Houttuynia cordata, a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, refers to the fresh whole plant or dried aerial parts of Houttuynia cordata Thunb., a plant belonging to the genus Houttuynia in the family Saururaceae.It has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, resolving abscesses and draining pus, and promoting urination and relieving dysuria. It is primarily used to treat lung abscesses with purulent discharge, coughs caused by lung heat, heat-toxin sores and abscesses, damp-heat dysuria, and damp-heat diarrhea and dysentery.
Fish-smell Grass
Houttuynia cordata, a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, refers to the fresh whole plant or dried aerial parts of Houttuynia cordata Thunb., a plant belonging to the genus Houttuynia in the family Saururaceae.It has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, resolving abscesses and draining pus, and promoting urination and relieving dysuria. It is primarily used to treat lung abscesses with purulent discharge, coughs caused by lung heat, heat-toxin sores and abscesses, damp-heat dysuria, and damp-heat diarrhea and dysentery.
Chinese Name : 鱼腥草
Latin Name : Houttuyniae Herba
Aliases : Cencao, Jie, Zhucai, Purple-backed Fishy-smelling Grass, Purple Jie, Zhuzi, Side Ear Root, Nine-Joint Lotus, Broken Ear Root, Lung-Shaped Grass, Stinky Fishy-smelling Grass
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Pungent in taste, slightly cold in nature; enters the Lung meridian
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
Clears heat and detoxifies; resolves abscesses and expels pus; promotes urination and relieves dysuria.
Indications
1. Lung abscess with pus discharge, and cough due to lung heat: This herb’s cold nature promotes downward drainage, while its pungent nature disperses nodules. It primarily enters the Lung Meridian and excels at clearing and resolving lung heat; it also possesses the ability to resolve abscesses and expel pus, making it an essential herb for treating lung abscesses. 2. Sores and abscesses caused by heat-toxin: With its pungent and cold nature, this herb can both clear heat and eliminate toxins, as well as resolve abscesses and expel pus; it is also commonly used for external abscesses and toxic sores. 3. Damp-heat dysuria: This herb clears heat, removes dampness, promotes diuresis, and relieves dysuria; it is particularly effective at clearing damp-heat from the bladder and is used to treat painful, scanty, and difficult urination. 4. Other Uses: This herb can clear heat and stop dysentery, and is used to treat diarrhea and dysentery caused by damp-heat.
Usage and Dosage
1. Internal Use: Decoct and take 15–25 g. For fresh material, double the dosage; decoct in water or pound to extract juice for oral administration. 2. External Use: Apply an appropriate amount as a poultice or decoct in water to steam and wash the affected area.
Precautions
1. This product contains essential oils and should not be decocted for an extended period. 2. Contraindicated in cases of deficiency-cold syndrome and yin-type sores and ulcers.
Chemical Constituents
This herb contains essential oils such as decanoylacetaldehyde, linalool, and methyl nonanone; flavonoids such as afuoside and hyperoside; as well as organic acids, proteins, and amino acids.
Pharmacological Actions
1. Houttuynia cordata extract exhibits varying degrees of inhibitory effects against a wide range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, Salmonella typhi, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis; its non-volatile components, extracted with diethyl ether, also possess antiviral activity. 2. This product enhances the phagocytic capacity of white blood cells, boosts the body’s immunity, and exerts anti-inflammatory effects. 3. The quercetin and potassium salts contained in this product dilate the renal arteries and increase renal arterial blood flow, thereby producing a strong diuretic effect. 4. In addition to the above effects, this product also has analgesic, hemostatic, tissue regeneration-promoting, wound-healing, and antitussive effects.
Relevant Discussions
1. *Commentary on the Classic of Materia Medica*: “An essential medicine for treating phlegm-heat obstructing the lungs, which manifests as lung abscesses with the expulsion of pus and blood.”
2. *Rihua Zi Bencao*: “Steamed inside a hollow bamboo tube and applied topically to treat malignant sores and alopecia.”
3. *Luchanyan Bencao*: “Highly effective for treating heatstroke, latent heat causing mental confusion, and loss of consciousness.”
4. *Diannan Bencao*: “Treats lung abscess with coughing up pus and blood, foul-smelling phlegm, heat toxins in the large intestine, and hemorrhoids.”
