☯ TCM Properties
Cools Heat, drains Fire and slightly resolves toxicity and cools the Blood; Clears Heat, facilitates urination and unblocks painful urinary dysfunction
Traditional Chinese Uses
Ya Zhi Cao (Herba Commelinae, the aerial parts of Commelina communis, the common dayflower) is a sweet, bland, cold heat-clearing herb entering the Lung, Stomach and Small Intestine (and Bladder) channels. It clears Heat and drains Fire while resolving toxicity, and is used for the high fever, thirst, and irritability of warm-febrile disease, for Wind-Heat colds, and for hot, swollen, painful sore throat, where fresh material or expressed juice is favored.
Because it is bland and draining, it also promotes urination and unblocks painful, hot, dribbling urinary dysfunction (lin syndrome) and relieves edema, especially damp-heat patterns. It slightly cools the Blood as well, aiding hot swollen sores and carbuncles, which the pounded fresh herb can dress externally. Typical dose is 15-30 g dried, or 30-60 g fresh. Its cold, draining nature is used cautiously in Spleen-Stomach cold-deficiency.
Western Herbalism Properties
Botanical Description
Ya Zhi Cao is the dried aerial parts of Commelina communis L. (Commelinaceae), the common dayflower, an annual herb of moist disturbed ground throughout China, Korea, Japan, and now widely naturalized in temperate regions. Stems are decumbent and rooting at lower nodes, 20 to 60 cm long, bearing alternate lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate sheathing leaves. The distinctive flowers, enclosed in folded spathe-like bracts, open for a single morning and have two showy upper bright blue petals and one inconspicuous lower white petal, the source of a natural blue dye historically used in Japanese woodblock printing. In traditional Chinese medicine the herb is sweet, slightly bitter, and cold, entering the Lung, Stomach, and Small Intestine channels; it clears heat, resolves toxicity, and promotes urination, and is used for febrile illness with thirst, sore throat, edema with painful urination, carbuncles, and snakebite.
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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