Qu Mai
StarDianthus superbus L.
Traditionally used for
- Urinary & fluids
- Menstrual & women's health
Cautions & contraindications
- Pregnancy
- Kidney conditions
☯ TCM Properties
Promotes Urination and Relieves Stranguria; Clears Heat from the Heart and Small Intestine; Invigorates Blood and Regulates Menstruation; Clears Damp-Heat from the Lower Burner
Traditional Chinese Uses
Qu Mai (dianthus herb, fringed pink) is a cold, bitter herb that clears Damp-Heat and strongly promotes urination. It is the principal herb in Chinese medicine for urinary tract infections with burning, painful, or difficult urination from Lower Burner Damp-Heat. It also invigorates Blood and promotes menstruation, making it useful for amenorrhea from Blood stagnation. Its combined diuretic and Blood-activating properties make it applicable to conditions at the intersection of Damp-Heat accumulation and Blood stasis in the lower body.
Western Herbalism Properties
Pharmacological Effects
- Diuretic: Oral decoction 2 g/kg in rabbits raised urine and chloride output; urine output rose 1-2.5x in anesthetized and 5-8x in conscious dogs; possibly due to high potassium.
- Smooth muscle stimulant: Decoction stimulated isolated rabbit intestine (tone) and dog intestine in situ/fistula (peristalsis); antagonized by diphenhydramine and papaverine.
- Cardiovascular: Spike decoction inhibited isolated frog and rabbit hearts (sometimes AV block); 0.5 g/kg i.v. lowered blood pressure in anesthetized dogs with transient renal vascular changes.
Source: Zhu YP. Chinese Materia Medica: Chemistry, Pharmacology and Applications. Harwood Academic, 1998, p. 341.
Used In Formulas (5)
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Dianthus superbus, fringed pink or Qu Mai, is a perennial herb in the Caryophyllaceae family, native to temperate Eurasia and reaching 30-80 cm. Slender erect stems are glabrous, swollen at the nodes, and branching in the inflorescence. Linear-lanceolate opposite leaves 3-10 cm long are bluish-green with sheathing bases. Showy fragrant flowers 3-5 cm across have five deeply fringed petals in pale pink to lilac, with a slender calyx tube 2.5-4 cm long subtended by short bracts; they bloom in summer in meadows, woodland margins, and montane grasslands. The whole flowering aerial parts are cut and dried for medicinal use.
Active Constituents
Triterpenoid saponins (e.g., dianchinenosides, gypsogenin/quillaic-acid glycosides)
Triterpenoid saponinsConcentration: Principal bioactive class
The most characteristic constituents of Dianthi herba; associated with diuretic, uterine-stimulant and antimicrobial activity.
Flavonoid C-glycosides (orientin, isoorientin, luteolin, quercetin glycosides)
FlavonoidsConcentration: Major class (about 20 flavonoids identified)
Contribute antioxidant and antiviral effects; quercetin-3-O-glucoside and quercetin-7-O-glucoside showed anti-influenza activity in vitro.
Anthraquinones (emodin, physcion, emodin-8-O-glucoside)
AnthraquinonesConcentration: Minor constituent class
Anthraquinone pigments with antimicrobial and mild purgative/anti-inflammatory activity.
Cyclic peptides (dianthins)
CyclopeptidesConcentration: Characteristic class (10+ compounds)
Dianthin-type cyclopeptides contribute to antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity reported for the herb.
Volatile oil (eugenol, methyl salicylate)
Volatile oil / phenylpropanoidsConcentration: Aromatic fraction
Volatile constituents including eugenol and methyl salicylate contribute aroma and mild analgesic/antimicrobial effects.
Phenolic acids (p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, methyl 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate)
Phenolic acidsConcentration: Minor polar constituents
Phenolic acids show antioxidant activity; methyl 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate is linked to the reported uterine-excitatory effect.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Diuretics and lithium
Dianthi herba has confirmed diuretic activity. Combined with pharmaceutical diuretics it could produce additive fluid and electrolyte loss, and increased urinary output can alter renal handling of narrow-therapeutic-index drugs such as lithium.
Clinical note: Monitor fluid/electrolyte status and lithium levels if co-administered; inferred from diuretic pharmacology rather than clinical interaction data.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 9–15 g | Daily | — | — | 中国药典 2020 【用法与用量】9～15g。 【注意】孕妇慎用。 【性味与归经】苦，寒。归心、小肠经。 — Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020, quoted verbatim; route and cautions preserved. Replaces a cleared category-filler value. |
Preparation Methods
Decoction
Parts: Aerial parts (whole herb, flowering tops)
The dried aerial parts are decocted, typically 9-15 g per day, to promote urination, relieve painful urinary dribbling (stranguria) and clear Damp-Heat from the Lower Burner. CONTRAINDICATED in pregnancy because of its uterine-stimulant and Blood-invigorating action; avoid high or prolonged dosing given dose-related renal toxicity observed in animals.
Dui Yao — Herb Pairs
The classical two-herb combinations this herb appears in, each with an action neither herb has alone.
Clear damp-heat from the bladder and unblock painful urinary dribbling.
Heat and stone painful urinary dysfunction.
Core pair of a classical formula — Ba Zheng San, Taiping Huimin Hejiju Fang
Evidence Tier
Limited evidence · 2 studiesRecorded 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
0 verified · 1 unverified
Other / unclassified
1
1 verified · 0 unverified
Verified: design read from PubMed for a DOI that resolves to the cited paper Unverified: taken from the study's recorded description
Clinical Studies
Dianthi herba: a comprehensive review of its botany, traditional use, phytochemistry, and pharmacology
Reviews approximately 194 compounds (triterpenoid saponins, flavonoids, cyclopeptides, anthraquinones, volatile oil) and pharmacological evidence for diuretic, antitumor, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, uterine-excitatory and antimicrobial actions, plus dose-related renal toxicity.
Utilization of Dianthus superbus L and its bioactive compounds for antioxidant, anti-influenza and toxicological effects
Isolated flavonoid glycosides from D. superbus (e.g., quercetin-3-O-glucoside, quercetin-7-O-glucoside) showed antioxidant activity and inhibition of influenza A and B strains with IC50 values in the low-microgram-per-mL range, with toxicological screening of the extracts.
⚠ Safety & Contraindications
- Pregnancy
- Kidney conditions
Contraindications
Its use is prohibited in pregnant women and patients with spleen and kidney qi deficiency.
Source: Xi S, Gong Y. Essentials of Chinese Materia Medica and Medical Formulas. Academic Press/Elsevier, 2017, pp. 146–150.
Historical Texts
Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (Divine Farmer's Materia Medica)
Eastern Han, c. 200 CEBen Cao Gang Mu (Compendium of Materia Medica), Li Shizhen
Ming dynasty, 1596References
- Liu Q, Zang EH, Wang CC, Liu YC, Niu H, Gao Y, Li MH. Dianthi herba: a comprehensive review of its botany, traditional use, phytochemistry, and pharmacology . Chinese Medicine (2022) [DOI]
- Kim DH, Park GS, Nile AS, Kwon YD, Enkhtaivan G, Nile SH. Utilization of Dianthus superbus L and its bioactive compounds for antioxidant, anti-influenza and toxicological effects . Food and Chemical Toxicology (2019) [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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