Androsace, Sga tig སྒ་ཏིག

Rock Jasmine
Sga tig (Tibetan Medicine)
Dian Di Mei (A. aizoon, TCM)
Androsace sarmentosa
Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, vol. 102 (1876)

Androsace sarmentosa
(Photo by Kenraiz) (Wikimedia)

Botanical name:

Androsace spp.

1. Sga tig nag po (Black variety): A. mariae var. tibetica
2. Sga tig smug po (Brown variety): A. aizoon var. coccinea, A. sarmentosa, A. strigillosa

Other varieties used include A. bulleyana, A. spinulifera, A. sempervivoides

Parts used:

Whole herb in flower

Temperature & Taste:

Cool, dry. Bitter, Pungent

Uses:

1. Clears Heat, Resists Poison:
-Fever
-swollen, sore throat (TCM)
-heat disease with shivering, swelling, headache and bitter taste (lhog pa)

2. Clears Damp-Heat, Promotes Urine:
-Edema; obstruction of the Urinary tract
-Ascites
-disorders of Lymph
-Jaundice; yellowing of eyes and skin, dark urine

3. Moves the Blood, Resolves Swelling:
-Trauma, Wounds (TCM, Tibetan)
-Sudden Swellings, Tumors (Tibetan)

4. Externally:
-tearing and itching of the Eyes (as eye drops)

Dose:

Decoction: 9–15 grams (TCM)

Substitutes:

1. Primula genestieriana
2. Swertia chirata

Main Combinations:

Major Formulas:

Cautions:

None noted

Main Preparations used: