She Chuang Zi - 蛇床子 - Fructus Cnidii
| Pharmaceutical Latin: | Fructus Cnidii |
| Common English: | Cnidium Fruit Cnidium Seed |
Category
Substances for Topical ApplicationProperties
| Taste | Temperature | Entering Meridians | Dosage |
| Acrid Bitter | Warm Slightly Toxic | Kidney (Spleen) | 3-30g Tincture: 2-4ml 3-9g (d) (Secondary source) |
Actions And Indications
| Actions | Indications/Syndromes |
Dries Dampness, kills parasites and stops itching topically | Topically as a powder or ointment for weeping, itchy skin lesions (especially genital) Scabies and tinea |
Disperses Cold, dispels Wind and dries Dampness | Vaginal discharge due to Cold-Dampness Wind-Cold-Dampness affecting the Kidneys and Du channel with lower back pain |
Warms and tonifies the Kidneys and strengthens Yang | Impotence or infertility due to Kidney Yang Deficiency or Cold Womb |
Contraindications, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions
| CONTRAINDICATIONS |
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| INCOMPATIBILITIES |
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| HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS |
Major Combinations
| Alumen | Rx. Sophorae Flavescentis | Calomelas |
Vaginal suppository for itching associated with trichomoniasis. | Itchy, weeping skin lesions. | Itching, weeping skin lesions due to flare-ups of chronic eczema, genital eczema or scabies. |
| Rx. Clematidis | Fr. Corni | Fr. Corni |
As an external wash for weeping, itching rashes of the scrotum and groin. | Cold Damp vaginal discharge. | Cold Damp vaginal discharge. |
| Hb. Taxilli | Sm. Cuscutae | Cx. Cinnamomi |
Low back pain due to Cold-Dampness. | As an oral preparation for impotence or infertility due to Kidney Deficiency. | Impotence or infertility due to waning of the Ming Men Fire. |
Alumen | Per. Zanthoxyli | Egg Yolk |
As an external wash for chronic vaginal discharge with itching and eczema. | As an external wash for genital itching. Take with Long Dan Xie Gan Tang Internally. | Topically for swollen, painful scrotum. |
Alumen | Sesame Oil | Sm. Astragali Complanati |
Weeping skin lesions. | Topically for Itching lesions in patches. | Internally for vaginal discharge. |
Hb. Epimedii | Hb. Taxilli | |
Internally for impotence or infertility. | Low back pain. |
Notes
- Its action is astringent.
- It is occasionally used for asthma and bronchitis.
- It governs swelling and pain of the female genitalia, impotence, damp itching of the scrotum in men, genital itching with vaginal discharge, infertility from Cold in the uterus in women, Wind-Damp Bi, scabies, lichen simplex and damp sores. It also benefits the joints, treats seizures and noxious wounds, warms the Middle, descends Qi, warms the womb, strengthens the male genitals, improves the complexion and ends infertility.
- For hemorrhoids, use it by itself as an external wash or soak.
- For scabies, apply it alone topically as a powder.
- For vaginal discharge, use it alone as a vaginal suppository.
- Used externally, She Chuang Zi and Rx. Sophorae Flavescentis Ku Shen are both excellent at drying Dampness, killing parasites and stopping itching, and they are frequently combined for these purposes. Ku Shen is very bitter and cold; it clears Heat, dries Dampness and promotes urination, and is used for Damp-Heat dysenteric disorders, jaundice and urinary difficulty from clumping of Damp-Heat. She Chuang Zi is acrid, bitter and warm and warms the Kidneys strongly.