☯ TCM Properties
Promotes urination, reduces edema and disperses swelling; Resolves Phlegm and stops cough; Transforms Phlegm and disperses nodules
Traditional Chinese Uses
Ze Qi is the above-ground herb of Euphorbia helioscopia (sun spurge), classified among herbs that transform phlegm and move water. Pungent and bitter with a cold nature, it enters the Lung, Small Intestine, and Large Intestine channels. Its principal action is to promote urination and reduce edema, making it a folk remedy for generalized swelling and ascites, and it also transforms phlegm to stop cough and wheeze in patterns of phlegm-fluid congesting the Lungs. A secondary use is dispersing hardened nodules, including scrofula (swollen lymph nodes) and tubercular fistula, applied both internally and topically.
Ze Qi is slightly toxic and the milky latex is a mucous-membrane and skin irritant; it must be used cautiously in prescribed doses, is unsuitable for those with weak digestion, and is traditionally avoided in pregnancy.
Western Herbalism Properties
Botanical Description
Ze Qi is the whole above-ground herb of Euphorbia helioscopia L. (and in some regional sources E. lunulata; Euphorbiaceae), the sun spurge, a winter annual or biennial herb 10–40 cm tall of cultivated fields, waste places, and roadsides throughout China, Europe, and temperate Asia. The erect, hairless to sparsely hairy stem exudes a copious milky white latex when broken. Cauline leaves are alternate, obovate to spatulate, finely serrate above the middle, 1–3 cm long. The inflorescence is a characteristic five-rayed umbel subtended by a whorl of five broadly obovate leaf-like bracts; each ray bears a tiny cyathium with crescent-shaped yellow-green glands and small unisexual flowers. The fruit is a three-lobed, smooth capsule splitting into three single-seeded mericarps. Whole plants are harvested at flowering, dried in shade, and used in TCM to disperse phlegm, promote urination, and dispel stasis. The latex is irritant and TOXIC, causing dermatitis and severe gastric upset; cautious internal dosing only, contraindicated in pregnancy and deficiency.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 9-15g | 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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