Cang Er Zi - 苍耳子 - Fructus Xanthii

Pharmaceutical Latin:	Fructus Xanthii
Common English:	Burweed Cocklebur Fruit Xanthium Fruit

Category

Herbs That Release the Exterior: Warm, Acrid Herbs that Release the Exterior (Wind-Cold Diaphoretics)

Properties

Taste	Temperature	Entering Meridians	Dosage
Sweet Bitter Acrid	Warm (Cold) Toxic	Lung (Liver)	3-10g Tincture: 2-4ml

Actions And Indication

Actions	Indications/Syndromes
Disperses Wind and Dampness and opens the nasal passages	Any nasal or sinus problem with thick discharge and related sinus headache
Disperses Wind and dispels Dampness	Wind-Damp Bi or skin disorders with itching
Dispels Exterior Wind	Splitting occipital headache due to Wind-Cold (auxiliary)

Contraindications, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions

Major Combinations

Flos Magnoliae Xin Yi Hua Rx. Angelicae Dahuricae Bai Zhi	Flos Magnoliae Xin Yi Hua Rx. Angelicae Dahuricae Bai Zhi Gypsum Shi Gao Rx. Scutellariae Huang Qin	Flos Magnoliae Xin Yi Hua Rx. Angelicae Dahuricae Bai Zhi Rx. Rubiae Qian Cao Gen Flos Lonicerae Jin Yin Hua
Headache and nasal obstruction.	Acute Wind-Heat patterns.	Chronic Wind-Heat patterns.
Flos Magnoliae Xin Yi Hua Rx. Angelicae Dahuricae Bai Zhi Fr. Schisandrae Wu Wei Zi Fr. Rosae Laevigatae Jin Ying Zi	Rx. Clematidis Wei Ling Xian Rx. Chuanxiong Chuan Xiong Rz. Atractylodis Cang Zhu	Fr. Tribuli Bai Ji Li Fr. Kochiae Di Fu Zi Periostracum Cicadae Chan Tui
Allergic rhinitis.	Pain and numbness due to Wind-Damp Bi.	Decoction internally and wash externally for itching due to Wind rash or dampness induced sores.
Rx. Saposhnikoviae Fang Feng Rx. Angelicae Dahuricae Bai Zhi Rz. Ligustici Gao Ben	Flos Magnoliae Xin Yi Hua	Fr. Tribuli Bai Ji Li Fr. Kochiae Di Fu Zi Periostracum Cicadae Chan Tui Cx. Dictamni Bai Xian Pi Hb. Schizonepetae Jing Jie
Wind-Cold headache.	Blocked nose due to Wind-Cold. Chronic sinusitis.	Itching and rash.

Notes

1. Decoction alters the toxic components of this herb, so they are not present in significant amounts.
2. Many sources place this herb in the category of Herbs that Expel Wind and Dampness.
3. It is one of the principal herbs for deep-source nasal congestion with thick nasal discharge and loss of smell.
4. This herb is said to cool fever, detoxify, kill parasites and eliminate pathogenic Wind.
5. Research has shown that it inhibits cancer cell growth.
6. It is effective at removing nasal polyps.
7. For nail-shaped boils, insomnia and heaviness, crush the herb in child's urine and drink it with cold water three times per day.
8. Cang Er Zi and Flos Magnoliae Xin Yi Hua both disperse Wind and unblock the nasal orifices, treating headache and profuse nasal discharge. Cang Er Zi spreads, disseminates and unblocks; its influence extends from the head down to the knees and feet and includes the skin, so it is used for Damp skin diseases and Bi Syndrome. Xin Yi Hua helps the clear Yang rise to the head and brain.
9. Rx. Xanthii Cang Er Gen, the root, is bitter, cool and slightly toxic. It enters the Lung, clears Heat, eliminates toxins and treats common colds from Invasion of Wind-Heat, and it also reduces scrofula and other toxic swellings such as tonsillitis. Use it with caution in pregnancy and in Deficiency. The dosage is 3 to 12g.
10. Hb. Xanthii Cang Er Cao, the whole plant, is acrid, bitter, cool and slightly toxic. It dispels Wind and clears Heat toxins, and is used for Bi syndrome, cramps, spasms, skin disorders, Yin sores, rashes and pruritus. It should not be used for deficient patients or taken over a long period. The dosage is 6 to 15g.
11. Cang Er Zi and Rz. Gastrodiae Tian Ma both treat Wind. Cang Er Zi dispels External Wind and treats dizziness and headaches, while Tian Ma extinguishes Internal Wind and relieves headaches, dizziness and vertigo.
12. Cang Er Zi, Hb. Menthae Bo He, Rx. Angelicae Dahuricae Bai Zhi, and Flos Magnoliae Xin Yi Hua are all used for acute allergic rhinitis. Fr. Chebulae He Zi and Per. Granati Shi Liu Pi resolve white, clear nasal discharge.
13. It also expels Wind-Cold-Dampness.