Hu Huang Lian
StarPicrorhiza scrophulariiflora Pennell
☯ TCM Properties
Clears Deficiency Heat and Reduces Steaming Bone Disorder; Clears Childhood Nutritional Impairment Heat; Clears Damp-Heat; Cools the Blood
Traditional Chinese Uses
Hu Huang Lian (picrorhiza rhizome) is a strongly bitter, cold herb that clears deficiency heat from the bones — the steaming-type heat of chronic Yin deficiency — as well as damp heat from the intestines and digestive tract. It is used for childhood malnutrition with fever, chronic low-grade fever from Yin deficiency, and Damp-Heat digestive conditions including dysentery and hemorrhoids. Its potent bitter-cold nature requires cautious use in those with weak digestion.
Western Herbalism Properties
Botanical Description
Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora is a small alpine perennial herb of the family Plantaginaceae (formerly Scrophulariaceae) restricted to rocky meadows, screes and moist humus-rich slopes at 3500-4500 m in the eastern Himalaya, Sichuan, Yunnan and Tibet. From a stout, creeping, dark brown rhizome up to 15 cm long and 0.5-1 cm thick it produces a basal rosette of spathulate to obovate leaves 5-15 cm long with sharply serrate margins and prominent reticulate venation. A leafless erect scape 15-30 cm tall bears a dense terminal spike of small, five-lobed, purplish-blue to violet tubular flowers with exserted stamens, blooming in summer. The fruit is an ovoid two-valved capsule containing numerous small ridged seeds. The rhizome, harvested in autumn, is hard, fibrous, intensely bitter and yellow-brown in cross-section.
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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