cang er zi

苍耳子·Fructus Xanthii

cockleburr fruit

Toxic

Toxicity graded by American Dragon.

About cang er zi

Cang Er Zi (苍耳子) is the fruit of the cocklebur, a plant of the daisy family, recorded as Fructus Xanthii. It is sweet, bitter and acrid in flavour, warm in temperature, and enters the Lung channel alone. The catalogue files it among the herbs that dispel Wind-Damp.

Names

Pinyin	cang er zi
Chinese	苍耳子·蒼耳子
Latin Name	Fructus Xanthii
English Name	cockleburr fruit·cockleburr fruit; xanthium fruit·Xanthium Fruit
Japanese	sojishi
Korean	changija

Classification

Category: Dispel Wind Damp
Channels: Lung
Flavour: Acrid, Sweet, Bitter
Temperature: Warm
Family: Asteraceae
Species: Xanthium Sibiricum
Tags: Chinese Herbs, Common

Actions and indications

Disperses Wind-Damp, opens the nasal passages and relieves pain

Blocked nose, rhinitis or sinusitis with thick, turbid discharge and loss of smell
Severe sinus headache that can radiate to the neck or the back of the head

Disperses Wind and dispels Damp

Wind-Damp Bi with muscle and joint pain, spasms or cramps
Itchy skin disorders and rashes from Wind-Damp

Dispels exterior Wind

Splitting headache at the back of the head from Wind-Cold, as a supporting herb

Combinations

xin yi hua + bai zhi
Headache and nasal obstruction.
xin yi hua + bai zhi + shi gao + huang qin
Acute Wind-Heat patterns.
xin yi hua + bai zhi + qian cao gen + jin yin hua
Chronic Wind-Heat patterns.
xin yi hua + bai zhi + wu wei zi + jin ying zi
Allergic rhinitis.
wei ling xian + chuan xiong + cang zhu
Wind-Damp Bi with numbness and pain
bai ji li + di fu zi + chan tui
Itching from Wind rash or Damp sores, taken internally as a decoction and used externally as a wash
fang feng + bai zhi + gao ben
Wind-Cold headache.
xin yi hua
Wind-Cold with nasal obstruction; chronic sinusitis
bai ji li + di fu zi + chan tui + bai xian pi + jing jie
Itching and rash.

Dosage

Age	Raw	Granule	Tincture	Concentrate	Frequency
Any 3-10g; Tincture: 2-4ml	3-10 g	—	2-4 ml	—	—

Cautions

caution Classed as toxic: its carboxyatractyloside can injure the liver, and severe poisonings are documented, including a child who needed a liver transplant. Use only the processed (dry-fried) fruit, for limited periods, under a qualified practitioner
contraindication Headache or painful obstruction arising from Blood deficiency
caution Deficiency of Qi, Blood or both
pregnancy Use with caution in pregnancy; traditionally listed as a contraindication
caution Overdose can bring on nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or abdominal pain
caution Never use the raw fruit; processing and decoction reduce its toxicity
caution Avoid eating pork while taking it

Interactions

Drug interactions

Insulin and oral antidiabetics (tolbutamide, glipizide, glyburide): the effects may combine and push blood sugar too low, so use with caution

Prepared forms (1)

cang er zi

苍耳子·Fructus Xanthii

Cang Er Zi (Chao) (苍耳子, 蒼耳子) is the dry-fried fruit of cocklebur, a xanthium, recorded as Fructus Xanthii. Beyond the names the record holds no category, channels or actions.

The catalogue records no separate actions, dose or cautions for this preparation. Unless noted above it follows cang er zi.

About cang er zi

Names

Classification

Actions and indications

Disperses Wind-Damp, opens the nasal passages and relieves pain

Disperses Wind and dispels Damp

Dispels exterior Wind

Combinations

Dosage

Cautions

Interactions

Drug interactions

Prepared forms (1)

cang er zi

Related

Prepared forms

Used in 1 formula