5. *Manual of Common Chinese Herbs*: “Clears heat and detoxifies. Treats mastitis, cellulitis, otitis media, and enteritis.”
6. *Compendium of Medical Essentials*: “Promotes diuresis, breaks up hard masses, dispels miasma, and relieves summer heat. Treats snake and insect venom, beriberi, ulcerated abscesses, and removes blood stasis.”
7. Chen Nianzhu: “Pounded fresh to treat hematemesis.”
8. *Classified Properties of Herbs*: “Treats the five types of dysuria, reduces edema, eliminates food stagnation, tonifies weakness, and relieves bloating.”
9. *Record of Medicinal Herb Collection in Lingnan*: “Leaves applied topically to severely infected sores can disinfect; when decocted and taken orally, they dispel damp-heat and treat dysentery.”
10. *Modern Practical Chinese Herbal Medicine*: “Fresh leaves: When heated and applied externally, they act as a blistering agent to treat skin sores and ringworm. They can be used as a bath additive for conditions such as scabies, ringworm, swelling, eczema, and lower back pain. Chewing the fresh root helps prevent angina attacks associated with coronary heart disease.”
11. *Illustrated Compendium of Chinese Medicinal Plants*: “It can be used as an emetic for emergency treatment of poisoning.”
12. *Manual of Common Chinese Herbal Medicines*: “Reduces inflammation and detoxifies; promotes urination and reduces swelling. Treats upper respiratory tract infections, lung abscesses, urinary tract inflammation, purulent inflammation in other areas, and venomous snake bites.”
Applications
Clinical Applications
1. To treat phlegm-heat obstructing the lungs, chest pain, and coughing up pus and blood, it is often used in combination with Platycodon grandiflorus, Phragmites root, and Trichosanthes kirilowii; to treat lung-heat cough with yellow phlegm and shortness of breath, it is often used in combination with Scutellaria baicalensis, Fritillaria thunbergii, and Anemarrhena asphodeloides.
2. To treat external abscesses and toxic sores, it is often used in combination with wild chrysanthemum, dandelion, and honeysuckle; fresh fish腥草 can also be pounded into a paste and applied topically as a poultice.
3. To treat painful, scanty, and difficult urination, it is often used in combination with plantain herb, white茅根, and sea sandwort.
Related Compatibility
1. Houttuynia cordata combined with mulberry bark: Both herbs are cold in nature and enter the Lung meridian, capable of clearing lung heat. Houttuynia cordata has a pungent taste and excels at clearing and dispersing lung heat; it is particularly effective at clearing heat, detoxifying, resolving abscesses, and draining pus. Mulberry bark has a sweet and cold taste and is effective at purging pathogenic heat from the lungs, descending lung qi, and relieving wheezing.When used together, these two herbs not only clear pathogenic heat and toxic stagnation in the lungs, expel pus, and resolve abscesses, but also descend qi to relieve wheezing. They are suitable for treating wheezing and cough caused by pathogenic heat obstructing the lungs, as well as lung abscesses.
2. Houttuynia cordata combined with Platycodon grandiflorus: Both herbs enter the Lung Meridian and are key herbs for treating lung abscesses. Houttuynia cordata excels at clearing heat, eliminating toxins, resolving abscesses, and draining pus; Platycodon grandiflorus excels at dispersing the lungs and eliminating phlegm, as well as draining pus-laden phlegm that obstructs the lungs.When combined, these two herbs synergistically promote lung function, eliminate phlegm, clear heat, detoxify, and expel pus to resolve abscesses. This combination is suitable for lung abscesses where pus discharge is obstructed, as well as for lung-heat coughs where phlegm is difficult to expectorate.
3. Houttuynia cordata combined with Lonicera japonica: Both herbs enter the Lung Meridian and are effective at clearing heat and detoxifying.Houttuynia cordata excels at clearing pathogenic heat from the Lung Meridian and can also expel pus and resolve abscesses; honeysuckle flower is capable of dispersing wind-heat in the Lung Meridian and promoting the release of heat to the exterior. When combined, this pairing focuses on clearing heat and detoxifying, while also promoting lung function and relieving cough. It is suitable for fever, cough, and yellow phlegm caused by wind-heat invading the lungs and the accumulation of internal heat-toxin.
