Zi Cai
StarPyropia yezoensis (Ueda) M.S.Hwang & H.G.Choi
Synonyms: Porphyra yezoensis Ueda, Neopyropia yezoensis (Ueda) L.-E.Yang & J.Brodie, Porphyra haitanensis T.J.Chang & B.F.Zheng, Porphyra tenera Kjellman
☯ TCM Properties
Resolves Phlegm, softens hardness; Dispels Heat; Promotes diuresis
Traditional Chinese Uses
Zi Cai (紫菜) is laver — the dried red alga Pyropia yezoensis and related Bangiaceae (Herba Porphyrae), the seaweed eaten as nori. Sweet and salty with a cold nature, entering the Lung channel, its salty softening quality resolves Phlegm and softens hardness, while its cold nature clears Heat and it also promotes urination.
Its classic use is for Phlegm-and-hardness accumulations of the neck — goiter and scrofula (thyroid and lymph-node swellings) — often paired with other seaweeds such as Kun Bu and Hai Zao. It is also used for Phlegm-Heat cough, and its diuretic action addresses edema and damp accumulation, including beriberi swelling. It is commonly taken as food or in decoction. As a cold, salty substance it is used cautiously in Spleen-Stomach deficiency-cold with poor appetite and loose stools.
Botanical Description
Zi Cai is the dried foliose thallus of laver, a marine red alga of Pyropia (formerly Porphyra, Bangiaceae). Several species are officially used, principally Pyropia yezoensis, P. haitanensis and Porphyra tenera, cultivated along the coasts of China, Korea and Japan. The gametophyte blade is thin and membranous, only one to two cell layers thick, ovate to lanceolate with frilled or entire margins, 10-30 cm long, and purplish-red to brownish-black, drying to near-black in pressed sheets. It anchors to intertidal rock by a small holdfast. Its life cycle alternates the foliose gametophyte with a filamentous conchocelis phase boring into mollusc shells. Being an alga, it is not a vascular plant; the whole thallus is the drug.
Cultivated and wild on rocky intertidal and shallow subtidal substrates along temperate to warm-temperate coasts.
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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