☯ TCM Properties
Clears Summerheat, quenches thirst and remove Heat toxin
Traditional Chinese Uses
Xian Cao is the aerial parts of Mesona chinensis (Lamiaceae), the grass-jelly or "immortal grass" plant. Sweet and cold, it clears Summerheat, generates fluids to quench thirst, and resolves Heat toxicity. It is a gentle, food-grade cooling medicinal taken chiefly in the hot season for heat-stroke tendency, irritability and thirst from Summerheat, and mild Heat-toxin patterns; it is also used supportively for high blood pressure and Heat-type diabetes-like thirst in folk practice.
Most commonly the boiled, slightly oxidized stems and leaves are set with a little starch into the cooling black "grass jelly" (liang fen / xian cao dessert) eaten as a summer refreshment, or the herb is decocted as a cooling tea. Being cold, it is best avoided in those with Spleen-Stomach cold or loose stools.
Western Herbalism Properties
Botanical Description
Mesona chinensis Benth. (Lamiaceae), known as Xian Cao or Liang Fen Cao (grass jelly plant), is an annual herbaceous mint relative native to southern China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia, where it is widely cultivated for both culinary jelly and medicinal use. Plants are 15-100 cm tall, with quadrangular hairy stems often tinged purple, decumbent at the base and erect above. The opposite leaves are ovate to lanceolate, 2-5 cm long, with coarsely serrate margins, an acute tip, and a pubescent dark green surface that becomes blackish on drying. Small bilabiate flowers, white to pale pink with a purple upper lip, are borne in dense terminal one-sided racemes 2-10 cm long during late summer and autumn, subtended by ovate bracts. The fruit consists of four small smooth nutlets. The dried whole herb, when boiled with starch, releases a polysaccharide gel that sets into the well-known black grass jelly; medicinally it clears summer heat, relieves thirst, cools blood, and supports treatment of mild hypertension and diabetes.
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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