Ye Mu Dan
StarMelastoma malabathricum L.
☯ TCM Properties
Invigorates the Blood, removes toxic Heat, resolves toxicity, reduces swelling; Digests Food Stagnation; Astringes, stops bleeding
Traditional Chinese Uses
Ye Mu Dan (Herba Melastomae) is derived from Melastoma malabathricum, a heat-clearing herb that is sour and cool. Rich in tannins, it both cools and astringes: it clears and resolves toxic Heat, reduces swelling, and stops bleeding, while its astringency checks discharge. It is used in folk practice for damp-heat dysentery and diarrhea, bleeding from the gums, nose, or wounds, and for sores, abscesses, and traumatic injury.
It also invigorates the Blood to disperse stasis and helps digest food stagnation. Leaves and roots are commonly pounded fresh and applied topically to cuts and wounds to arrest bleeding and promote healing, or decocted internally. The powdered seeds featured in traditional anti-diarrheal pills.
Western Herbalism Properties
Botanical Description
Ye Mu Dan, the wild peony, is the aerial parts and root of Melastoma candidum D.Don (syn. M. malabathricum auct., Melastomataceae), an evergreen shrub 0.5 to 1.5 m tall common on acidic hillsides and forest margins across southern China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia, with no botanical relation to true peony (Paeonia) despite the shared common name. Stems are densely covered in appressed scales; the opposite ovate-lanceolate leaves bear three to five prominent parallel veins characteristic of the family and are rough-hairy above. Showy rose-purple five-petaled flowers about 5 cm across cluster at branch tips and produce fleshy purple-black urceolate berries with red pulp. In traditional Chinese folk medicine the herb is sweet, slightly astringent, and neutral, entering the Lung, Liver, and Spleen channels; it dispels wind-damp, harmonizes the blood, stops bleeding, and resolves toxicity, used for dysentery, hematochezia, hematuria, irregular menstruation, traumatic injury, 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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