Traditional Chinese Medicine/Xia Ku Cao

Name Means: Xia-Summer Ku-Withered Cao-Grass/Weed English Name: prunella selfheal spike Chinese Name: 夏枯草 (Pinyin: xià kū căo) Latin Name: Spica Prunellae Vulgaris Hong-Xiang Sun, Feng Qin, Yuan-Jiang Pan, "In vitro and in vivo immunosuppressive activity of Spica Prunellae ethanol extract on the immune responses in mice", Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Volume 101, Issues 1-3, 3 October 2005, Pages 31-36 Modern ResearchMi Kyoung Lee, Young Min Ahn, Kang Ro Lee, Jee H. Jung, Ok-Sang Jung, Jongki Hong: "Development of a validated liquid chromatographic method for the quality control of Prunellae Spica: Determination of triterpenic acids", Analytica Chimica Acta, Volume 633, Issue 2, 9 February 2009, Pages 271-277. Xia Ku Cao is "one of the most important herbal medicines in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis, mastitis, infectious hepatitis, and hypertension". Y.P. Zhu, "Chinese Materia Medica: Chemistry, Pharmacology and Applications", Harwood Academic Publishers, Amsterdam, 1998, pp668. It contains several active components including "triterpenic acids and their glycosidic derivatives, phenolic acids, and saponins". Among these components, triterpenic acids "have demonstrated antiinflammatory, diuretic, antitumor, hepatoprotective, and anti-HIV properties". M.E. Alvarez, A.E. Rotelli, L.E. Pelzer, J.R. Saad, O. Giordano, Il. Farmaco 55 (2000) pp502. Taste & Temperature: ../Ku-Bitter/ ../Xin-Spicy/ ../Han-Cold/ Channels: Foot Shao Yang of Gall Bladder Foot Jue Yin of Liver Actions & Indications: Clear Heat & Drain Fire Clear Liver Heat, brighten eyes clear Heat and dissipate nodules treat hypertension due to Liver Fire, Liver Yang Rising treat hypertension Contraindications: Spleen/Stomach Deficient Cold Caution: Spleen/Stomach deficiency Dosage: 2-5 qian (9-15 grams) back to: ../Qing Re Xia Huo/ ../TCM Materia Medica/ References