☯ TCM Properties
Clears Heat, stops bleeding and dissipates Blood Stasis
Traditional Chinese Uses
Tie Shu Ye (Folium Cycadis) is the leaf of Cycas revoluta, the sago cycad or 'iron tree', a sweet-bland, cool blood-regulating substance. It clears Heat, stops bleeding, and dissipates Blood stasis to relieve pain. In folk use the leaves are decocted for coughing or vomiting of blood, blood in the stool, painful menstruation and stasis-type abdominal pain, and are applied to swellings and sores; the related seeds and flowers have their own hemostatic and channel-unblocking uses.
Caution is essential: cycads contain cycasin, a glucoside converted by gut bacteria into a carcinogenic, neurotoxic, and hepatotoxic metabolite (methylazoxymethanol). All parts are toxic, seeds most of all. Internal use should be limited, properly processed, and avoided in pregnancy; this material is best regarded as toxic and used with great care.
Botanical Description
Cycas revoluta, the sago cycad or 'king sago palm', is not a true palm but a gymnosperm of the ancient Cycadaceae, native to southern Japan (notably Kyushu and the Ryukyus) and southeastern China and widely cultivated as an ornamental. It grows extremely slowly to 2–3 m, forming a stout, columnar, persistent-leaf-base-clothed trunk crowned by a symmetrical rosette of stiff, dark green, pinnate fronds 60–150 cm long. The narrow, leathery pinnae are sharply pointed, with strongly revolute margins — the source of the specific epithet. The species is dioecious: male cones are large, narrow, yellow, and pollen-bearing; female plants produce a low, rounded dome of woolly megasporophylls bearing bright orange seeds. The medicinal organ is the dried leaf (pinna), cut from mature fronds. All parts contain the toxins cycasin, methylazoxymethanol, and BMAA.
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.
📝 Notes
Public notes from the community and your own private notes on Tie Shu Ye.
No notes yet.