☯ TCM Properties
Dispels Heat and Toxins from the Lungs and skin; Cools the Blood and stops bleeding (topically)
Traditional Chinese Uses
Dong Qing Ye (Folium Ilicis Chinensis) is the dried leaf of Ilex chinensis, the Chinese holly, a Heat-clearing, toxicity-resolving herb. Bitter, astringent and cold, entering the Lung and Heart channels, it dispels Heat and toxins from the Lungs and skin and cools the Blood to stop bleeding. Internally it treats Lung-Heat cough, sore throat, and Damp-Heat patterns such as dysentery and urinary or biliary tract infection.
It is best known for topical use: as a cooling, astringent, antimicrobial application for burns and scalds, weeping eczema, dermatitis and skin ulcers, and to stanch traumatic bleeding, where the leaf is decocted into a wash or powdered onto the lesion. Decocted internally it is typically used around 9-15 g. Being cold and draining, it is used cautiously in Spleen-Stomach deficiency-cold.
Western Herbalism Properties
Botanical Description
Dong Qing Ye is the dried leaf of Ilex chinensis Sims (Aquifoliaceae), the Chinese holly, an evergreen tree 8–15 m tall native to broadleaf forests of central and southern China and cultivated as an ornamental. The bark is smooth and grey; young shoots are green and angled. Leaves are alternate, leathery, elliptic to oblong-elliptic, 6–11 cm long and 2–4 cm wide, with shallowly crenate-serrate margins (not the rigid spines of I. aquifolium), a glossy dark-green upper surface, paler beneath, and a short petiole. Plants are dioecious; small white to lilac, four-merous flowers cluster in axillary cymes in spring. The fruit is a globose drupe 5–7 mm across that ripens bright red in autumn and persists into winter. Leaves are collected year-round, sun-dried, and used in TCM to clear heat, resolve toxin, and treat burns, sore throat, dysentery, and respiratory infection.
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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