☯ TCM Properties
Cools the Blood, stops bleeding, dispels Heat, removes Dampness, relieves toxicity and resolves swelling
Traditional Chinese Uses
Ma Lan (Herba Kalimeris indica, syn. Aster indicus) is a cool, pungent heat-clearing herb entering the Liver, Stomach, Large Intestine and Lung channels. Its principal action is to cool the Blood and stop bleeding, making it a folk remedy for reckless heat in the Blood presenting as nosebleed, coughing or vomiting of blood, bloody urine, hemorrhoidal bleeding, and abnormal uterine bleeding.
It also clears Heat and resolves toxicity while draining Damp-Heat, and is applied to damp-heat jaundice, sore throat, dysenteric diarrhea, hot painful urinary dribbling, and turbid stranguria. Externally the pounded fresh herb is dressed onto sores, boils, erysipelas, and traumatic wounds to reduce swelling. Typical dosage is 10-30 g dried (30-60 g fresh, or expressed juice); the tender shoots are also eaten as a cooling spring vegetable in southern China.
Botanical Description
Kalimeris indica (syn. Aster indicus) is a perennial herb of the Asteraceae, native to East and South Asia. It grows 30–70 cm tall from a short, creeping rhizome, with erect, slender, sparingly branched stems. The alternate leaves are lanceolate to oblanceolate, coarsely toothed, the lower ones often withered by flowering time. From late spring through autumn the plant bears small daisy-like capitula, 1.5–2.5 cm across, with pale lilac to white ray florets and yellow disc florets, arranged in loose corymbs. It is common in moist meadows, ditch margins, fallow paddies, and roadsides across much of China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. The aerial parts (and sometimes the whole plant including roots) are gathered when in flower for medicinal use.
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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