Selaginella, Shi Shang Bai 石上柏
SelaginellaShi Shang Bai (TCM)
Selaginella doederleinii Photo by 天問 小窩 (Wikimedia)
Botanical name:
Selaginella doederleinii
See also Selaginella pulvinata which may be an equivalent plant.
Parts used:
Whole Herb
Temperature & Taste:
Neutral/Cool, dry. Sweet, Pungent, Bitter
Classifications:
B. Clears Heat and Poison
Uses:
1. Clears Heat, Resists Poison:
-Fever
-Acute Sore Throat
-Lung-Heat Cough
-Toxic Sores, Ulcers
2. Clears Damp-Heat, Promotes Urine:
-Jaundice
-Hardness of the Liver, Cirrhosis
-Damp-Heat Urinary disorders, Edema, Ascites
3. Clears Toxic Heat, Resolves Masses:
-recently used for various Cancers, especially Lung, Throat, Gastrointestinal, Liver Cancer, chorioepithelial carcinoma
Dose:
Avoid prolonged boiling..
Decoction: 15–30 grams (double if fresh). For Cancer, 40–60 grams daily is usually given.
Main Combinations:
1. Acute Sore Throat, Selaginella, Forsythia Lian Qiao, Isatis Ban Lan Gen
2. Lung Heat Cough, Selaginella with Scutellaria Huang Qin, Licorice
3. Tonsillitis, Pneumonia, Selaginella (30 grams) with lean Pork (30 grams). Decoct and take.
4. Damp-Heat Jaundice, Selaginella with Artemisia Yin Chen Hao
5. Cancers:
i. Selaginella (40–60 grams) cooked with Lean Pork and Chinese Red Dates (Da Zao)
ii. Lung Cancer, Selaginella with Astragalus Huang Qi, Hedyotis Bai Hua She She Cao, Bitter Apricot kernel (Ku Xing Ren), Asparagus root (Tian Men Dong), Licorice
Major Formulas:
Cautions:
None noted