Houttuynia cordata – Yu Xing Cao

Houttuynia cordata
[Medicinal use] This product is the root and whole herb of Houttuynia cordata of the family Trichosanthis.
[Nature and flavor and meridians] Pungent, slightly cold. Enters the lung meridian.
[Effects] Clears away heat and detoxifies, eliminates carbuncle and swelling.
[Clinical application] 1. Used for lung abscess, stagnation of phlegm and heat, coughing up pus and blood, and whooping cough.
Houttuynia cordata has a good effect of clearing heat and detoxifying. It is often used with Platycodon grandiflorum, fresh reed root, Trichosanthes peel, wax gourd seeds, raw coix seeds, peach kernels, elephant shells, etc. to treat chest pain and coughing up pus and blood caused by lung abscess; it can be used with Stemona japonica, Goosegrass, Ophiopogon japonicus, honey and other medicines for whooping cough.
2. Used for various symptoms of carbuncle, swelling and pain caused by real heat.
This product clears heat and detoxifies and eliminates carbuncle and swelling, so it can be used for heat-toxic carbuncle and swelling. It can be taken orally with a single decoction, or it can be mashed with fresh grass for external application.
[Prescription name] Houttuynia cordata (wash, dry, and chop)
[General dosage and usage] 3 qian to 1 liang, decocted and taken. Because this product contains volatile oil, it is not suitable to be decocted for a long time. Appropriate amount for external use.
[Comment] 1. Houttuynia cordata is also known as Houttuynia cordata. Because its fresh and clean leaves have a strong fishy smell, which is not resistant to long-term smell, it is named after the smell. Before using it, most people often think that this medicine has a bad smell and is difficult to swallow. This is because they have not practiced it. In fact, after the medicine is dried in the shade, it not only has no fishy smell, but also has a slight fragrance. When adding water to boil the juice, it evaporates a fragrance similar to cinnamon; the juice it boils is like light black tea juice. If you taste it carefully, it also has a taste similar to black tea, fragrant and slightly astringent, without any bitterness, and no fishy smell, and no irritation to the stomach.
2. Houttuynia cordata has a good effect of clearing heat and detoxification, so it was used by the ancients to treat lung abscess (lung abscess). In recent years, the clinical application of this product has been developed on the basis of predecessors. It is used for lobar pneumonia, acute bronchitis, enteritis, diarrhea and other diseases, and is quite effective; this product also has a diuretic effect, so it can also be used for urinary tract infection, frequent urination and painful urination.
[Example of prescription] Yinwei mixture (Shuguang Hospital of our hospital): honeysuckle, forsythia, houttuynia, ephedra, fermented black beans, peach kernel, platycodon, raw licorice, wax gourd kernel, coix seed, almond, reed root. Treat acute bronchitis and mild lobar pneumonia.
This product is the fresh whole herb or dried aerial part of Houttuynia cordata Thunb, a plant of the Saururaceae family. Fresh products can be harvested all year round: dried products are harvested in summer when the stems and leaves are lush and the flower spikes are many, remove impurities, and dry in the sun.
【Propiedades】
The stem of fresh Houttuynia cordata is cylindrical, 20~45cm long and 0.25~0.45cm in diameter: green or purple-red on the upper part and white on the lower part, with obvious nodes, fibrous roots on the lower nodes, glabrous or sparsely hairy. Leaves are alternate, heart-shaped, 3~10cm long and 3~11cm wide; acuminate at the apex, entire; green on the upper surface with dense glandular dots, often purple-red on the lower surface; slender petiole, base and stipules fused into a sheath. Spike inflorescence terminal. Fishy smell, astringent taste.

Dried Houttuynia cordata The stem is flat and cylindrical, twisted, yellow-brown on the surface, with several longitudinal ridges; brittle and easy to break. The leaves are curled and wrinkled, heart-shaped when flattened, dark yellow-green to dark brown on the upper surface, gray-green or gray-brown on the lower surface. Spike inflorescence yellow-brown.
