About xia ku cao

Xia Ku Cao (夏枯草) is the fruit spike of self-heal, a plant of the mint family, recorded as Spica Prunellae. It is bitter and acrid in flavour and cold in temperature, entering the Liver and Gallbladder channels. The catalogue files it among the herbs that drain Fire. Its Chinese name says it withers in summer.

Pinyin

xia ku cao

Chinese

夏枯草

Latin Name

Spica Prunellae

English Name

common self-heal fruit-spike·Prunella

Japanese

kagoso

Korean

hagocho

Actions and indications

Clears Liver Fire and brightens the eyes

Liver Fire flaring upward: red, swollen or painful eyes, excess tearing, double vision, headache and dizziness
Eye pain that worsens in the evening or with fatigue, from Liver Yin or Blood deficiency, where the eyes are tender and sensitive to light but not red or swollen; combined with Blood-nourishing herbs

Clears Phlegm-Fire and dissipates nodules

Phlegm-Fire lumps of the neck: scrofula, goiter and thyroid nodules, swollen or enlarged lymph glands, lipoma and carbuncle
Breast lumps and mastitis

Treats hypertension

High blood pressure from Liver Fire or rising Liver Yang, with headache and dizziness

Combinations

ju hua + shi jue ming

Liver Fire with red, painful eyes, vertigo, dizziness and headache

xiang fu

Painful eyes with profuse tearing

xiang fu + dang gui + bai shao

Liver Yin Deficiency with eye pain that worsens in the evening or at night

xuan shen + kun bu + mu li

Phlegm-Fire nodules

chai hu

Liver Qi Stagnation with nodules in the neck

zhe bei mu

Goiter, scrofula and swollen or inflamed lymph nodes, by cooling, resolving toxicity and dispersing and transforming Phlegm

jue ming zi

Liver Fire with red, swollen, painful eyes, abnormal tearing, sensitivity to light, dizziness and headache; above all, eye pain that is worse at night from Liver Yang rising

pu gong ying

Deep-rooted sores, red and swollen eyes, and a sore, swollen throat; breast abscess in its early stage, used internally and topically; hepatitis and cholecystitis

ju hua + shi jue ming + jue ming zi

Eye disorders from Liver Fire

dang gui + bai shao + xuan shen

Blood Deficiency with Liver Fire

xiang fu + chai hu

Liver Qi Stagnation.

yin chen hao + huang bai + dan shen

Inflamed, enlarged Liver

gou teng + di long + du zhong

Hypertension.

ju hua + shi jue ming + chan tui

Hypertension with red, swollen, painful eyes

Age

Raw

Granule

Tincture

Concentrate

Frequency

Any 6-18g; If used alone, up to 30 gm; Tincture: 2-5 ml

6-18 g

—

2-5 ml

—

Cautions

caution Weak, deficient Spleen and Stomach: high doses or long courses of this bitter, cold herb can worsen poor digestion, loose stools or low appetite unless combined with herbs that support digestion

caution When it is to be taken over a long period, honey-fried material is the traditional choice, being less cold