Shui Yang Mei

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Adina rubella Hance

Pinyin: Shui Yang Mei
Adina

☯ TCM Properties

Category: clearing heat
Temperature: cool
Taste: bitter
Meridians: lung, large intestine
Functions:

Dispels Heat and relieves toxicity; Dispels extravasated Blood and relieves pain

Traditional Chinese Uses

Shui Yang Mei is derived from Adina rubella (Rubiaceae), a riverside shrub used in southern Chinese folk medicine (root and aerial parts, Herba/Radix Adinae). Bitter and cool, entering the Lung and Large Intestine channels, it dispels Heat and relieves toxicity, and disperses extravasated Blood to relieve pain. Its main use is for Damp-Heat and toxic-Heat disorders of the intestines, notably diarrhea and dysentery with abdominal pain, as well as sore, swollen throat, feverish colds, and hot painful sores and swellings.

Its astringent, anti-inflammatory quality also lends it to traumatic injury and bleeding, taken in decoction or applied externally. As a regional folk medicinal its indications rest largely on traditional practice, so it is best used with qualified guidance.

Western Herbalism Properties

Actions:
astringentanti-inflammatory

Botanical Description

Shui Yang Mei is most commonly attributed in southern Chinese folk medicine to Adina rubella (Rubiaceae), a deciduous riverside shrub 1–3 m tall with slender, often arching branches. Leaves are opposite, lanceolate to elliptic, 2–6 cm long, with entire margins and short petioles, bearing small interpetiolar stipules. The inflorescence is a distinctive globose head 1–1.5 cm in diameter, composed of numerous small tubular five-lobed pinkish-red flowers with conspicuously exserted styles giving a pincushion appearance. The plant grows along streambanks throughout the Yangtze basin. (Note: in some northern districts the same name is applied to Geum aleppicum in the Rosaceae; identification should be confirmed locally.)

Dosage

FormAmount 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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