Witnessed by: TCM
Club moss (Lycopodium japonicum), of the Lycopodiaceae family. Creeping evergreen clubmoss with erect forking branches; native range: mountain forests and slopes across China and East Asia. Globally recognized as shen jin cao (伸筋草) in Chinese, and stretch-sinew herb, Japanese club moss in English. The part used is whole plant. Wiry trailing stems densely set with small scale-like leaves, pale green, bitter and acrid.
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.
CLUB MOSS
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- club moss
- Scientific name
- Lycopodium japonicum Thunb.
- Family
- Lycopodiaceae
Form
- Part used
- whole plant
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- bitter · pungent
Temperature
- TCM
- warm
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Liver · Spleen · Kidney
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- dispels wind-damp, relaxes the sinews, invigorates the channels and collaterals, alleviates pain
Cautions
- Contraindications
- contraindicated in pregnancy; caution in blood deficiency without wind-damp
- Toxicity
- no significant toxicity in normal use
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