Ban Bian Lian
StarLobelia chinensis Lour.
☯ TCM Properties
Clears Heat and Resolves Toxicity; Promotes Urination and Reduces Edema; Resolves Dampness from the Skin; Counteracts Snake and Insect Venom
Traditional Chinese Uses
Ban Bian Lian (lobelia herb, half-lotus herb) is a cold herb used in Chinese medicine primarily to clear Heat toxin, promote urination, and reduce swelling. It is applied for toxic swellings, snake bites, ascites from Liver-related abdominal conditions, and urinary difficulty from fluid retention. Its modest diuretic and detoxifying actions make it relevant in both external and internal Heat toxin conditions, and it appears in formulas targeting edema and inflammatory accumulations.
Botanical Description
Lobelia chinensis is a small, slender, creeping perennial herb of the family Campanulaceae (subfamily Lobelioideae) native to wet meadows, paddy margins and ditch banks across southern and central China, the Korean peninsula, Japan and Southeast Asia. The thread-like, glabrous, often rooting stems are only 10-25 cm long and bear alternate, narrowly lanceolate to linear-oblong, sessile leaves 1-2 cm long with a few obscure teeth on the margin. The distinctive solitary axillary flowers are 8-12 mm across and have a strongly bilabiate, deeply five-lobed pink to pale lilac corolla in which all five lobes spread to one side, giving a fan-like appearance characteristic of Lobelia, with the five anthers fused around the style. The fruit is an obconical, two-valved capsule 5-8 mm long containing numerous minute seeds. The whole flowering herb with root is collected in summer.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 6-15g | Daily | — | — | — |
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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