat and Distribution
Grows in moist, shaded grasslands, field edges, and ditch sides at elevations of 200-1990 m. Distributed in the Southwest and Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Taiwan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, and other regions.
Harvesting and Processing
Harvested in summer and autumn, remove sediment and sand, dry in the sun.
Chemical Constituents
This product contains asiatic acid, centellose, and brahmoside components.
Pharmacology
Has anti-pathogenic microorganism effects and promotes wound healing.
Properties and Channel Entry
Bitter, acrid, and cold. Enters the Liver, Spleen, and Kidney channels.
Functions and Indications
Clears Heat and drains Dampness, resolves toxicity and reduces swelling. Used for Damp-Heat jaundice, summerheat diarrhea, stone stranguria, blood stranguria, abscesses, sores, and traumatic injuries.
Dosage and Administration
Oral: decoct 9-15 g (fresh 15-30 g), or pound to extract juice. External: apply appropriate amount, pound for poultice or squeeze juice for topical application.
Precautions and Contraindications
Those with Spleen and Stomach deficiency-cold should use with caution.
Prescriptions
1. For common cold with headache: Centella asiatica 30 g, fresh ginger 9 g. Pound into a paste and apply to the forehead. (Guangxi Folk Commonly Used Herbal Medicine Manual) 2. For externally contracted fever, vexation, thirst, and delirium: Centella asiatica 60 g, 4 white earthworms. Pound together, decoct in water for 2 hours, and take the juice. (Guangxi Folk Commonly Used Herbal Medicine Manual) 3. For lung-heat cough: Centella asiatica 30 g, Liriope spicata 30 g, Imperata cylindrica rhizome 30 g, loquat leaf 15 g, mulberry leaf 15 g. Decoct in water and take orally. (Sichuan Traditional Chinese Medicine Journal, 1960) 4. For asthma: Dried Centella asiatica whole herb 30 g, Dichondra repens 15 g, Ficus pumila vine 15 g. Decoct in water and take orally. (Fuzhou Military Region Chinese Herbal Medicine Handbook) 5. For dysentery: Fresh Centella asiatica whole herb 60 g, or add fresh Pteris multifida and fresh Viola yedoensis whole herb 30 g each. Decoct in water, add appropriate amount of rock sugar and honey, and take. (Fujian Chinese Herbal Medicine) 6. For jaundice-type infectious hepatitis: Fresh Centella asiatica whole herb 15-30 g; or add Artemisia capillaris 15 g, Gardenia jasminoides fruit 6 g, white sugar 15 g. Decoct in water and take orally. (Fujian Chinese Herbal Medicine) 7. For hemoptysis, hematemesis, and epistaxis: Fresh Centella asiatica whole herb 60-90 g. Decoct in water or pound to extract juice and take. (Fujian Chinese Herbal Medicine)