【Identificación】
(1) The powder of this product is gray-green to brown. Oil cells are round or oval, with a diameter of 28~104um, containing yellow oil droplets, non-glandular hairs 1~16 cells, with linear texture on the surface. Glandular hair head 2~5 cells, containing light brown material, diameter 9~24um. Leaf epidermal cells have wavy stripes, stomata indefinite. Calcium oxalate crystals can reach 57um in diameter.
(2) Take an appropriate amount of Houttuynia cordata powder, put it in a small test tube, press it with a glass rod, add a small amount of fuchsin sulfite test solution until the upper layer of powder is moistened, let it stand for a while, observe from the side wall, the powder turns pink or reddish purple
(3) Take 25g of dried Houttuynia cordata (125g of fresh Houttuynia cordata), cut it into pieces, add 1ml of ethyl acetate according to the volatile oil determination method (General Rule 2204), slowly heat to boiling, and keep it slightly boiling for 4 hours, let it stand for half an hour, and take ethyl acetate solution as the test solution. Take another methyl n-king ketone reference substance, add ethyl acetate to make a solution containing 10μl per 1ml as the reference substance solution. According to the thin layer chromatography method (General Rule 0502), take 5u1 of the test solution and 2 of the reference solution, respectively, and spot them on the same brick glue G thin layer plate, use cyclohexane-ethyl acetate (9:1) as the developing agent, develop, take out, dry, and spray with dinitrophenylhydrazine test solution. In the chromatogram of the test sample, the same yellow spot appears at the corresponding position of the chromatogram of the reference substance.
[Inspección]
The water content (dried houttuynia cordata) shall not exceed 15.0% (General Rule 0832 Second Method)
The acid-insoluble ash (dried houttuynia cordata) shall not exceed 2.5% (General Rule 2302),
[Extracto]
Dried houttuynia cordata shall be determined by the cold immersion method under the water-soluble extract determination method (General Rule 2201), and shall not be less than 10.0%.
Piezas de decocción
[Tratamiento]
Fresh houttuynia cordata removes impurities.
Dried Houttuynia Cordata Remove impurities, wash quickly, cut into sections, and dry.
[Properties] This product is irregular sections. The stem is flat cylindrical, with a light reddish brown to yellowish brown surface and longitudinal ridges. The leaves are mostly broken, yellowish brown to dark brown. The spike inflorescence is yellowish brown. Crushed with a fishy smell and astringent taste.
[Identification] [Inspection] [Extract] Same as the medicinal material (dried Houttuynia Cordata).
[Properties and Meridians] Spicy, slightly cold. Enter the lung meridian.
[Functions and Indications] Clears away heat and detoxifies, eliminates carbuncle and discharges pus, promotes diuresis and relieves stranguria. Used for lung abscess with pus, phlegm-heat cough, hot dysentery, hot stranguria, carbuncle, sore and ulcer
[Usage and Dosage] 15~25g, not suitable for long-term decoction; double the dosage of fresh products, decoct in water or mash for juice. For external use, mash or decoct in water to fumigate and wash the affected area.
[Storage] Dried Houttuynia Cordata is placed in a dry place; fresh Houttuynia Cordata is placed in a cool and humid place. Where is the main production area of ​​Houttuynia cordata?
It is mainly produced in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui and Hubei.
Where is the main medicinal part of Houttuynia cordata?
Medicinal parts of Houttuynia cordata:
Fresh whole grass or dried aerial parts of Houttuynia cordata Thunb., a plant of the Saururaceae family
Characteristics of the medicinal parts of Houttuynia cordata:
The stem of fresh Houttuynia cordata is cylindrical, 20~45cm long and 0.25~0.45cm in diameter; the upper part is green or purple-red, the lower part is white, the nodes are obvious, and there are fibrous roots on the lower nodes, which are hairless or sparsely hairy.
The leaves are alternate, heart-shaped, 3~10cm long and 3~11cm wide; the tip is gradually pointed and the margin is entire; the upper surface is green with dense dots, and the lower surface is often purple-red; the petiole is slender, and the base and stipules are combined to form a sheath. Spike inflorescence is terminal.
The stem of dried Houttuynia cordata is flat cylindrical, twisted, yellow-brown on the surface, with several longitudinal ridges; it is brittle and easy to break. The leaves are curled and wrinkled, and when flattened, they are heart-shaped. The upper surface is dark yellow-green to dark brown, and the lower surface is gray-green or gray-brown. The spike inflorescence is yellow. It has a fishy smell and astringent taste.