4. Houttuynia cordata combined with Plantain Herb: Both herbs clear heat, eliminate toxins, promote urination, and relieve dysuria. Houttuynia cordata is more potent at clearing heat and eliminating toxins, while Plantain Herb excels at promoting diuresis and relieving dysuria. When used together, their effects in clearing heat, eliminating toxins, promoting urination, and relieving dysuria are enhanced. This combination is suitable for treating heat-dysuria with painful and scanty urination caused by the accumulation of dampness, fire, and heat toxins in the lower jiao.
Medicinal Identification
1. Dandelion and Houttuynia: Both herbs are cold in nature and can clear heat, eliminate toxins, resolve abscesses, drain dampness, and relieve dysuria. They are primarily used to treat abscesses, swellings, toxic sores, various internal abscesses, and damp-heat dysuria syndromes.However, dandelion is bitter, sweet, and cold in nature; it enters the Liver and Stomach meridians. It possesses a stronger ability to clear heat and eliminate toxins, and also disperses stagnant qi and promotes lactation, making it particularly effective for treating mastitis. It can also clear the Liver and improve vision, treating redness, swelling, and pain in the eyes caused by ascending Liver fire.Houttuynia cordata has a pungent and slightly cold nature, enters exclusively the Lung Meridian, and possesses a stronger ability to resolve abscesses and expel pus. It excels at clearing the lungs and is a key herb for treating lung abscesses with purulent discharge; it is also commonly used to treat coughs caused by lung heat. Additionally, it clears heat and stops dysentery, making it suitable for treating diarrhea and dysentery caused by damp-heat.
2. Reed Root and Houttuynia: Both herbs are cold in nature and enter the Lung Meridian. Their functions include clearing the lungs and expelling pus, as well as promoting urination and relieving dysuria. They are primarily used to treat coughs caused by lung heat or wind-heat, lung abscesses with pus discharge, painful and scanty urination due to heat, and dark, scanty urine.However, Reed Root is sweet, cold, and light in nature, and also enters the Stomach Meridian; its action is relatively mild. It excels at clearing heat from the lungs and stomach while promoting dispersion, and also has the effects of generating body fluids, relieving restlessness, quenching thirst, clearing the stomach, and stopping vomiting. Therefore, it is used to treat febrile diseases with restlessness and thirst, stomach heat with retching, and measles that fail to erupt.Houttuynia cordata is pungent and slightly cold in nature; it enters exclusively the Lung Meridian and has a relatively strong action, excelling particularly in clearing lung heat. It is effective at resolving abscesses and expelling pus, and can also clear heat and stop dysentery. Therefore, it is a key herb for treating lung abscesses with purulent discharge and is also commonly used to treat lung-heat coughs and damp-heat diarrhea and dysentery.
Related Medicines
Fever-Reducing and Lung-Clearing Syrup, Compound Houttuynia Tablets, Acute Bronchitis Syrup, Heat-Clearing and Dampness-Removing Tea, Phlegm-Resolving Oral Solution
Medicinal Diet Therapy
Houttuynia Cordata with Lettuce:
1. Benefits: Clears heat, detoxifies, drains dampness, and expels pus. Suitable for patients with urinary tract infections and lung abscesses.
2. Ingredients: 100g fresh Houttuynia cordata, 5g lettuce, scallions, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, and MSG to taste.
3. Preparation: Remove impurities and tough roots from the fish腥草, rinse thoroughly, and blanch briefly in boiling water before draining. Mix with 1 g of salt, toss to coat, and set aside to marinate.Peel the fresh lettuce and cut it into 3–4 cm sections, then slice into thin strips. Marinate with a small amount of salt, drain, and set aside. Place the lettuce strips in a serving dish, add the fish腥草, soy sauce, MSG, sesame oil, vinegar, minced ginger, chopped scallions, and minced garlic. Mix well to combine flavors and serve.
4. Usage: Serve as a side dish.
Notes
Patients requiring treatment with traditional Chinese medicine should first consult a licensed TCM hospital, where a TCM practitioner will conduct a professional diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate herbal formula.
