Ou Jie
StarNelumbo nucifera Gaertn.
Traditionally used for
- Nose & throat
- Cough & breathing
- Menstrual & women's health
☯ TCM Properties
Astringes and Stops Bleeding; Invigorates Blood and Dispels Stasis; Stops Bleeding Without Retaining Stasis
Traditional Chinese Uses
Ou Jie (lotus rhizome node) is a neutral, astringent herb primarily used to stop bleeding — including coughing up blood, nosebleeds, blood in the urine, and uterine hemorrhage. Unlike many hemostatic herbs, it stops bleeding while also dispersing Blood stasis, preventing the formation of retained clots after the bleeding has been controlled. It is gentle, food-grade, and safe for use in teas and soups.
Western Herbalism Properties
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Nelumbo nucifera (the sacred lotus; Ou Jie refers specifically to the dried nodes of the rhizome) is a large aquatic perennial in the Nelumbonaceae family, growing in still or slow-moving fresh water from a creeping, deeply embedded rhizome buried in pond mud. The rhizome is elongated, segmented, internally porous with large longitudinal air canals, and bears at each enlarged node a tuft of fibrous roots and an erect aerial leaf. The peltate, orbicular leaves, 30 to 90 centimeters across, are held above the water on long stout petioles, with a glaucous water-repellent waxy surface. The famous solitary flowers, 10 to 25 centimeters across, are borne on emergent peduncles and range from white through pink to deep rose, with numerous tepals surrounding a flat-topped yellow receptacle within which the carpels are sunken. The receptacle enlarges in fruit into the characteristic shower-head structure containing many nut-like seeds. The rhizome nodes (Ou Jie) are the constricted, denser sections between the elongated rhizome segments, harvested in autumn and dried.
Active Constituents
Tannins
Polyphenol (hydrolysable and condensed tannins)Concentration: quantified by UV colorimetry in Nodus Nelumbinis Rhizomatis charcoal, where content varied by preparation and was highest in the reference-standard sample; no accepted figure for the raw node
Tannins are the constituent class most often proposed as the astringent, bleeding-arresting principle of the node, and the only class for which node-specific quantitative work exists. The authors of that work were explicit that whether the tannins actually are the haemostatic actives remains unproven.
Flavonol glycosides and their aglycones (quercetin, kaempferol type)
FlavonoidConcentration: present across lotus organs; the node has not been separately quantified in the indexed literature
Work on the sister drug He Ye (lotus leaf) shows that charring at about 150 degrees C degrades flavonol glycosides to their aglycones and that this charcoal shortens bleeding and clotting time in mice by more than 30 percent. That mechanism is a reasonable model for charred Ou Jie Tan but has not been demonstrated on the node itself.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Orally co-administered alkaloidal drugs and iron salts
The only characterised constituent class of this drug is tannin, and tannins complex alkaloids, basic drugs and non-haem iron in the gut lumen. There is no study of this for Ou Jie specifically - the entry is a class inference, flagged as such, and is included because the drug is otherwise pharmacologically uncharacterised.
Clinical note: Separate the decoction from oral iron or a narrow-therapeutic-index oral drug by about two hours. Do not treat this as a demonstrated interaction.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 9–15 g | Daily | — | — | 中国药典 2020 【用法与用量】9～15g。 【性味与归经】甘，涩，平。归肝、肺、胃经。 — Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020, quoted verbatim; route and cautions preserved. Replaces a cleared category-filler value. |
Evidence Tier
Limited evidence · 1 studyRecorded studies by study design, strongest design at the top. This is a study-design tier only, not a GRADE rating: it does not weigh risk of bias, consistency or precision.
Systematic review / meta-analysis
0
Randomized controlled trial
0
Other clinical trial
0
Observational / case report
0
In vitro / animal
1
1 verified · 0 unverified
Other / unclassified
0
Verified: design read from PubMed for a DOI that resolves to the cited paper Unverified: taken from the study's recorded description
Clinical Studies
Gastroprotective Effects of Nelumbinis Rhizomatis Nodus-Derived Carbon Dots on Ethanol-Induced Gastric Ulcers in Rats
Carbon dots of mean diameter 2.33 nm were prepared from Nelumbinis Rhizomatis Nodus, the lotus rhizome node, and given to male Sprague-Dawley rats before ethanol challenge. Pretreatment lowered the ulcer index and reduced gastric mucosal damage, with effects tracking oxidative-stress and inflammatory markers. This is one of very few studies on this specific plant part, but it tests a pyrolysis-derived nanomaterial, not the dispensed herb, and says nothing about haemostasis.
Historical Texts
Yao Xing Lun
Tang dynastyBen Cao Gang Mu
Ming dynastyReferences
- Liu SX, Hou LJ, Jin GQ, Guo CJ, Wang M. [Study on changes of content of Tannin in Nodus Nelumbinis Rhizomatis Charcoal] . Zhongyaocai (Journal of Chinese Medicinal Materials) (2009)
- Pei H, Su W, Gui M, Dou M, Zhang Y, Wang C, Lu D. Comparative Analysis of Chemical Constituents in Different Parts of Lotus by UPLC and QToF-MS . Molecules (2021) [DOI]
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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