Zi Cao - 紫草 - Radix Arnebiae/Lithospermi
| Pharmaceutical Latin: | Radix Arnebiae/Lithospermi |
| Common English: | Arnebia Chinese Stoneseed Groomwell Root Lithospermi Lithospermum Root Purple Weed |
Category
Herbs That Clean Heat and Purge Fire: Herbs That Clean Heat and Cool BloodProperties
| Taste | Temperature | Entering Meridians | Dosage |
| Sweet (Salty) (Bitter) | Cold | Heart Liver (Pericardium) | 3-20g Tincture: 1-4ml 3-9g (Secondary source) |
Actions And Indications
| Actions | Indications/Syndromes |
Clears Heat, Cools the Blood, Invigorates Blood circulation, Relieves Fire toxins and encourages rashes | Xue Stage Heat, Blood Heat, Toxic Heat and dark purple rashes (eczema, measles, chicken pox) |
Moistens the Intestines, unblocks the bowels and promotes urination | Blood Heat constipation and rashes accompanied by constipation and/or urinary dysfunction |
Clears Damp-Heat from the skin (aids the healing of tissues) | Damp-Heat skin lesions or vaginal itching topically Burns and wounds topically |
Contraindications, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions
| CONTRAINDICATIONS |
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| INCOMPATIBILITIES |
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| HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS |
Major Combinations
| Fr. Forsythiae | Fr. Forsythiae | Cornu Bubali |
Dark purple measles with incomplete expression of the rash. | Dark purple measles with incomplete expression of the rash with severe sore throat. | Heat toxin, delirious speech and deep-purple rashes. |
| Fol. Isatidis | Sm. Trichosanthis | Rx. Rehmanniae |
Dense purpuric rashes associated with severe Fire toxin. | Carbuncles due to severe interior Fire toxin with constipation. | Hematuria or epistaxis due to Blood Heat. General bleeding. |
| Rx. Glycyrrhizae | Cx. Phellodendri | Rx. Angelicae Sinensis |
Prevents measles. (use 3 to 6g Zi Cao with 1.3 to 3g and serve as a decoction once a day for three to seven days. Begin within five days of contact.) | Heat in the skin disorders such as boils, eczema and burns. | Ointment for burns or sores. |
Fr. Forsythiae | Rx. Rehmanniae | Sm. Plantaginis |
Sore throat with swelling and pain. | Hematemesis or epistaxis. | Hematuria. |
Rx. Angelicae Sinensis | Rx. Angelicae Sinensis | Rx. Angelicae Sinensis |
Topically or Internally for abscesses, lesions or ulcerations. | Topically for burns with redness, swelling and pain. | Topically for itching and irritation from insect bites. |
Rx. et Rz. Rhei | ||
Constipation. |
Notes
- Arnebia is soft, and its root is known as “soft purple herb”.
- Lithospermi is harder and goes by the name “hard purple herb”.
- The majority of sources regard Lithospermi as the correct herb for Zi Cao.
- Research has demonstrated that it inhibits cancer cell growth.
- Skin cancer and breast tumors are treated with it.
- As a measles preventative it is 91% effective.
- It treats the majority of skin diseases as well as cuts and burns.
- It is reputed to cure malignant sores, eruptions, smallpox and tinea.
- Reportedly it cures jaundice with flaming fever in the morning, but it does not work for people who have red or black flecks on the body.
- In people with red or black flecks on the body, the herb is used to fumigate the palms, the arches of the feet, and points DU-20 and LI-8.
- Smallpox is treated with a decoction of 3g Zi Cao, 1.5g Per. Citri Reticulatae Chen Pi and 4g Bul. Allii Macrostemi Xie Bai.
- Its Western relatives include borage, used for fevers, and comfrey, regarded as a “cure all” that extends even to cancer.
- It eases the flow of urine.
- Zi Cao and Fr. Arctii Niu Bang Zi both resolve toxicity, vent rashes, moisten the bowels and unblock the Intestines. Zi Cao excels at clearing and regulating Blood Heat and is less able to eliminate Damp-Heat; it treats rashes that fail to express because of Blood Heat toxin. Niu Bang Zi mobilizes the Qi level, releases the Exterior, disperses Wind-Heat, benefits the throat, disperses clumps, drains the Interior, descends Qi and resolves Heat toxin; it treats rashes from Wind-Heat trapped in the Exterior.
- It is also known as Zi Cao Gen.