Processing & Preparation
Harvesting & Processing
Harvest when the plant is in full growth and the flower spikes are abundant during summer; remove impurities and dry. Alternatively, use fresh.
Processing Methods
For fresh Houttuynia cordata, remove impurities. For dried Houttuynia cordata, remove impurities, wash thoroughly, cut into sections, and dry.
Storage Methods
Store in a dry place.
Crude Drug Identification
Identification
1. The powder of this product is gray-green to brown. Oil cells are round or oval, 28–104 μm in diameter, containing yellow oil droplets. Non-glandular trichomes consist of 1–16 cells, with a basal diameter of 12–104 μm and a surface bearing linear striations. Glandular trichome heads consist of 2–5 cells, containing a pale brown substance, with a diameter of 9–34 μm.The surface of leaf epidermal cells exhibits wavy striations, and the stomata are irregular in shape. Calcium oxalate cluster crystals may reach a diameter of up to 57 μm.
2. Place an appropriate amount of dried Houttuynia cordata powder in a small test tube, press it down firmly with a glass rod, add a small amount of madder red sulfite solution until the upper layer of powder is moistened, let stand for a moment, and observe through the side wall; the moistened powder appears pink or reddish-purple.
3. Take 25 g of dried Houttuynia cordata (or 125 g of fresh Houttuynia cordata), chop it into small pieces, and, following the method for the determination of essential oils (General Specification 2204), add 1 mL of ethyl acetate. Heat slowly to boiling and maintain a gentle boil for 4 hours. Allow to stand for half an hour, then take the ethyl acetate solution as the test solution.Separately, take a methyl n-nonanone reference standard, dissolve it in ethyl acetate to prepare a solution containing 10 μl per 1 ml, and use this as the reference solution.Test by thin-layer chromatography (General Chapter 0502): Pipette 5 μl of the test solution and 2 μl of the reference solution, and apply them separately to the same silica gel G plate. Develop with a mobile phase of cyclohexane–ethyl acetate (9:1), remove the plate, allow it to air-dry, and spray with dinitrophenylhydrazine solution.In the test sample chromatogram, yellow spots corresponding to those in the reference standard chromatogram appear at the same positions.
Properties of Crude Drugs
The stem is flattened and cylindrical, twisted, 20–35 cm long, and 0.2–0.3 cm in diameter; the surface is brownish-yellow, with several longitudinal ridges; the nodes are distinct, and residual fibrous roots are present on the lower nodes; the stem is brittle and breaks easily. The leaves are alternate; the leaf blades are curled and wrinkled but become heart-shaped when flattened, 3–5 cm long and 3–4.5 cm wide;apex acuminate, margin entire; upper surface dark yellow-green to dark brown, lower surface gray-green or gray-brown; petioles slender and elongated, basally fused with the stipules to form a sheath. Inflorescences are terminal spikes, yellowish-brown. When crushed, they emit a fishy odor.
Properties of Processed Slices
It consists of irregular short segments containing a mixture of stems, leaves, and flowers, and is brownish-yellow or grayish-green. The leaves are mostly shriveled and fragmented; the inflorescence is a spike; when crushed, it emits a fishy odor and has a slightly astringent taste.
Botanical Information
Botanical Classification
Allium chinense, a plant of the genus Allium in the family Alliaceae.
Morphological Characteristics
A perennial herb, 15–50 cm tall, with a fishy odor. The lower part of the stem lies prostrate on the ground and roots, while the upper part is erect. Leaves are alternate, cordate or broadly ovate, 3–8 cm long and 4–6 cm wide, with an acuminate apex, entire margins, fine glandular dots, pubescent veins, and a purplish-red underside;petioles 3–5 cm long; stipules linear, the lower half fused with the petiole to form a sheath. Spicate inflorescences arise from the stem apex, opposite the leaves, with four white, petal-like bracts at the base; flowers small, without perianth, with a small linear bract; three stamens, the lower parts of the filaments fused with the ovary;3 carpels, fused at the base. The capsule is ovoid and dehiscent at the apex. Flowering period: May–August; fruiting period: July–October.
Distribution Area
It is distributed in Shaanxi, Gansu, and areas south of the Yangtze River basin.