Oxalis, a name in traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the whole plant of Oxalis corniculata L., a species belonging to the genus Oxalis in the Oxalidaceae family. It is distributed throughout most regions of China. It has the effects of clearing heat and draining dampness, cooling the blood and dispersing blood stasis, and detoxifying and reducing swelling.It is primarily used to treat damp-heat diarrhea, dysentery, jaundice, dysuria, leukorrhea, hemoptysis, epistaxis, hematuria, irregular menstruation, trauma, sore throat, boils, carbuncles, erysipelas, eczema, scabies, ringworm, hemorrhoids, measles, burns and scalds, and snake and insect bites.
Wood Sorrel
Oxalis, a name in traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the whole plant of Oxalis corniculata L., a species belonging to the genus Oxalis in the Oxalidaceae family. It is distributed throughout most regions of China. It has the effects of clearing heat and draining dampness, cooling the blood and dispersing blood stasis, and detoxifying and reducing swelling.It is primarily used to treat damp-heat diarrhea, dysentery, jaundice, dysuria, leukorrhea, hemoptysis, epistaxis, hematuria, irregular menstruation, trauma, sore throat, boils, carbuncles, erysipelas, eczema, scabies, ringworm, hemorrhoids, measles, burns and scalds, and snake and insect bites.
Chinese Name : 酢浆草
Latin Name : Herba Oxalis Corniculatae
Aliases : Sour Basket, Three-Leaf Sour Grass, Sour Mother Grass, Dove Sour Grass, Small Sour Reed, Sparrow Forest Grass, Sour Dew, Red Sunshi, Field Character Grass, Sour Dew Grass, Sour Dumpling Grass, Small Sour Sprout, Sour Grass, Sparrow Sour, Sour-Tasting Grass, Sour Mimi Grass, Three-Leaf Sour Dew
Authentic Producing Area : Provinces in South China, Southwest China, North China, Northeast China, and Northwest China
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Sour in taste, cold in nature; enters the Liver, Lung, and Bladder meridians
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
Clears heat and drains dampness; cools the blood and dispels blood stasis; detoxifies and reduces swelling.
Indications
Damp-heat diarrhea, dysentery, jaundice, dysuria, leukorrhea, hemoptysis, epistaxis, hematuria, irregular menstruation, trauma, sore throat, boils, carbuncles, erysipelas, eczema, scabies, tinea, hemorrhoids, measles, burns and scalds, snake and insect bites.
Usage and Dosage
1. Internal use: Decoct 9–15 g of the dried herb or 30–60 g of the fresh herb; alternatively, grind into powder or extract juice from the fresh herb and drink. 2. External use: Use an appropriate amount; decoct in water for washing, pound into a paste for application, apply the extracted juice, or use the decoction for mouth rinsing.
Precautions
Patients requiring treatment with Chinese herbal medicine should first consult a licensed Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) hospital, where a TCM practitioner will conduct a professional pattern differentiation and prescribe an herbal formula.
Chemical Constituents
The whole herb contains ascorbic acid, dehydroascorbic acid, pyruvic acid, glycolic acid, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), vitexin, isovitexin, vitexin-2″-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, as well as 17 other compounds, such as 2-heptenal,2-pentylfuran, and trans-phytol, as well as neutral lipid compounds, glycolipids, phospholipids, fatty acids (C10–C14), α-tocopherol, and β-tocopherol.
Pharmacological Actions
This product exhibits antibacterial activity.
Relevant Discussions
1. *Newly Revised Materia Medica*: “Treats malignant sores and fistulas; pound and apply as a poultice; kills various small parasites; relieves fever and thirst.”
2. *Illustrated Compendium of Materia Medica*: “Treats blood stasis and menstrual obstruction in women.”
3. *Luchanyan Materia Medica*: “Treats red and white vaginal discharge, hematuria, and heat-induced dysuria in women.”
4. *Materia Medica of Southern Yunnan*: “Stops chronic diarrhea, slippery dysentery, red and white dysentery, or intermittent dysentery.”
5. *Compendium of Materia Medica*: “Primarily treats various types of dysuria and red and white vaginal discharge… Treats sand and stone dysuria. A decoction is highly effective for washing hemorrhoids and rectal prolapse. Pound and apply as a poultice to burns, scalds, and snake or scorpion stings. Used to process sand, mercury, calomel, alum, and arsenic trioxide.”
6. *Essentials of the Properties of Raw Herbs*: “Kills parasites and relieves pain; disperses heat and reduces swelling; treats contusions and bruises; dissipates blood stasis; and dries dampness to relieve itching.”
7. *Compendium of Medical Forest: Properties of Medicinal Herbs*: “Tonifies the lungs, drains the liver, dispels heat, removes blood stasis, and consolidates yin to regulate bodily functions.It treats hemoptysis and epistaxis, and eliminates all types of counterflow blood, stagnant blood, and blood-heat abscesses and toxins.”
8. *Classified Properties of Herbs*: “Stops malaria and clears nasal congestion; when stir-fried with wine and applied as a hot compress to the ‘fish mouth’ (a specific area on the body), it treats red and white dysentery.”
9. *Record of Medicinal Plant Collection in Lingnan*: “Treats measles, snake venom, and scabies.”
