Witnessed by: TCM · Western · Unani

Flixweed (Descurainia sophia), of the Brassicaceae (Cruciferae) family. Erect annual herb with finely three-pinnate greyish leaves and slender seed-pods; native range: Europe and temperate Asia, on waste and cultivated ground; naturalised widely. Globally recognized as ting li zi (葶苈子) in Chinese, khaksi (خاكسي) in Arabic, and flixweed, herb Sophia, flaxweed tansymustard in English. The part used is ripe seed. Minute reddish-brown seeds, mucilaginous and swelling in water, with a faint pungent mustard bite.

In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.

FLIXWEED

IDENTITY

Name

Common: Flixweed
Scientific name: Descurainia sophia (L.) Webb ex Prantl
Family: Brassicaceae (Cruciferae)

Form

Part used: ripe seed

PROPERTIES

Nature

Taste

how the plant declares itself on the tongue

TCM: pungent · bitter
Western: pungent · acrid
Unani: pungent · acrid

Temperature

TCM: cold
Western: hot (& dry)
Unani: hot (& dry, 1st degree)

Affinity

where in the body it travels

Organs / channels

TCM: Lung · Bladder
Western: lungs · bowels
Unani: lungs · intestines

PRACTICE

Virtue

Actions

TCM: drains Lung heat and phlegm-fluid, calms wheezing and quiets cough, promotes urination and reduces oedema
Western: vulnerary, astringent, expectorant; a seed-remedy for flux and old ulcers
Unani: mukhrij-e-bahaq (expels the eruption of measles and pox), munzij-e-balgham (ripens phlegm), mudirr (diuretic), febrifuge

Cautions

Contraindications: weak Spleen with loose stool, deficiency-type wheezing without excess phlegm-fluid (tcm)
Toxicity: well tolerated in normal doses; the draining seed is heavy for the depleted

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