☯ TCM Properties
Invigorates and cools the Blood, circulates Qi and stops bleeding; Clears Heat and expels toxins; Drains Dampness, promotes urination and promotes lactation; Kills Intestinal parasites
Traditional Chinese Uses
Di Jin Cao (Herba Euphorbiae Humifusae) is the dried whole plant of the prostrate annual Euphorbia humifusa (the Chinese Pharmacopoeia also admits E. maculata). Pungent and bitter in flavour and neutral in nature, it enters the Liver, Lung, Stomach, Large Intestine and Bladder channels. It clears Heat and resolves toxicity, cools and invigorates the Blood to stop bleeding, drains Dampness to promote urination and resolve jaundice, and kills intestinal parasites.
It is chiefly used for Damp-Heat in the intestines with dysentery, bloody diarrhoea and enteritis, and for a range of Heat-type bleeding such as haematuria, uterine bleeding, haemorrhoidal and traumatic bleeding. It further treats Damp-Heat jaundice, sores, carbuncles and snakebite (often applied topically as well as taken internally), and hookworm-related dermatitis. Li Shizhen recorded it for abscesses, malignant sores and bloody dysentery. It is typically decocted, around 9-20 g.
Western Herbalism Properties
Botanical Description
Di Jin Cao (地錦草) is the dried whole plant of Euphorbia humifusa Willd. ex Schltdl., or in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia also Euphorbia maculata L. (Euphorbiaceae), prostrate annual herbs widespread on roadsides, field margins, and waste places throughout China and much of the temperate world. Plants form flat mats of slender reddish stems with opposite small oblong leaves, often with a central dark blotch (in E. maculata); stems exude milky white latex when broken. Tiny cyathia bearing minute flowers and three-lobed capsules are borne in leaf axils through summer. The whole flowering plant is collected, washed, and sun-dried. In TCM, Di Jin Cao is classified as pungent and neutral, entering the Liver and Large Intestine channels, and is used to clear heat, detoxify, cool blood, stop bleeding, and resolve damp for damp-heat dysentery, diarrhea, hematuria, hemoptysis, traumatic bleeding, and damp-heat jaundice.
Active Constituents
Quercetin
FlavonolConcentration: Major aglycone constituent
Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial flavonol; one of the verified components responsible for activity against Staphylococcus aureus and for anti-diarrheal action.
Kaempferol
FlavonolConcentration: Present
Anti-inflammatory and antibacterial flavonol contributing to the herb's heat-clearing, toxin-resolving traditional use.
Luteolin and apigenin
FlavonesConcentration: Present
Anti-inflammatory and antibacterial flavones; luteolin is among the compounds linked to antibiofilm activity against S. aureus.
Flavonoid glycosides (rutin, hyperoside, isoquercitrin, astragalin, nicotiflorin)
Flavonol glycosidesConcentration: Major flavonoid fraction
Water-soluble antioxidant glycosides considered primary active ingredients for cooling blood, stopping bleeding and treating diarrhea.
Gallic acid and ellagic acid
Phenolic acidsConcentration: Present
Astringent, hemostatic and antioxidant phenolic acids consistent with the traditional use to stop bleeding.
Tannins
Hydrolyzable/condensed tanninsConcentration: Present as an astringent fraction
Astringent constituents underlying the anti-diarrheal and hemostatic actions.
beta-Sitosterol
PhytosterolConcentration: Minor
Anti-inflammatory phytosterol commonly present in the aerial parts.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 6-15g | Daily | — | — | — |
Preparation Methods
Decoction (tang)
Parts: Whole dried aerial parts (herb)
Typical adult dose 15-30 g of the dried whole herb (or up to ~60 g fresh) decocted in water for internal use to clear heat, resolve toxicity and stop bleeding or diarrhea.
Fresh juice / mashed topical application
Parts: Fresh whole herb
Fresh herb is pounded and applied externally to sores, furuncles, snakebite and bleeding wounds, or the expressed juice taken internally; a traditional remedy for skin toxin-swellings.
Clinical Studies
Antibacterial and antibiofilm efficacy of the preferred fractions and compounds from Euphorbia humifusa (herba euphorbiae humifusae) against Staphylococcus aureus
Bioassay-guided fractionation of a 75% ethanol extract identified flavonoid components (including luteolin, quercetin and kaempferol) with antibacterial and antibiofilm activity against S. aureus, providing a mechanistic basis for the traditional use of Di Jin Cao in furuncles and carbuncles.
Exploring potential antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory flavonoids from Euphorbia humifusa with an integrated strategy
An integrated screening strategy identified flavonoids from E. humifusa with antidiabetic (alpha-glucosidase inhibitory) and anti-inflammatory activity, supporting further study of the herb's phenolic fraction.
Historical Texts
Ben Cao Gang Mu (Compendium of Materia Medica), Li Shizhen
Ming dynasty (1578)Jia You Ben Cao (Materia Medica of the Jiayou Era)
Northern Song dynasty (1060)References
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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