Pinyin: Xixiancao
Aliases
Zhu Gao Cao, Xia Qian Cao, Tong Chui Cao
Source
1. Internal use: decoct 9-12 g; for external use, appropriate amount, decoct and wash the affected area.Siegesbeckia orientalisL. of the dried aerial parts.
Botanical Description
Annual herb, 30-100 cm tall. Stem erect, upper branches often repeatedly dichotomous, all branches covered with gray-white short pubescence. Leaves opposite; basal leaves withered at flowering; middle leaves triangular-ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 4-10 cm long, 1.8-6.5 cm wide, apex acuminate, base broadly cuneate, decurrent into winged petiole, margin irregularly shallowly lobed or coarsely toothed, upper surface green, lower surface pale green, with glandular dots, both surfaces pubescent, three-veined from base, lateral and reticulate veins prominent; upper leaves gradually smaller, ovate-oblong, margin shallowly undulate or entire, nearly sessile. Capitula numerous, forming terminal panicles; pedicels densely short pubescent; involucre broadly campanulate; phyllaries in 2 series, herbaceous, abaxially with purple-brown capitate stipitate glandular hairs; outer phyllaries 5-6, linear-spatulate or spatulate, spreading; inner phyllaries ovate-oblong or ovate; outer receptacular bracts oblong, incurved, inner receptacular bracts obovate-oblong; flowers yellow; hermaphroditic tubular flowers with campanulate upper part, apex with 4-5 ovate lobes. Achenes obovate, 4-angled, apex with gray-brown annular protuberance. Flowering April-September, fruiting June-November.
Habitat and Distribution
Grows in mountain fields, wastelands, thickets, and under forests at elevations of 100-2700 m. Distributed in Shaanxi, Gansu, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Taiwan, Hunan, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, and other regions.
Harvesting and Processing
It can be harvested before and during the flowering period in summer and autumn, remove impurities, and dry in the sun.
Chemical Constituents
This product contains components such as siegesbeckioside, siegesbeckiol, siegesbeckide, and siegesbeckialactone.
Properties and Channel Entry
Acrid, bitter, and cold. Enters the Liver and Kidney channels.
Functions and Indications
Expels Wind and Dampness, benefits the joints, and resolves toxicity
Dosage and Administration
Internal: decoct in water, 9-12 g, in large doses 30-60 g; crush for juice, or prepare as pills or powder. External: apply appropriate amount, crush for topical application; or grind into powder for sprinkling; or decoct in water for fumigation and washing.
Precautions and Contraindications
Use with caution in patients without Wind-Dampness; raw use or high dosage may easily induce vomiting.
Prescriptions
1. For hypertension: Xixiancao, Chouwutong, and Xiakucao 9 g each. Decoct in water and take orally, once daily. (Qingdao Chinese Herbal Medicine Manual) 2. For chronic nephritis: Xixiancao 30 g, Di'ercao 15 g. Decoct in water and take with brown sugar. (Zhejiang Medicinal Flora) 3. For neurasthenia: Xixiancao and Danshen 15 g each. Decoct and take orally. (Anhui Chinese Herbal Medicine) 4. For hemafecia due to intestinal wind: Xixiancao, steamed with wine and ground into powder, form pills with refined honey. Take 4 g per dose with plain boiled water. (Compendium of Materia Medica, quoting Fangmai Zhengzong) 5. For wind-heat attacking the upper body causing toothache: Xixiancao, collected after frost, dried in the sun and coarsely ground. Use 9 g per dose, steep in boiling water, and gargle freely; decocting in vinegar is even more effective. (Gu Jin Yi Tong) 6. For acute icteric infectious hepatitis: Xixiancao 30 g, Shanzhizi 9 g, Cheqiancao and Guangjinqiancao 15 g each. Add 1000 ml water, decoct to 300 ml, take in two divided doses, one dose daily. (National Compendium of Chinese Herbal Medicine)
