Herb
Cuscuta Seed (Tu si zi)
菟丝子tu si zi
1 sourceSemen Cuscutae
Supplements the liver and kidney, consolidates essence, strengthens the sinews and bones, and brightens the eyes.
Source
Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu)卷十八·草部·蔓草类·菟丝子·主治（《本经》）
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：《本经》载菟丝子主续绝伤、补不足、益气力、肥健人；《别录》养肌强阴、坚筋骨、主茎中寒、精自出、溺有余沥，久服明目轻身延年；甄权谓添精益髓、去腰疼膝冷；大明谓治鬼交泄精、尿血、润心肺。
Nature, flavor & meridians
Nature & flavor: 辛、甘，平，无毒（《本经》）。
Citations
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十八·草部·蔓草类·菟丝子（条目标题·《本经》上品）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its classification.
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十八·草部·蔓草类·菟丝子·释名Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its alternate names.
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十八·草部·蔓草类·菟丝子·气味（《本经》）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its nature & flavor.
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十八·草部·蔓草类·菟丝子·主治（《本经》）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its traditional functions.
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十八·草部·蔓草类·菟丝子·主治（《别录》）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its traditional functions.
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十八·草部·蔓草类·菟丝子·气味（之才·得酒良为使恶）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its safety notes.