Nature: acrid, bitter, cool

Enters: Lung, Stomach

Actions: Disperses wind-heat; eliminates toxicity; expresses skin eruptions; eases the throat; relieves swelling; moistens the intestines for wind-heat constipation.

• Wind-heat: cough with difficult-to-expectorate sputum, swollen, red, and painful throat, fever.
• Wind-heat: slow skin eruption in early-stage measles or other incomplete skin rash.
• Heat and toxicity: red swellings, carbuncles, erythemas, mumps, acute febrile maculopapular rashes.
• Wind-heat: constipation.
• Good for constipation with sore, swollen throat.
• Prostatitis
• Weaker than Bo he at dispersing wind-heat and inducing sweating, but much stronger than Bo he at clearing heat and toxicity.
• Stronger at clearing heat than dispersing wind-heat, but much weaker at clearing heat and toxicity than the herbs in that category.
MLT: Should be crushed.
• Good for skin disease, cancer.
JC: Diuretic; alterative; tonic; nervine; diaphoretic.
• For edema, inflamed kidneys and bladder; scalding urine; mucus discharge from the bladder; difficult skin problems; eczema; boils; carbuncles; psoriasis.
• Topical: powder for abrasions, burns, wounds, ulcerations.
• Apply infusion topically to swollen glands and joints.
Yoga: (seeds and root) Bitter, pungent, astringent/cooling/pungent
• P, K-; V+ (in excess)
• Affects respiratory, urinary, circulatory, lymphatic systems.
• Alterative, diaphoretic, diuretic, antipyretic.
• Tonic and rejuvenative for Pitta.
• Same indications as above sources plus: lymphatic clogging, nephritis, edema, kidney inflammation, hypertension, cough.
K&R: Specific for all kidney afflictions; parotitis with constipation; eczema; cough; suppurative inflammation.
• Contracts the uterus.
IBIS: Alterative, demulcent, diaphoretic, diuretic, tonic.
• [Western] dosage: root tincture: 2 – 8 mL; seed tincture: 0.5 – 2 mL.
• Therapy: aphthous and catarrhal ulcerations of stomach membranes; irritable coughs; psoriasis; chronic cutaneous eruptions; chronic glandular enlargements; syphilitic, scrofulous, and gouty conditions (Ellingwood, p. 378); skin conditions, especially with dry and scaly skin; eczema; acne; boils; styes; carbuncles; arthritis; rheumatism (Anderson Geller)
• Handling fresh leaves may cause contact dermatitis (Duke; Muenscher)

Dose: 3-9g