How are Houttuynia cordata recorded in ancient books?
“Rihuazi Materia Medica”: “Simmer in a light bamboo tube and apply to malignant sores and white baldness.
“Yunnan Materia Medica”: “Treat lung abscess, cough with pus and blood, sputum with fishy smell, large intestine heat toxins, and hemorrhoids.
“Yilin Zongyao Exploration Source · Medicinal Properties”: “Move water, attack the enemy, remove miasma, and relieve heat. Treat snake and insect poisons, treat athlete’s foot, ulcerate carbuncles, and remove blood stasis.
“Classification of Herbal Properties”: “Treat five types of stranguria, eliminate edema, eliminate food accumulation, replenish weakness, and eliminate swelling.
Functions and effects
Houttuynia cordata has the functions of clearing heat and detoxification, eliminating carbuncle and pus, and promoting diuresis and relieving stranguria.
What are the main effects and clinical applications of Houttuynia cordata?
Houttuynia cordata is used for lung abscess vomiting pus, phlegm-heat cough, hot dysentery, hot stranguria, carbuncle, sore, and toxicity.
Pulmonary abscess vomiting pus, lung heat cough:
· Treat lung abscess coughing and vomiting pus and blood, often used with Platycodon grandiflorum, Radix Trichosanthis, Rhizoma Phragmites, etc., · Treat lung heat cough, often used with Fagopyrum scabra, Ephedra, Aster, etc.
Sore, carbuncle, sore, and toxicity:
You can use fresh products alone to mash and apply externally, or use them with Forsythia suspensa, Chrysanthemum chrysanthemum, Taraxacum officinale, etc. Hot stranguria and hot dysentery Treat damp-heat stranguria:
· Often used with Plantago, Talc, Sea Sand, etc.
Treat damp-heat diarrhea, often used with Pulsatilla striata, Coptis chinensis, Phellodendron, etc.
What other effects does Houttuynia cordata have?
In my country’s traditional food culture, some Chinese medicinal materials are often widely consumed as food ingredients among the people, that is, substances that are both food and Chinese medicinal materials according to tradition (i.e. edible and medicinal substances). According to the documents issued by the National Health Commission and the State Administration for Market Regulation, Houttuynia cordata can be used as both medicine and food within the limited scope of use and dosage.
Commonly used medicinal diet recipes for Houttuynia cordata are as follows
Lung heat cough, sputum blood, pus and odor, hemorrhoid pain
60g fresh Houttuynia cordata, 200g pig lung.
Wash and cut the pig lung into pieces, remove the foam, cook it with Houttuynia cordata, and add a little salt for seasoning. Drink the soup and eat the pig lung in separate meals.
Chest pain, wheezing and cough caused by phlegm heat blocking the lungs, yellow and thick sputum
30g each of Houttuynia cordata, honeysuckle, reed root, and gypsum, 9g bamboo shavings.
Decoction in water, filter out the residue, add 100g of polished rice and appropriate amount of water, cook into porridge, add 30g of rock sugar, and cook for a while. 1 dose per day, divided into 2 servings.
Hot stranguria, leucorrhea
20~50g of Houttuynia cordata, decoct in water to extract juice, add appropriate amount of white sugar to adjust. 1 dose per day.
Eczema
Cut 30g of kelp into strips, wrap 15g of houttuynia cordata in cloth, and fry with 30g of mung beans in a pot. When the kelp and mung beans are cooked, take out the medicine bag and season with sugar. Take 1 dose daily for 1 week.
Chronic sinusitis
Pound fresh houttuynia cordata, squeeze out the natural juice, and drip into the nose several times a day. Use 20g of houttuynia cordata and decoct it in water.
Tonsillitis
15g each of fresh houttuynia cordata and fresh spondias, and an appropriate amount of grapefruit (seeds). Pound and squeeze the juice, mix with honey and take. Note: The use of Chinese herbal medicines must be based on syndrome differentiation and treatment, and should be used under the guidance of professional Chinese medicine practitioners. Do not use them at will, and do not listen to Chinese medicine prescriptions and advertisements at will.
