Herb

Ku cai (Sowthistle)

苦菜ku cai
1 sourceIxeris chinensis (Thunb.) Nakai

Recorded for noxious qi of the five viscera and stomach impediment with aversion to food, quieting the heart, boosting qi, and clearing heat, cooling blood and checking dysentery.

Source

Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu)卷二十七·柔滑·苦菜·主治

References
  • functions_en self-translated from 本草纲目 traditional_functions (public domain; the Chinese tf carries verbatim excerpt_hash citations). No modern work consulted.
  • WHO IST-TCM terminology-aligned for the English rendering.
  • public pharmacopoeia & botanical facts (public-domain reference facts; no proprietary modern source).
Traditional functions

Classical source text (Chinese) — English summary above.

传统中医记载：主五脏邪气、厌谷胃痹；久服安心益气；清热解毒、凉血止痢。

Nature, flavor & meridians

Nature & flavor: 苦，寒，无毒。

Citations
  • Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷二十七·柔滑·苦菜·气味Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its classification.
  • Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷二十七·柔滑·苦菜·气味Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its nature & flavor.
  • Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷二十七·柔滑·苦菜·主治Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its traditional functions.