The Chinese herb Xishaicao refers to the dried aerial parts of the Compositae plant Xisha, Xian Geng Xisha or Mao Geng Xisha. It is mainly used for treating rheumatic pain, lumbar and knee weakness, and other diseases. What are the applications of Xishaicao in traditional Chinese medicine?
Picture of Xishaicao
[Characteristics of Xishaicao]
The stems of this herb are slightly square-cylindrical in shape, with multiple branches, measuring 30-110cm in length and 0.3-1cm in diameter. The surface is grayish green, yellow-brown, or purple-brown, with longitudinal grooves and fine longitudinal lines, covered with grayish soft hairs. The nodes are obvious and slightly swollen. The texture is brittle and easily breaks, with a yellow-white or green tinted cross-section. The pith is wide and white, and the center is hollow.
The leaves are opposite, with wrinkled and curled leaflets that become ovate after being flattened. They are grayish green in color, with blunt serrations along the edges, and both sides are covered with white soft hairs. The main veins are 3-branched. Some may have yellowish head-like inflorescences, and the involucre is spoon-shaped. It has a slight odor and a slightly bitter taste.
[Applications of Xishaicao]
1. Treatment of Lifu Yangruo (a type of disease characterized by weak legs and feet due to wind and dampness): Xishaicao (harvested in May, using the red stems, dried in the shade, and the leaves cleaned with honey wine, steamed 9 times and dried in the sun) 1 jin, Danggui (Chinese Angelica), Shaoyao (Peony), Shoudi (cooked Rehmannia) each 1 liang, Chuanwu (processed Aconitum) 6 qian, Qianghuo (Notopterygium) and Fangfeng (Saposhnikovia divaricata) each 1 liang. Grind into powder and make into honey pills. Take 2 qian (about 6 grams) per dose, empty stomach, with warm wine. (Zhang Shi Yi Tong - Xilian Pill)
2. Treatment of intestinal wind and bloody stools: Xi Lian Ye, steamed with wine and ground into powder, refined into honey pills. Take 3 qian (about 9 grams) per dose, with white broth. (Fang Mai Zheng Zong - Formula of Xilian Pill)
3. Hypertension: Xishaicao, Xiakucao (Prunella vulgaris), Sangjisheng (Loranthus parasiticus) each 15g, Juhua (Chrysanthemum), Longdancao (Gentiana) each 9g, decocted and taken orally.
4. Rheumatoid arthritis, lumbago and leg pain, etc.: Xishaicao, Laoguancao (Gnaphalium affine) each 12g, Jixueteng (Spatholobus suberectus) 15g, decocted and taken orally.
5. Malaria: Xishaicao can be used alone, 30-45g, decocted and taken orally.
6. Jaundice-type hepatitis, hemiplegia, scabies, etc. can all be used in combination with other herbs.
7. Stroke: In summer, pick Xilian branches and leaves, wash them, steam them 9 times, but avoid excessive dryness. Grind into powder, add honey, and make into pills the size of a Chinese parasol tree fruit. Take 20-30 pills per dose, empty stomach, with warm wine and rice soup. After taking the pills, eat 3-5 spoonfuls of food to press the medication down. Take continuously for several months to see results. This formula is called "Xian Pill".
8. Wind-cold diarrhea: Grind Xiancao into powder and mix with vinegar and paste to make pills the size of a Chinese parasol tree fruit. Take 30 pills per dose, and swallow with plain water. This formula is called "Huo Xian Pill".
Xishaicao has the effects of dispersing wind and dampness, invigorating the muscles and bones, and relieving pain. It is slightly cold in nature and has a good effect on resolving damp-heat in rheumatic pain. When used in combination with Stinking Sumac, it is called "Xitong Pill" in the "Collection of Health Experience". When used alone to treat wind-cold-damp arthralgia or stroke paralysis, the herb is steamed with wine and made into pills, which are swallowed with warm wine. This is called "Xisha Pill" in the "Compilation of Effective Formulas for Living People".