What are the compound preparations containing houttuynia cordata?
Houttuynia cordata eye drops: clear heat, detoxify, and promote dampness. It is used for sudden wind-heat, red eyes, and sudden cataract caused by wind-heat and epidemic toxins, with symptoms of stinging, itching, and tearing in both eyes; acute catarrhal conjunctivitis and epidemic keratoconjunctivitis with the above symptoms.
Compound Houttuynia Tablets: Clears heat and detoxifies. It is used for acute throat paralysis and acute milk moth caused by exogenous wind-heat, with symptoms of redness, swelling, and sore throat; acute pharyngitis and acute tonsillitis with the above symptoms. (Toxic: A throat disease with redness, swelling, and pain in the throat (i.e., palatine tonsils) on both sides of the throat, shaped like nipples and silkworm moths as the main symptoms.)
Compound Houttuynia Mixture: Clears heat and detoxifies. It is used for acute throat paralysis and acute milk moth caused by exogenous wind-heat, with symptoms of redness, swelling, and sore throat; acute pharyngitis and acute tonsillitis with the above symptoms.
Five Herbs Soup: Clears heat and detoxifies, promotes lung function, strengthens spleen, and promotes water. It is mainly used for internal dampness and heat, and water and moisture cannot be transformed.
Compound Golden Buckwheat Tablets: relieve cough and resolve phlegm, fight tuberculosis. Mainly used for pulmonary tuberculosis, tuberculous pleurisy, and bone tuberculosis.
Yubai Yinhai Decoction: has the effect of clearing heat, detoxifying and removing dampness. Mainly used for acute urinary tract infection and acute pyelonephritis. It is commonly used in clinical practice for hot stranguria and other symptoms of damp-heat type in the lower part of the body.
What are the compound preparations containing Houttuynia cordata?
· Houttuynia cordata eye drops: clear heat, detoxify, and remove dampness. It is used for violent guest fever, sky-walking red eyes, and sky-walking red eyes caused by wind-heat and epidemic toxins, with symptoms of stinging pain in both eyes, itchy eyes, and tears; acute catarrhal conjunctivitis and epidemic keratoconjunctivitis with the above symptoms.
Compound Houttuynia Cordata Tablets: clear heat and detoxify. It is used for acute throat paralysis and acute milk moth caused by exogenous wind-heat, with symptoms of redness, swelling, and sore throat; acute pharyngitis and acute tonsillitis with the above symptoms. (Tonsils: A throat disease with redness, swelling and pain in the laryngeal nuclei (i.e. palatine tonsils) on both sides of the throat, shaped like nipples and silkworm moths as the main symptoms.)
Compound Houttuynia Cordata Mixture: Clears heat and detoxifies. It is used for acute throat paralysis and acute tonsils caused by exogenous wind-heat, with symptoms of redness, swelling and pain in the throat; acute pharyngitis, acute tonsillitis with the above symptoms.
Five Herbs Soup: Clears heat and detoxifies, promotes lung function, strengthens the spleen and promotes water. It is mainly used for internal heat accumulation, water cannot be transformed,
Compound Jinyang Tablet: It can relieve cough and resolve phlegm, and fight tuberculosis. It is mainly used to treat pulmonary tuberculosis, tuberculous pleurisy, and bone tuberculosis. .
·Yubai Yinhai Soup: It has the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying and removing dampness. It is mainly used to treat acute urinary tract infection and acute pyelonephritis. It is commonly used in clinical practice for hot stranguria and other symptoms of damp-heat type in the lower jiao.
Modern research progress on Houttuynia cordata
This product has multiple pharmacological effects such as antibacterial, antiviral, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, antitussive, anti-tumor, anti-radiation, anti-allergic, and improving the body’s immunity.
Método de uso
Houttuynia cordata can be decocted for oral administration or external use, and can also be soaked in water, mixed with cold dishes or cooked. But no matter which method is used, it is necessary to take more according to the doctor’s instructions
How to use Houttuynia cordata correctly?
When Houttuynia cordata is decocted for oral administration, the common dosage is 15~259. The dosage of fresh products needs to be doubled, decocted in water or mashed for consumption.
