☯ TCM Properties
Clears Heat and resolves Toxicity, dissolves swellings and controls pain; Cools the Blood and stops bleeding
Traditional Chinese Uses
Hu Er Cao ("tiger's-ear herb") is the whole plant of Saxifraga stolonifera (Saxifragaceae), a creeping evergreen of moist shady places. Bitter, pungent and cool, it clears Heat and resolves toxicity, dissolves swellings and controls pain, and cools the Blood to stop bleeding. Its most characteristic traditional use is for inflammatory ear disorders: the fresh juice is instilled into the ear for acute otitis media and suppurative ear infection (nong er), a use supported by its antibacterial activity against common ear pathogens.
It is also applied for hot, toxic skin sores, boils, eczema, urticaria and burns, and taken for Lung-Heat cough, feverish conditions and bleeding from Heat. It is used in decoction or, more often, as fresh crushed herb or juice externally, and is contraindicated in pregnancy.
Western Herbalism Properties
Botanical Description
Saxifraga stolonifera Curtis (Saxifragaceae), strawberry begonia or creeping saxifrage, called Hu Er Cao ("tiger's-ear herb") in Chinese, is a low-growing evergreen perennial 15-45 cm tall, native to East Asia in moist shaded rocky habitats. The plant spreads vegetatively by slender thread-like red stolons that root at their tips. Leaves are basal in a rosette, on long red-hairy petioles, with kidney-shaped to broadly ovate, fleshy blades 3-6 cm wide, dark green with prominent silvery veins above and reddish-purple beneath, with shallow, rounded, irregularly toothed margins and a coarsely hairy surface, evocative of a tiger's ear. The flowering scape rises 20-45 cm bearing an open panicle of small zygomorphic white flowers, each with three small upper petals and two large strap-like drooping lower petals 1-2 cm long. The whole plant, collected year-round, is used to clear heat, cool blood, resolve toxins, dispel wind, and treat otitis, sores, and cough.
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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