Witnessed by: TCM
Siegesbeckia (Siegesbeckia orientalis), of the Asteraceae family. Erect branching annual of open disturbed ground; native range: waste ground and roadsides throughout China. Globally recognized as xi xian cao (豨薟草) in Chinese, and siegesbeckia, St. Paul's wort in English. The part used is aerial parts. Soft grey-hairy stems and toothed leaves with small yellow flowerheads whose sticky bracts cling to the hand, coarse and bitter.
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.
SIEGESBECKIA
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- siegesbeckia
- Scientific name
- Siegesbeckia orientalis L.
- Family
- Asteraceae
Form
- Part used
- aerial parts
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- bitter
Temperature
- TCM
- cold
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Liver · Kidney
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- dispels wind-dampness, unblocks the channels, strengthens sinew and bone, clears heat and calms the Liver
Cautions
- Contraindications
- the unprepared herb may weaken the stomach; caution in yin-deficiency without wind-damp
- Toxicity
- large doses of the raw herb may cause nausea and vomiting
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