Houttuynia cordata can also be used externally. You can use an appropriate amount of fresh Houttuynia cordata to mash and extract the juice, drip it into the nose, and use it for chronic rhinitis; you can also decoct it to fumigate the anus and use it for hemorrhoids.
Note: When Houttuynia cordata is used as medicine, it should not be decocted for a long time, and should be added later.
Houttuynia cordata is generally used in decoctions, decocted for consumption, and can also be made into powders or pills for consumption. However, the use of Chinese herbal medicines must be based on syndrome differentiation and should be used under the guidance of professional Chinese medicine practitioners. They should not be used at will, and should not be used at will, let alone listening to Chinese medicine prescriptions and advertisements.
Las combinaciones comunes de la medicina china son las siguientes:
Houttuynia cordata with Platycodon grandiflorum: Houttuynia cordata can clear away heat and toxins, discharge pus and eliminate carbuncle; Platycodon grandiflorum specifically enters the lung meridian, can clear the lungs and eliminate phlegm, relieve throat and cough, and discharge pus. The two medicines are matched to clear heat and clear the lungs, relieve phlegm and cough, relieve throat and discharge pus, and can be used to treat lung abscess, cough and spit pus and blood, and lung heat cough and thick phlegm.
In addition, Houttuynia cordata can also be used for daily health care, and the common methods of consumption are as follows:
Boil water: Boil water with Houttuynia cordata alone, which has a certain effect on real heat, bloating, sore, pneumonia, lung abscess, bronchiectasis, etc. Cold salad: Prepare fresh Houttuynia cordata, remove impurities and wash it, cut it into sections, soak it in salt water for a few minutes, add MSG, refined salt, pepper powder, chili oil, and sugar, mix well and eat. Houttuynia cordata has the effects of clearing away heat and detoxifying, diuresis and swelling. It is effective in treating upper respiratory tract infection, lung abscess, urinary tract inflammation, mastitis, cellulitis, otitis media, enteritis, etc. when made into cold dishes.
Stir-fried dishes (scrambled eggs with houttuynia cordata): prepare 150 grams of fresh houttuynia cordata and 4 eggs. First, remove the impurities, wash and cut the houttuynia cordata into small pieces, crack the eggs into a bowl and mix well, then heat the oil in the pan, add the chopped green onion and stir-fry for a few times, add the houttuynia cordata and stir-fry until it becomes a block, and add some salt to taste. It has the effects of clearing away heat and detoxifying, nourishing yin and moistening the lungs.
Note: Houttuynia cordata is cold in nature and should not be eaten too much.
What drugs should be used with houttuynia cordata at the same time and special attention should be paid?
· It is used for coughing up pus and blood due to lung abscess and coughing due to lung heat, and yellow and thick sputum. The former is often used with platycodon, reed root, winter melon seed, etc. to enhance the effect of clearing heat, detoxifying, reducing swelling and draining pus; the latter is often used with lung-clearing, phlegm-removing and cough-relieving drugs such as scutellaria, fritillaria, and mulberry bark. This product is an important medicine for treating lung abscess. It is often used with heat-clearing and detoxifying drugs such as Viola yedoensis, honeysuckle, and forsythia forsythia for ulcers caused by heat. It can be taken orally or externally.
· It is used for hot stranguria and painful urination, and is often used with diuretic and stranguria-relieving drugs such as Akebia, talc, and Plantago.
The combined use of Chinese medicine and the combined use of Chinese and Western medicine require syndrome differentiation and clinical individualized treatment. If you are using other drugs, please consult a doctor before taking the medicine, and inform the doctor of all your diagnosed diseases and the treatment plan you are receiving
Las preguntas más frecuentes de los pacientes
How to make cold Houttuynia cordata
Houttuynia cordata is also called Houttuynia cordata. As the name suggests, it tastes special and has the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, diuresis, reducing swelling, and stimulating appetite and regulating qi. Ingredients: 500g houttuynia, 3 cilantro, 3 shallots, 3 spoons soy sauce, 3 spoons vinegar, 6 grams salt, half a spoon chicken essence, 1 spoon sugar, 2 spoons chili oil, 2 spoons pepper oil, 3 minced garlic.
