Ji Xiang Teng

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Paederia foetida L.

Pinyin: Ji Xiang Teng
Paederia Chicken Dung

☯ TCM Properties

Category: wind-damp dispelling
Temperature: neutral
Taste: sweet
Meridians: lung, liver
Functions:

Dispels Wind-Cold; Dispels Cold and Dampness; Clears Heat and eliminates toxins

Traditional Chinese Uses

Ji Xiang Teng, the "chicken-dung vine," is the aerial stem of Paederia foetida (syn. P. scandens, Rubiaceae), a sweet, neutral herb entering the Lung and Liver channels. In practice it dispels Wind and Dampness and unblocks the channels, relaxing the sinews and relieving pain in Wind-Damp painful obstruction, rheumatic joint and low-back pain, sprains, and traumatic injury. Aromatic and harmonizing, it also settles the Stomach and eases food stagnation, epigastric and abdominal pain, dyspepsia, and childhood malnutrition; and by clearing Heat and resolving toxicity it is applied to dysentery, jaundice, sores, and swellings. It is taken as a decoction (10-30 g) and used topically for injuries and dermatitis, and an injectable analgesic preparation has been developed from it. Generally well tolerated; the crushed plant has a characteristic sulfurous odor.

Western Herbalism Properties

Actions:
anti-inflammatoryantispasmodic

Botanical Description

Ji Xiang Teng, the chicken-dung vine, is the dried aerial parts of Paederia scandens (Lour.) Merr. (syn. P. foetida auct., Rubiaceae), a slender twining perennial of forest margins across southern China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. The opposite ovate-lanceolate leaves and the entire plant emit a strong fetid sulfurous odor when crushed, owing to methyl mercaptan, which gives the herb its name. Small bell-shaped tubular flowers, white outside and purple within, are borne in axillary or terminal cymes and produce small yellow-brown drupes. In traditional Chinese medicine the vine is sweet, slightly bitter, and neutral, entering the Liver and Spleen channels; it dispels wind-damp, moves qi, relieves pain, transforms phlegm, and counters food stagnation, used for rheumatic pain, epigastric pain, dysentery, jaundice, and traumatic injury.

Dosage

FormAmount Frequency Duration Population Notes
decoction 3-9g 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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