Witnessed by: TCM · Western
Fish mint (Houttuynia cordata), of the Saururaceae family. Creeping perennial with heart-shaped leaves; native range: East and Southeast Asia, in damp shade and stream margins. Globally recognized as yu xing cao (魚腥草) in Chinese, and fishwort, heartleaf, chameleon plant, fish-smell herb in English. The part used is whole herb (aerial parts), fresh or dried. Fleshy heart-shaped leaves that give off a sharp fish-like odour when crushed, the taste pungent and sourish.
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.
FISH MINT
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- fish mint
- Scientific name
- Houttuynia cordata Thunb.
- Family
- Saururaceae
Form
- Part used
- whole herb (aerial parts), fresh or dried
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- pungent
- Western
- pungent · sour
Temperature
TCM: cool (slightly cold, wei han)
Western: cool
convergence: both {witness_count} witnesses find it cooling — a cold, cleansing drug for heat and pus
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Lung · Large Intestine · Bladder
- Western
- lungs · immune · kidneys
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- clears heat and resolves toxicity (qing re jie du), expels pus and reduces abscess, drains damp and promotes urination
- Western
- antimicrobial, antiviral, immune-modulating, anti-inflammatory, mildly diuretic
Cautions
- Contraindications
- cold or deficient patterns without heat
- Toxicity
- low; may cause mild digestive upset
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