Applications
Clinical Applications
1. For painful, scanty, and reddish urination: Sorrel (Saururus chinensis), single ingredient. Harvest tender shoots, wash, grind, and squeeze out the natural juice. Take half a he per dose, mix thoroughly with half a zhan of wine, and consume on an empty stomach. If urination has not resumed, take another dose. (*Shengji Zonglu*)
2. For treating red and white vaginal discharge in women: Three-leaf Oxalis, dried in the shade and ground into powder; take three qian bi on an empty stomach with wine. (From *Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold*)
3. For treating obstruction of both urination and defecation: One large handful of Oxalis and one handful of Plantain; pound to extract the juice, add one qian of sugar, mix well, and drink one zhan. If relief is not achieved, take another dose. (From *Compendium of Materia Medica*, citing *Selected Mystical Formulas*)
4. For postpartum uterine prolapse in women: Decoct sour grass to make a decoction. Sit on the decoction until the opening closes; once it has retracted halfway, wash the area with the slightly warm liquid, then gently push the uterus back into place to secure it. (*Formulas for Universal Relief*)
5. For hemorrhoids: Take one large handful of sparrow’s-nest grass, coarsely chopped. Boil in 2 large sheng of water until reduced to 1 sheng. Drink the entire decoction at once. Prepare another dose; this treatment is universally effective. (From *Wai Tai*, citing Cui’s Formula for Treating Hemorrhoids)
Related Compatibility
1. Wood sorrel combined with artemisia: Both herbs have the effects of clearing heat and draining dampness. Wood sorrel is particularly effective at eliminating damp-heat in the Large Intestine Meridian, while also cooling the blood and dispersing blood stasis; artemisia excels at clearing and draining damp-heat from the liver and gallbladder, thereby alleviating jaundice. When combined, these two herbs can clear heat, drain dampness, cool the blood, promote blood circulation, support gallbladder function, and alleviate jaundice. They are used for conditions such as damp-heat jaundice.
2. Oxalis combined with Greater Thistle: Both herbs have the effects of clearing heat and cooling the blood. Oxalis can also disperse blood stasis, while Greater Thistle both stops bleeding and resolves blood stasis. When combined, these herbs synergize to achieve the effects of clearing heat and cooling the blood, harmonizing the blood and stopping bleeding, and promoting blood circulation to disperse blood stasis. This combination is used for various types of bleeding caused by uncontrolled blood heat, effectively stopping bleeding without the drawback of retaining blood stasis.
3. Wood Sorrel Combined with Purple Groundsel: Both herbs have detoxifying and anti-edematous effects. However, Wood Sorrel tends to disperse nodules and reduce swelling, while Purple Groundsel focuses on clearing heat and detoxifying. When combined, they complement each other, enhancing their efficacy. This combination is used to treat conditions such as boils, abscesses, and toxic swellings.
Notes
References: [1] Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine. *Encyclopedia of Chinese Materia Medica* [M]. 2nd ed. Shanghai: Shanghai Science and Technology Press, 2006. [2] Editorial Committee of *Zhonghua Bencao*, State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. *Zhonghua Bencao*: Vol. 4 [M]. Shanghai: Shanghai Science and Technology Press, 1999. [3] Chen Yuchun. Illustrated Atlas of Wild Herb Identification and Application [M]. Beijing: China Medical Science and Technology Press, 2020.
Processing & Preparation
Harvesting & Processing
It can be harvested year-round, though summer and fall are particularly suitable. Wash thoroughly and use fresh or sun-dry.
Processing Methods
Take the raw herb, remove residual roots and impurities, rinse thoroughly with running water, cut into sections, and dry.
Storage Methods
Store in a dry container in a well-ventilated, dry place.
Crude Drug Identification
Properties of Crude Drugs
Appears in segmented or slice-like pieces. Stems and branches are covered with sparse, long hairs. Leaves are papery, wrinkled or fragmented, and brownish-green. Flowers are yellow, with five sepals and five petals. The capsule is nearly cylindrical, with five ridges and covered with soft hairs; the seeds are small, flattened-ovate, and brown. It has a sour odor. The taste is salty, sour, and astringent.
Properties of Processed Slices
See “Characteristics of Medicinal Materials.”
Botanical Information
Botanical Classification
Oxalis, a plant of the genus Oxalis in the family Oxalidaceae.
Morphological Characteristics
Perennial herb. Rhizome slender and elongated; stem slender and weak, usually brown, prostrate or oblique, highly branched, and pubescent.The petiole is 2–6.5 cm long; stipules are distinct; there are three leaflets, obcordate, 4–10 mm long, with a concave apex, a broadly cuneate base, glabrous on the upper surface, sparsely covered with appressed hairs on the lower surface, with denser hairs along the veins, and with appressed marginal hairs; sessile.Flowers are solitary or arranged in axillary umbels of several flowers; pedicels are as long as the petioles; flowers are yellow, with sepals long-ovate-lanceolate, about 4 mm long, and blunt at the apex; petals are obovate, about 9 mm long, rounded at the apex, and slightly fused at the base; the filaments of the stamens are fused at the base to form a tube;there are 5 styles. The capsule is nearly cylindrical, 1–1.5 cm long, slightly 5-angled, beaked, and dehisces by bursting when ripe; the seeds are dark brown, nearly ovate but flattened, with longitudinal grooves. Flowering period: May–August; fruiting period: June–September.
Distribution Area
Distributed throughout most regions of China.
Growth Habits
Prefers a warm, humid climate and grows best in shaded, moist areas. Cultivation is best suited to loose, fertile, humus-rich sandy loam or loam soils.
Propagation Methods
Propagated by seed.
Cultivation Techniques
Sow in April using broadcast or row seeding; after sowing, cover lightly with fine soil until the seeds are no longer visible, then lightly tamp down the soil. Water frequently to keep the soil moist. Remove weeds regularly during the growing season and apply diluted human manure or fertilizers such as ammonium sulfate and urea. Drain excess water promptly during heavy rains; irrigate as needed during droughts.