☯ TCM Properties
Traditional Chinese Uses
Ci Ji Li, better known as Bai Ji Li, is the dried ripe fruit of Tribulus terrestris. In standard materia medica it is bitter and acrid and neutral to slightly warm, entering the Liver channel, and is classed among substances that calm the Liver and extinguish Wind. Its principal action is to calm ascendant Liver Yang, easing headache, dizziness and vertigo, and to course constrained Liver Qi, relieving chest and breast distension and palpable breast lumps.
It also dispels Wind to benefit the eyes, used for red, swollen, itchy or tearing eyes and superficial visual obstruction, and expels Wind from the skin to stop itching in wind rashes and urticaria. It is commonly paired with chrysanthemum (Ju Hua) and other Liver-cooling, eye-brightening herbs.
Western Herbalism Properties
Botanical Description
Ci Ji Li is the dried ripe fruit of Tribulus terrestris L. (Zygophyllaceae), the puncture vine or caltrops, a prostrate annual or short-lived perennial herb of warm temperate to tropical regions worldwide, common in sandy dry soils across northern China. The plant has pinnately compound opposite leaves with small ovate leaflets and solitary yellow five-petaled flowers in the leaf axils. The schizocarpic fruit splits into five wedge-shaped hard burs each bearing two pairs of sharp spines that readily puncture skin or tires, the diagnostic feature of the drug. In traditional Chinese medicine the fruit is acrid, bitter, slightly warm, and mildly toxic, entering the Liver channel; it calms the liver, subdues ascendant liver yang, expels wind, brightens the eyes, and is used for headache, dizziness, red itchy eyes, vitiligo, and urticaria. It is also a major Ayurvedic tonic (Gokshura).
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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