Witnessed by: TCM · Unani
Cluster mallow (Malva verticillata), of the Malvaceae family. Erect annual or biennial herb with rounded crinkled leaves and clustered flowers in the leaf-axils; native range: temperate Asia — China and neighbouring regions; grown as a pot-herb and medicine. Globally recognized as dong kui zi (冬葵子) in Chinese, khubbazi in Arabic, and cluster mallow, whorled mallow, Chinese mallow in English. The part used is seed (and leaves). Small ring-shaped seeds packed in a whorl; bland and mildly sweet, yielding a cool slippery mucilage when soaked.
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.
CLUSTER MALLOW
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- cluster mallow
- Scientific name
- Malva verticillata L.
- Family
- Malvaceae
Form
- Part used
- seed (and leaves)
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- sweet · bland
- Unani
- bland · sweet
Temperature
TCM: cold
Unani: cold (and moist)
convergence: both {witness_count} witnesses converge — a cold, moist, slippery seed in each
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Bladder · Large Intestine · Small Intestine
- Unani
- intestines · bladder · lungs
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- promotes urination and frees strangury, moistens the intestines and frees the stool, and promotes lactation
- Unani
- mudir-e-baul (diuretic), mulaiyin (laxative), and demulcent and munzij (coctive)
Cautions
- Contraindications
- pregnancy, and spleen deficiency with loose stools or sinking qi
- Toxicity
- well tolerated
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