Hu Yao Huang
StarLeucas mollissima Wall. var. chinensis Benth.
Synonyms: Leucas mollissima Wall., Leucas chinensis (Retz.) Sm., Phlomis chinensis Retz.
☯ TCM Properties
Clears Heat and eliminates Toxins; Invigorates the blood and promotes urination
Traditional Chinese Uses
Bitter and cool, entering the Large Intestine, Small Intestine and Lung channels, Hu Yao Huang is used to clear Heat and resolve toxicity while invigorating the Blood and promoting urination. Its main applications are Heat-toxin and Damp-Heat patterns of the gut and skin: it is decocted for acute enteritis, bacillary dysentery, appendicitis (intestinal abscess), and for Heat-type painful or scanty urination. By moving Blood and reducing toxic swelling it is also given for traumatic injury, sores, boils and snakebite, and the fresh herb is pounded for external application to abscesses and inflamed wounds. A folk remedy of southern China rather than a Pharmacopoeia herb, it is typically decocted 15–30 g (fresh herb higher); avoid in pregnancy and in cold-deficiency patterns without Heat.
Botanical Description
Hu Yao Huang is the dried aerial parts of Leucas mollissima Wall. var. chinensis Benth., a soft-hairy annual or short-lived perennial of the mint family (Lamiaceae). The plant is 30–80 cm tall with a quadrangular, densely villous stem, opposite ovate to lanceolate leaves that are toothed and covered in soft hairs, and small white two-lipped flowers borne in dense axillary whorls (verticillasters) subtended by bristly bracts. The calyx is tubular and ribbed; the whole plant is aromatic when crushed. It grows as a weed of roadsides, grassy slopes, thickets and waste ground. The stems, leaves and flowering tops are cut in summer to autumn and dried for medicinal use.
Sunny grassy slopes, roadsides, thickets, forest margins and disturbed waste ground at low to middle elevations.
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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