shi shang bai

石上柏·Herba Selaginellae Doederleinii

selaginella

About shi shang bai

Shi Shang Bai (石上柏) is selaginella, a spikemoss, recorded as Herba Selaginellae Doederleinii. It is sweet, acrid and bitter in flavour and neutral in temperature, entering the Liver channel alone.

Names

Pinyin	shi shang bai
Chinese	石上柏
Latin Name	Herba Selaginellae Doederleinii
English Name	selaginella

Classification

Channels: Liver
Flavour: Acrid, Sweet, Bitter
Temperature: Neutral

Actions and indications

Clears Heat and resolves Fire toxin

Fever with cough from Lung Heat
Sore, swollen throat
Fever sores and ulcers
Upper respiratory infection, pneumonia and inflamed lymph glands

Clears and drains Damp-Heat

Damp-Heat jaundice
Ascites from cirrhosis of the liver
Bladder Damp-Heat

Invigorates Blood, disperses stasis, reduces tumors and breaks up accumulations

Cancers of the lung, nasopharynx, esophagus, liver and skin, commonly prescribed alongside conventional cancer care
Cirrhosis, or long-term hepatitis

Combinations

lean pork
Fixed masses of various kinds, cooked as a stew and taken over a long period

Dosage

Age	Raw	Granule	Tincture	Concentrate	Frequency
Any 24-60g; Fresh: 60-250g	24-60 g	—	—	—	—

Cautions

caution When decocted, it needs a prolonged cooking time
caution Reported side effects include digestive discomfort, loss of appetite and hair loss, mainly with sustained high-dose use
caution High-dose use calls for professional supervision
caution A poor match for Cold patterns, weak digestion without Heat, or pure deficiency
caution Check the botanical species on the label, since another Selaginella species is used medicinally for a different purpose
pregnancy No safety data in pregnancy; avoiding it is the usual precaution
lactation No safety data while breastfeeding; avoiding it is the usual precaution