Drymaria, He Lian Dou Cao 荷莲豆草

Tropical Chickweed
He Lian Dou Cao, Er Rui He Lian Dou (TCM)
Picture Drymaria diandra
Swartz, O.P., Icones plantarum (1794)

Picture Drymaria cordata
(Photo by Vinayaraj) (Wikimedia)

Botanical name:


Drymaria diandra (syn. D. cordata)

Parts used:


Herb; sometimes the root

Temperature & Taste:


Cool, dry. Bitter

Uses:


1. Clears Heat and Damp:
-Jaundice, Acute Hepatitis
-Edema, Ascites, Nephritis
-Childhood Malnutrition
-Pain and swelling of the Legs
-Epigastric pain, Gastric Ulcers

2. Clears Heat, Resists Poison:
-Fever (Nepal)
-Toxic Sores and Abscesses, Carbuncles
-Malaria
-Anti-viral including HIV
-Constipation from excess heat

3. Moves the Blood:
-Headache, pain from Blood stasis with heat
-used where chronic inflammation is associated with Blood stasis (Hepatitis, chronic Heat swellings etc.)

4. Externally:
-paste or juice of the fresh plant applied to the forehead for Headache (Nepal)
-topically to venomous bites including Snake Bite
-topically to toxic swellings and sores
-Conjunctivitis, Pterygium and other eye diseases from heat (juice dropped in, or decoction as a wash)
-Sinusitis (juice sniffed up the nose)


Dose:


Herb and Root can be used in similar doses.
Fresh Juice: 10–20 mls.
Fresh plant is beaten for external application, or the juice can be used.

Main Combinations:



Major Formulas:



Cautions:


None noted

Main Preparations used:



Research

1. Broad-spectrum Antibacterial
2. Anti-fungal
3. Anti-viral
4. Antitussive
5. Anti-leukemia effect