Ma Chi Xian - 馬齒莧 - Herba Portulacae

Pharmaceutical Latin:	Herba Portulacae
Common English:	Portulaca Purslane

Properties

Taste	Temperature	Entering Meridians	Dosage
Sour	Cold Slippery	Large Intestine Liver (Heart)	9-15g (30-60g) Tincture: 2-5ml

Actions	Indications/Syndromes
Clears Heat, Cools the Blood, Resolves Fire toxicity	Toxic Fire dysentery Damp-Heat dysentery Blood Heat Blood Lin (urinary dysfunction) Primarily used for bacillary dysentery with incomplete bowel movements
Clears Damp-Heat and treats sores	Fire toxin carbuncles or sores Chuang Yung (internal and topical) Red and white vaginal discharge
Antidote for the pain and swelling of snakebite and wasp stings	Snakebite and wasp stings
Stops bleeding, disperses Blood Stagnation and unblocks painful urinary dysfunction	Bloody painful urinary dysfunction (Blood Lin) Uterine bleeding, especially postpartum Hot. painful urinary dysfunction

CONTRAINDICATIONS

Contraindicated during pregnancy (Spleen and Stomach Deficiency Cold during pregnancy).

INCOMPATIBILITIES

HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS

Rx. Scutellariae Huang Qin Rz. Coptidis Huang Lian	Hb. Taraxaci Pu Gong Ying	Rx. Pulsatillae Bai Tou Weng
Damp-Heat dysenteric disorders.	Intestinal abscess.	Dysenteric disorders due to Heat Toxin.
Bul. Allii Sativi Da Suan Or Rz. Coptidis *Huang Lian*	Endoconcha Sepiae Hai Piao Xiao
Bacterial diarrhea or dysentery.	White vaginal discharge with or without the presence of Blood.

It is particularly good for dysentery in which colicky tenesmus continues after bowel movements.
It can induce abortion.
Its fresh juice is used alone for dysentery or bacterial diarrhea.
Topically, it can be used for toxins and Heat in the skin.
Prepared as a paste and applied topically, it treats eczema, ulcerations, hemorrhoids, lesions and sores.
Its uses include gastrointestinal tract infections, leukorrhea, skin eruptions, and snake and insect bites.