Lian Qian Cao
StarGlechoma longituba (Nakai) Kuprian.
☯ TCM Properties
Clears Heat, promotes urination, alleviates cough, eliminates Stasis, reduces swellings and resolves toxicity
Traditional Chinese Uses
Lian Qian Cao, the herb of Glechoma longituba (Herba Glechomae), is a creeping mint-family plant that is (mildly bitter to) sweet and cold, entering the liver, kidney and bladder channels. It clears heat and drains damp-heat from the urinary tract and gallbladder, promotes urination, reduces swelling and resolves toxicity, and disperses blood stasis. Its best-known application is dredging stones: it is used to relieve painful, difficult urination (lin syndrome) and to help pass urinary and biliary calculi, and for damp-heat jaundice, nephritic edema, cholecystitis and cholelithiasis. It also alleviates cough. Applied topically or taken internally, it treats sores, abscesses and traumatic swellings by moving stagnant blood and reducing toxic swelling. It is commonly decocted, often in substantial doses for stone-dissolving formulas.
Western Herbalism Properties
Botanical Description
Lian Qian Cao (连钱草), also called Jin Qian Cao in some regions, is Glechoma longituba (Nakai) Kuprian. (Lamiaceae), a low, creeping perennial herb closely related to and sometimes treated as Glechoma hederacea. The plant produces slender, square, rooting stems 10–30 cm long that trail along damp ground and woodland edges, bearing opposite, kidney-shaped to broadly cordate leaves with rounded-crenate margins that release a faintly minty, balsamic scent when crushed. Two-lipped tubular flowers in pale violet-blue with darker markings appear in axillary whorls in spring. The entire flowering plant is collected, washed of soil, and either used fresh or sun-dried. It is widely employed in southern China for urinary calculi, jaundice, and damp-heat conditions of the lower burner.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 9-15g | 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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