mu zei

Name: mu zei
Creator: Bencao Index

木贼·Herba Equiseti Hiemalis

common scouring rush

About mu zei

Mu Zei (木贼) is the scouring rush, a horsetail, recorded as Herba Equiseti Hiemalis. It is sweet and bitter in flavour and neutral in temperature, entering the Lung, Liver and Gallbladder channels. The catalogue files it among the cool, acrid herbs that release the Exterior.

Names

Pinyin	mu zei
Chinese	木贼
Latin Name	Herba Equiseti Hiemalis
English Name	common scouring rush·Equisetum
Japanese	mokuzoku
Korean	mokjeok

Classification

Category: Cool, Acrid, Release Exterior
Channels: Lung, Gallbladder, Liver
Flavour: Sweet, Bitter
Temperature: Neutral
Part used: Grass
Family: Equisetaceae
Species: Equisetaceae
Tags: Chinese Herbs, Common

Actions and indications

Disperses Wind-Heat, clears the eyes and removes superficial visual obstruction

Wind-Heat in the eyes: redness, pain and swelling, clouding, blurred vision, pterygium, excess tearing and headache
Cataract and conjunctivitis
Fire in the Liver and Gallbladder channels
Hazy vision from Liver Yin deficiency

Clears Heat and stops bleeding

Blood in the stool or bleeding hemorrhoids from Heat in the Blood or the Lower Jiao

Combinations

ju hua
Red, swollen, painful eyes; pterygium
cang zhu
Excessive tearing and blurred vision
bai ji li
Hives, itching, pterygium and excessive tearing (the partner is better at calming the Liver and clearing obstruction; Mu Zei disperses more strongly)
gu jing cao + shi jue ming
Red eyes
huai jiao + di yu
Blood Heat causing hemafecia or bleeding hemorrhoids
chan tui + gu jing cao + xia ku cao + bai ji li
Liver Heat or external Wind-Heat with red eyes, excess tearing and similar signs
ye ming sha + dang gui + chan tui
Liver Blood Deficiency with night blindness

Dosage

Age	Raw	Granule	Tincture	Concentrate	Frequency
Any 3-12g; Tincture: 1-4ml	3-12 g	—	1-4 ml	—	—

Cautions

caution Frequent urination
caution Depleted fluids, as its drying quality works against an already dry state
caution Qi deficiency, or deficiency of Qi and Blood; this dispersing herb scatters what is already lacking
caution Deficiency of Yin, of Yang, or of both
pregnancy Use with care in pregnancy
caution Heart or Kidney disorders
caution Red eyes from rising Liver Yang
paediatric Use with care in infants under one year
caution Avoid prolonged use
caution Sudden change in vision, eye pain or loss of sight is an urgent medical matter needing diagnosis
caution Horsetails readily take up minerals from the soil, so the quality and origin of the product matter

Photographs of mu zei

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