Fishwort, anciently known as Jicai, is named for the strong fishy odor emitted by its fresh stems and leaves. After being dried in the shade, this herb not only loses its fishy smell but also develops a subtle fragrance. When boiled in water, it releases an aroma similar to cinnamon and tastes somewhat like black tea, without any bitterness or foul odor, and it does not irritate the stomach. The tender shoots of fishwort can also be consumed as a vegetable, particularly popular in the Sichuan region. It is harvested during the summer and autumn when the stems and leaves are lush and the flower spikes are abundant, then washed, sun-dried, and used for medicinal purposes.
I. Efficacy of Houttuynia Cordata:
Houttuynia cordata tastes pungent and slightly cold. It belongs to the lung meridian. Its efficacy canClearing heat and detoxifying, eliminating abscesses and draining pus, promoting diuresis and relieving stranguryEspecially effective in treating lung abscess, known asThe essential medicine for lung abscessTranslate the following text to en, maintaining the original format but without adding any symbols:
Commonly used inLung abscess with purulent expectoration, phlegm-heat dyspnea and cough, heat dysentery, heat strangury, abscesses, sores, and toxinsTreatment of conditions such as
Summary of Famous Works by Renowned Authors:
"Ben Cao Jing Shu": "It is an essential medicine for treating phlegm-heat congesting the lungs, leading to lung abscess with expectoration of pus and blood."
"Southern Yunnan Materia Medica": "Treats lung abscess with cough accompanied by purulent blood, phlegm with a foul odor, heat toxin in the large intestine, and heals hemorrhoids."
Medical Forest Gleanings: Promotes water circulation, breaks up hardness, dispels miasma, relieves summerheat. Treats snake and insect toxins, cures beriberi, disperses abscesses and ulcers, removes stagnant blood.
II. Compatibility and Application of Houttuynia Cordata:
1. For lung abscess with coughing and expectoration of purulent sputum and blood, as well as lung heat cough with thick phlegm and other symptoms. Houttuynia cordata can clear heat and detoxify, and is particularly effective in expelling pus and resolving abscesses, making it a key herb for treating lung abscess with expectoration of purulent sputum and blood. For lung abscess with expectoration of pus due to phlegm-heat obstructing the lungs, it can be used alone by decoction, or often combined with herbs that clear the lungs, detoxify, and dispel phlegm such as Platycodon grandiflorus, fresh Phragmites communis rhizome, Benincasa hispida seeds, Coix lacryma-jobi seeds, and Glycyrrhiza uralensis. In modern treatment of viral pneumonia, adding Houttuynia cordata appropriately, regardless of cold or heat patterns, can improve therapeutic efficacy.
If treating heat cough, it is often combined with lung-clearing herbs such as Anemarrhena asphodeloides, Fritillaria, and mulberry root bark.
For treating heat-toxicity furuncles and swellings, the fresh product can be pounded and applied topically, or used alone in decoction for oral administration.
2. For heat-toxin sores and ulcers. Houttuynia cordata can detoxify and dissipate abscesses, often combined with wild chrysanthemum, dandelion, forsythia, and other herbs; it is also commonly applied externally after being pounded.
For treating diaper dermatitis in infants, commonly known as "red bottom," one can lightly decoct Houttuynia cordata and wash the affected area once each time the diaper is changed. Afterwards, finely grind and mix talc and indigo naturalis in a 5:1 ratio, and apply it to the affected area. It should heal in about a week.
If treating hemorrhoids with pain and prolapse, it can be used alone by decocting in water for fumigation and washing, which has a certain therapeutic effect.
Rihuazi Materia Medica: "Roast inside a light bamboo tube, apply to malignant sores and white baldness."
Lingnan Herbal Record: "The leaves can be applied to malignant sores to detoxify. When decocted and taken orally, they can remove damp-heat and treat dysentery."
3. For heat strangury with difficult and painful urination. Houttuynia cordata can clear heat, remove dampness, promote urination, and relieve strangury. To treat heat strangury with difficult and painful urination, it is often combined with herbs such as Lygodium japonicum, Pyrrosia lingua, and Lysimachia christinae.
For treating leukorrhea due to damp-heat, characterized by yellow, thick, and foul-smelling discharge, Houttuynia cordata can be combined with Smilax glabra to clear heat, detoxify, and promote diuresis, with significant therapeutic effects. If the leukorrhea is exceptionally foul-smelling, Patrinia scabiosifolia can be added for enhanced efficacy.
Classification of Herbal Properties: Treats five types of strangury, reduces edema, eliminates food stagnation, tonifies deficiency and weakness, relieves distension.
III. Usage and Dosage of Houttuynia Cordata:
Houttuynia cordata is often used in decoctions and rarely in pills or powders. The usual dosage in decoctions ranges from over ten grams to several tens of grams; the dosage of fresh herb is doubled. For external use, apply an appropriate amount.
Its volatile odor is strong, so it should not be decocted for a long time.
IV Application Notes of Houttuynia Cordata
Fishwort is cold in nature, soThose with spleen and stomach deficiency cold or deficiency cold syndrome should avoid taking it。