Method: Wash and cut the Houttuynia cordata into sections, add the ingredients, and stir well.
How to take compound houttuynia tablets?
The conventional dosage of compound houttuynia tablets is 4 to 6 tablets at a time, 3 times a day, but the specific dosage should be based on the instructions of your actual purchase of the medicine. Children, pregnant women, breastfeeding women, the elderly and infirm, those with spleen deficiency and loose stools, and those with severe chronic diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, liver disease, diabetes, and kidney disease should take medication under the guidance of a physician and in accordance with the doctor’s instructions.
Patients can take medication according to their own medication habits.Choose to take the medicine before or after meals, but if you have a bad spleen and stomach or are prone to abdominal discomfort due to cold, it is best to take the medicine after meals to reduce the stimulation of the medicine to the spleen and stomach.
During the medication period, it is not advisable to drink alcohol, smoke, eat spicy and fishy foods, and take tonic Chinese medicine at the same time, such as donkey-hide gelatin, ginseng, and cinnamon. It is also not recommended that patients take other medicines on their own. If necessary, they should obtain permission from the doctor or pharmacist in advance. Compound Houttuynia Tablets may cause adverse reactions such as dry throat, burning sensation in the stomach, and palpitations. If the patient has severe discomfort symptoms after taking the medicine, or other symptoms occur, they should consult a doctor or go to the hospital in time. Patients who do not improve their symptoms after taking the medicine for 3 days should seek medical attention in time to avoid mistreatment.
Instrucciones de medicación
Houttuynia cordata is slightly cold in nature, and it is contraindicated for deficiency-cold syndrome and negative sores. What are the precautions when using Houttuynia cordata?
People with deficiency-cold constitution and furuncles and ulcers are yin-cold, and those without redness, swelling, heat and pain should not take it.
This product contains volatile oil and should not be decocted for a long time.
Do not take it if you have cold syndrome or feminine sores.
Mujeres embarazadas y lactantes: si está embarazada, planea quedar embarazada o está amamantando, informe a su médico a tiempo y consulte si puede utilizar la medicina china para el tratamiento.
Children: Children should take medicine under the guidance of a doctor and adult supervision.
Please properly store the medicinal materials and do not give them to others.
How to identify and use Houttuynia cordata?
Dandelion and Houttuynia cordata:
Both medicines are cold in nature, and can clear away heat and detoxify, relieve pain, promote dampness and relieve stranguria. They are mainly used to treat carbuncle, various internal carbuncle, damp-heat stranguria, etc. However, dandelion is bitter, sweet and cold, and belongs to the liver and stomach meridians. It has a stronger ability to clear away heat and detoxify, and can also disperse stagnant qi and promote lactation. Therefore, it is the best treatment for breast abscesses; it can also clear the liver and improve eyesight, and treat red and swollen eyes caused by liver fire.
Houttuynia cordata is pungent and slightly cold. It specifically enters the lung meridian. It has a stronger ability to eliminate carbuncle and discharge pus. It is good at clearing the lungs. It is an important medicine for treating lung abscess and vomiting pus. It is also often used to treat lung heat cough. It can also clear heat and stop dysentery, and can be used to treat damp-heat diarrhea.
Houttuynia cordata and reed root:
· Both medicines are cold in nature and belong to the lung meridian. They have the function of clearing the lung and discharging pus, promoting diuresis and relieving stranguria. They are mainly used to treat lung heat or wind-heat cough, lung abscess and vomiting pus, hot stranguria and painful, short and red urine, etc.
However, reed root is sweet, cold and light in nature, and it belongs to the stomach meridian, so its effect is slow, it is good at clearing the heat of the lungs and stomach and dispersing it, and it also has the functions of promoting fluid, relieving restlessness and thirst, clearing the stomach and stopping vomiting, so it is used to treat fever, thirst, stomach heat and vomiting, measles, etc. Houttuynia cordata is pungent and slightly cold, and it specifically enters the lung meridian, with a strong effect, especially clearing the lungs, and is good at eliminating carbuncle and pus, and can also clear heat and stop dysentery, so it is an important medicine for treating lung carbuncle and vomiting pus, and is also often used to treat lung heat cough, damp heat diarrhea.