Yin Chai Hu – Stellaria Root* (see alternate species) – “Silver Barbarian Kindling”

Nature: sweet, slightly cold

Enters: Liver, Stomach

Actions: Clears Yin deficiency heat; clears fever due to parasites; cools the blood, stops bleeding; reduces childhood nutritional impairment.

Indications:
• Yin deficiency: tidal fever, night sweats, steaming bone disorder.
• Accumulation with heat or parasites: digestive disorders in children with malnutrition, fever, abdominal bloating, thin muscles.
• Heat in the blood: epistaxis, uterine bleeding, bloody cough, hematuria.
• Bensky/Gamble classifies with herbs that clear heat and cool blood.
* Arenaria juncea, Silena jenissensis, and Gypsophila oldhamiama are also used as this herb.

Dose: 3-9g
The ubiquitous Western species – Stellaria media, Chickweed – is used in Western herbalism (aerial parts or whole plant):
Grieve: Refrigerant, demulcent.
K&R: General tonic, cardiotonic. Fire, water, and metal yin.
• Fire: asthenia, hypotension, palpitations, anemia, excellent tonic for convalescents.
Water: edema, glomerulonephritis, nephrotic syndromes, asystole, cardiac weakness, acute articular rheumatism, scarlatina, anemia.
Metal: bronchitis, pleurisy, cough, colds, atonic bowel, strengthens Lung and bronchial tubes, topical for skin conditions, especially burns, hemorrhoids, ulcers.
• A cholesterol cleanser, can be used long term to clear out cellulite for obesity, lipomas and other tumors.
• Also for arrhythmias, depression.
PCBDP: (herb) Antipruritic, vulnerary, emollient, antirheumatic.
• Poultice for eczema, psoriasis, ulcers, boils.
JC: (herb) Demulcent, emollient, nutritive, resolvent, pectoral, alterative, refrigerant, mucilage, discutient.
• Excellent for pulmonary complaints, any form of internal or external inflammation of the membranes or skin, and weakness of the stomach and bowels, especially bleeding of the Lungs or bowels.
• Topical: for wounds, skin diseases, inflamed surfaces, etc.
• Also used as a weight loss aid.

2 comments on “Yin Chai Hu – Stellaria Root* (see alternate species) – “Silver Barbarian Kindling”

  1. My girlfriends 19 year old son has sever anemia. Dr.s give him iron shots 1/ month but it never helps for long. They have done every test imaginable with no results. Now they want to do exploratory surgery to see what they find once they open him up. I cringe at that!!
    Is there anything with Chinese herbs that can help this young man?

    • Peter Borten says:

      Possibly. I wouldn’t know without being able to examine him. I’d recommend seeing a qualified practitioner of Chinese herbal medicine and also a naturopathic physician. Herbs such as ji xue teng and the formula Si Wu Tang, as well as foods like bone broth, can all help build blood, but clearly there is a deeper issue. There are multiple possible causes of anemia, by the way – I’m assuming your doctors know this – not just iron deficiency. Find a different practitioner.

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