Pharmaceutical name:

Herba cum radice houttuyniae cordatae

Latin botanical name:

Houttuynia cordata Thunb.

Pron. in Japanese:

juyaku  ギョセイソウ

Pron. in Korean:

osaengcho

Pron. in Cantonese:

yu siang cho

Other Names:

ji cai 蕺菜﹐zhe er gen折耳根﹐yu chao cao魚躁草

Common Name:

houttuynia, pig thigh

Distribution:

along Yangzi River and in southern part of China

Properties (characteristics)﹕ 性味﹕

acrid, bitter and slightly cool

味辛，性微寒。

Channels (meridians) entered:

歸經﹕

large intestine, lung

肺﹐膀胱﹐大腸經。

Actions & Indications:

rid of heat and toxin, swellings, abscesses, expels pus. Use internally or topically. Promote urination, clear damp heat diarrhea, clear painful urination, for boils, gonorrhea.

清熱解毒，排膿消癰，利尿通淋。主治肺癰吐膿，痰熱喘咳，喉蛾，濕熱下痢，癰腫瘡毒，熱淋。

Medical Function:

藥理﹕

• The main antibiotic ingredient is decanoylacetaldehyde (an essential oil).

• The essential oil of yu xing cao  can inhibit HIV-1 (AIDS-virus) in vitro .

• Its potassium salt and quercitin can enhance the function of capillaries, and can improve blood flow and promote urination.

• 魚腥草的主要抗菌有效成份癸醯乙醛 (又稱魚腥草素)。

• 此揮發油可仰制體外HIV-1(艾滋病毒)。

• 其鉀鹽及檞皮素有增強毛細血管作用，增加血流量及尿分泌的作用。

Chemical ingredients:

揮發油 (evaporating oil) 0.05%:

• 癸酰乙醛 (又稱魚腥草素)(Decanoylacetaldehyde)﹐

• 月桂烯(Myrcene)﹐

• α-蒎烯(α- Pinene)﹐

• d-檸檬烯(d-Limonene)﹐

• 甲基正壬酮(2-Methyheptenone)﹐

• 莰烯(Camphene)﹐

• 乙酸龍腦酯 (Bornyl acetate)﹐

• 芳樟醇(Linalool)﹐

• 石竹烯(Caryophyllene)﹐月桂醛(Dodecanaldehyde)等。

日本產鱼腥草主成分为 (main ingrediants of yu xing cao produced in Japan:)

• 十烷酸 占38.4%(Decanoic acid38.4%，)

• 十一酮-2  占10.1% (2-Undecanone10.1%)，

• 對聚伞素 (ρ-Cymene) ﹐

• 芳樟醇(Linalool)﹐

• 桉油素(Cineole)﹐

• 麝香草酚 等(Thymol & etc)。

全草含 (whole plant contains:)

• 阿福豆甙 (Afzerin)﹐

• 金丝桃甙(Hyperin)﹐

• 槲皮素 (Quercitin)  ﹐

• 蘆丁(芸 香醇)  (Rutin﹐)

• 綠原酸(Chlorogenic acid)﹐

• β-谷甾醇( β-Sitoterol)﹐

• 豆甾醇(Stigmasterol)﹐

• 菠菜甾醇(Spinasterol),s

• 蕺菜鹼(Cordarine)。

花及果穗含 (flowers and fruits contain:)

• 異槲皮甙(Isoquercitrin)﹐

• 檞皮素 (quercitin )

葉含 (leaves conain:)

• 槲皮甙 (Quercetin)

• 無機成分：氯化钾 (Potassium chloride)﹐

• 硫酸钾 (Potassium sulfate)。

本種的鱼腥氣味是由于含有癸酰乙醛 (decanoylacetaldehyde) (CH₃-(CH₂)₈-COCH₂-CHO) 所致。

Dosage:

10 to 25 g (do not boil for long time). External use: according to need

10∼25g。不宜久煎。外用適量。

Samples of formulae:

See:Acute infection, diarrhea

Modern Applications:

• 1. For treating inflammation of the respiratory tract.

• 2. For treating over expansion of bronchi.

• 3. For treating whooping cough

• 4. For water retention in the chest cavity caused by cancer

• 5. For preventing  infection after surgery

• 6. For  lowering fever

• 7. For treating bacterial diarrhea

• 8. For treating jaundice type of hepatitis

• 9. For treating kidney multiple syndroms

• 10. For treating ulceration of the neck of uterus

• 11. For treating inflammation of the pelvic area

• 12. For treating simple type of inflammation of the cornea

• 13. For treating sinus inflammation of the nose

• 14. For treating inflammation ( with pus) of the middle ear

• 15. For treating measles

• 16. For treating epidemic type of tonsillitis

• 17. For treating tumors of the blood vessels

• 18. For preventing leptospira disease

Effectiveness: out of 1603 farm workers who took  yu xing cao pills only one person contacted the disease.[30]

(formulae to be uploaded)

Cautions:

Juice from fresh yu xing cao inhibits staphylococcus aureus. After heating, it is less effective. Heating may cause the essential oil, an active ingredient to evaporate. Thus it becomes less effective.

Toxicity is mild. Vaginal applications  have caused inflammation but symptoms  subsided after stopping the applications.

There are reports that injectiones of yu xing cao extract had caused allergic reaction of shock [32-33] and death [34],  and also had caused skin atrophy type of skin inflammation [35].

本品含揮發油，不宜久煎。