Xi Xi Cao is the Chinese name of a traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the aerial parts of the plants Siegesbeckia orientalis L., Siegesbeckia pubescens Makino, or Siegesbeckia glabrescens Makino, which belong to the Asteraceae family. The clinical applications and cultivation techniques of Xi Xi Cao are described below:
Xi Xi Cao
Basic Information of Xi Xi Cao
Source: Xi Xi Cao is the dried aerial parts of the plants Siegesbeckia orientalis L., Siegesbeckia pubescens Makino, or Siegesbeckia glabrescens Makino.
Harvesting can be done before or during the flowering period in summer or early autumn. The impurities should be removed and the plants should be dried.
Characteristics: The stems are slightly square-shaped, branching, 30-110cm long, and 0.3-1cm in diameter.
The surface is gray-green, yellow-brown, or purple-brown, with longitudinal grooves and fine longitudinal veins, covered with grayish soft hairs.
The nodes are distinct and slightly swollen. The texture is brittle and easily breaks. The cross-section is yellow-white or greenish, with a wide medulla, white or pale in color, and hollow.
The leaves are opposite, wrinkled and curled, and become ovate after being flattened. They are gray-green with blunt serrations on the edges. Both sides are covered with white soft hairs, with 3 primary veins.
Some plants may have yellow inflorescences in the form of heads. The involucral bracts are spoon-shaped. The odor is faint and the taste is slightly bitter.
Processing: Xi Xi Cao should be cleaned, slightly moistened, cut into sections, and dried.
Alcoholic preparation of Xi Xi Cao: Take Xi Xi Cao sections, steam them with wine according to the method of wine steaming (Appendix Ⅱ D). Use 20kg of yellow wine for every 100kg of Xi Xi Cao.
Clinical Applications of Xi Xi Cao
Xi Xi Cao
1. Hypertension
Xi Xi Cao 15g, Xia Ku Cao 15g, Sang Ji Sheng 15g, Ju Hua 9g, Long Dan Cao 9g. Decoction and take orally.
2. Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lower Back and Leg Pain
Xi Xi Cao 12g, Lao Guan Cao 12g, Ji Xue Teng 15g. Decoction and take orally.
3. Malaria
Xi Xi Cao 30-45g. Decoction and take orally.
4. Jaundice Hepatitis, Hemiplegia, Scabies, etc.
Combination with other herbs can be used for the above conditions.
5. Used for rheumatic arthralgia, bone and joint pain, numbness and weakness of limbs
This herb disperses wind and dampness, expels rheumatism, and relieves pain.
It is especially suitable for those with hot rheumatic conditions. When used in combination with Stinking Wutong, it is called Xi Tong Wan in the Compendium of Health Preservation Experience.
For the treatment of wind-cold-damp arthralgia or stroke-induced paralysis, Xi Xi Cao can be used alone. It is steamed with wine to form pills, which are taken with warm wine. This is known as Xi Xi Wan in the Compendium of Active Formulas.
6. Used for ulcers, swelling, and itching of the skin
It can be used internally and externally due to its heat-clearing, detoxifying, wind-relieving, and itch-relieving properties.
Cultivation Techniques of Xi Xi Cao
Xi Xi Cao
1. Cultivation Techniques
Seed propagation can be done through seedlings or direct sowing.
Seedlings: After autumn harvest, plow the land to a depth of about 20cm. Plow the land again before the Grain Rain season in the next year.
Apply 75,000-105,000kg of compost per 1hm2 and level the land.
Sow the seeds: Use 3.75kg of seeds per 1hm2, cover them with 1-1.5cm of soil, and water them after sowing.
The seedlings will emerge in 15-17 days. When the seedlings are 5-10cm tall, thin them to a distance of 5cm. In the northern regions, the land is prepared after the wheat harvest.
Fertilization: After transplanting (when the seedlings are about 30cm tall), plant them in rows with a row spacing of 45cm and a plant spacing of 30cm.
Direct sowing: 10 days before the Grain Rain season, open furrows between the rows in the wheat field to a depth of 3cm and cover them with 2cm of soil.
Use 7.5kg of seeds per 4hm2 and water them after sowing. After the wheat harvest, thin the seedlings to a row spacing of 45cm and a plant spacing of 30cm.
2. Field Management
For direct sowing, water and weed when the seedlings are 6-10cm tall.
When the seedlings are 30-45cm tall, apply human urine or cake fertilizer and water them, or apply 75kg of ammonium sulfate per 1hm2.
Maintain soil moisture during the plant growth period.
