☯ TCM Properties
Clears Heat, cools the Blood, resolves swelling, breaks up clots and removes toxicity
Traditional Chinese Uses
She Mei (Herba Duchesneae Indicae) is the whole plant of the mock or Indian strawberry, Duchesnea indica, a Heat-clearing, toxicity-resolving folk herb. Sweet, bitter and sour with a cold nature, entering the Lung, Large Intestine and Liver channels, it clears Heat, cools the Blood, resolves toxicity and reduces swelling, and disperses clots. It is applied to Heat-toxin conditions such as sore, swollen throat, mouth sores, cough from Lung-Heat, Damp-Heat dysentery, and to boils, abscesses and snake or insect bites, where the fresh crushed herb is also applied topically.
Its Blood-cooling action extends to Heat in the Blood with bleeding such as hematemesis, and it has traditional use in febrile disease with convulsions. It is decocted (commonly 9-15 g, larger amounts fresh) or juiced; being cold, it is used cautiously where there is no Heat.
Western Herbalism Properties
Botanical Description
She Mei is the whole plant of Duchesnea indica (Andrews) Focke (Rosaceae; also placed in Potentilla indica), the mock or Indian strawberry, a low, stoloniferous perennial herb of meadows, lawns, forest edges, and roadsides across China and much of temperate and subtropical Asia, naturalized worldwide. Slender, long, hairy runners root at the nodes to form mats. Leaves are alternate, long-petioled, palmately trifoliate, with obovate to rhombic, coarsely crenate-serrate leaflets 1.5–4 cm long. Solitary, axillary flowers borne on long peduncles have five bright yellow petals (distinguishing it from true Fragaria, which is white-flowered) and a leafy, three-toothed epicalyx larger than the calyx. The aggregate fruit is a globose, bright red, dry-fleshy receptacle 1–2 cm across studded with many small achenes; bland and insipid, not toxic. Plants are collected in summer or autumn, washed, and dried. Used to clear heat, resolve toxin, and cool blood.
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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