Plantaginis Herba
Aliases：Common Plantago、Roadside Herb、Ox-tongue Herb、Cartwheel Vegetable、Wild Sweet Herb、Ground Gallbladder Herb、White Penetrating Grass、Pig‘s Ear Grass、Seven-star Grass、Five Roots
Cheqiancao (Plantaginis Herba) is a commonly used Chinese medicinal herb. It consists of the dried whole plant of Plantago asiatica L. or Plantago depressa Willd. (family Plantaginaceae).
Efficacy & Actions
clear heat, promote diuresis and relieve painful strangury, eliminate phlegm, cool the blood, resolve toxin
Indications
painful strangury due to Heat, edema with scanty urine, summer-damp diarrhea and dysentery, cough due to Phlegm-Heat, hemoptysis and epistaxis, carbuncles, sores and toxic swellings
Modern Pharmacology
This product has diuretic and uric acid-lowering, antitussive and expectorant, antidepressant, antioxidant, and hepatoprotective effects, among others.
Ingredients
Cheqiancao (Plantaginis Herba) contains ursolic acid, n-hentriacontane, sitosterol, stigmasterol, etc. The aerial parts contain plantaginin.
Usage & Dosage
1. Internal use: 15–30 g in decoction (30–60 g for fresh herb); or taken as juice. 2. External use: Appropriate amount, used as a decoction for washing, crushed fresh herb for topical application, or its juice for smearing.
Contraindications
It should be used with caution in cases of internal injury due to overstrain and fatigue, sinking of Yang Qi, Kidney deficiency with spermatorrhea, and absence of internal Damp-Heat.
Selected Formulas
1 For painful strangury due to Heat with scanty and painful urination: Combine with Tetrapanacis Medulla (Tongcao), Malvae Radix (Kuigen), and Natrii Sulfas (Mangxiao) (Guangji Fang, cited in Yixin Fang). For urolithiasis (stone strangury): May be used alone (Zhang Wenzhong Fang, cited in Waitai Miyao). For Small Intestine Heat with painful hematuria (blood strangury): Use fresh herb, crush and take the juice (Danxi’s Experiential Therapy). For hematuria (blood in urine): May be used alone (Qianjin Yifang), or crushed together with Ecliptae Herba (Jinlingcaoye) and taken as juice (Jianbian Danfang). For painful hematuria with seeping pain: Crush with fresh Rehmanniae Radix (Shengdihuang) and take the juice (Shiyi Xinjian). 2 For consumptive disease with internal injury, lower energizer (Lower Jiao) latent heat, and hematuria: Mix equal parts of Pyrrosiae Folium (Shiwei), Angelicae Sinensis Radix (Danggui), Paeoniae Radix Alba (Baishao), and Typhae Pollen (Puhuang), grind into powder, then decoct with Bambusae Succus (Zhuli) and lotus root juice, as in Cheqianye San (Taiping Shenghui Fang). 3 For infantile urinary retention (difficult urination): Combine with wheat (Beiji Qianjin Yaofang). For “turning bladder” (a condition with urinary retention in pregnancy): Use alone in decoction, as in Cheqiancao Yin (Shengji Zonglu). 4 For diarrhea: Crush together with Lespedeza juncea (Tiemabian) and take with water (Hunan Materia Medica). For dysentery due to Heat: Crush fresh herb, then mix with honey and take (Taiping Shenghui Fang). 5 For eye heat with red canthus and formation of red vessels or pterygium: Decoct with Isatidis Folium (Ganlan) and Lophatheri Herba (Danzhuye), then wash the eyes, as in Cheqiancao Tang (Shanfan Fang, cited in Waitai Miyao). For improving vision: Crush fresh herb to obtain juice, mix with Natrii Sulfas (Mangxiao), apply on the eyelids before sleep, and wash off the next morning (Puji Fang). 6 For facial swelling (commonly called “cormorant plague” or “toad plague”): Use alone; if constipation is present, add Rhei Radix et Rhizoma (Dahuang) (Chishui Xuanzhu). 7 For all types of erysipelas (acute spreading infection) with red, swollen and painful skin: Crush together with Leonuri Herba (Yimucao) and Elephantopi Herba (Didancao), then apply topically (Taiping Shenghui Fang). 8 For acute tonsillitis and throat obstruction (laryngeal paralysis): Crush together with Pteridis multifidae Herba (Fengweicao) into a paste, add a little salted plum flesh (Frosted plum) and some boiled wine, then squeeze the juice and brush it onto the affected area (Yangke Manbi). 9 For scrofula (tuberculous cervical lymphadenitis): Blanch the herb in boiling water, mix with ginger and vinegar, and eat; also combine with Lycii Radicis Cortex (Gouqigen) in decoction (Danxi Zhifa Xinyao). 10 For bleeding from a traumatic injury (golden wound): Crush fresh herb and apply the juice to the wound (Beiji Qianjin Yaofang). 11 For low back pain due to Dampness (Damp Bi): Decoct together with scallion white (Congbai) and red dates (Zao) in wine, then take the wine (Jianbian Danfang).
Daily Consumption
Cheqiancao can be easily incorporated into daily meals after simple preparation. The following steps outline several ways to use it. Step 1: Selection and Pre‑treatment Choose tender leaves: Select fresh, bright‑green leaves for better texture and taste. Wash thoroughly: Rinse off any sand or dirt attached to the leaves under running water. Blanch (key step): Place the cleaned leaves in boiling water for 2–3 minutes. This helps remove oxalic acid and reduces the herb’s cool/cold nature. Remove and immediately dip in cold water, then drain. Step 2: Choose Your Cooking Method After pre‑treatment, the leaves can be used in the following four ways: 1. Cold Salad Cut the blanched Cheqiancao into sections, then mix with minced garlic, vinegar, sesame oil, and other seasonings. A refreshing dish, especially good for summer appetite stimulation. 2. Soup Lean pork soup: Blanch lean pork, then cook with 3 slices of ginger for 40 minutes. Add 250 g of fresh Cheqiancao and continue cooking for 15 minutes. Season with salt. Suitable for those with heavy damp‑heat (e.g., cough with yellow phlegm, dark yellow urine). Pork bone soup: Simmer 500 g of pork bones and 3 ginger slices until the broth turns milky. Add 100 g of blanched Cheqiancao and cook briefly. 3. Boiled Water or Tea Substitute Decoction with dried herb: Take 9–30 g of dried Cheqiancao, soak for 30 minutes, then decoct in water for 10–15 minutes. Strain and drink warm. Can be combined with Poria (Fuling) or Coix seed to enhance damp‑removing effects, or with Lophatherum (Danzhuye) to promote diuresis. Infusion with dried herb: Wash and sun‑dry Cheqiancao. Use 3 g per serving, steep in boiling water. Add chrysanthemum flowers to improve taste if desired. 4. Congee (Rice Porridge) Chop fresh Cheqiancao, decoct in water for 30 minutes, then remove the solids and keep the liquid. Use this liquid to cook glutinous rice porridge. Suitable for daily health maintenance. Step 3: Dosage and Frequency As a vegetable (fresh): No more than 50 g per person per meal. For medicinal decoction (daily health use): 9–15 g of dried herb or 30–60 g of fresh herb. Frequency of drinking: Whether decocted or infused, long‑term continuous use is not recommended. Stop when symptoms improve, or drink no more than 4 times per week.
Medicinal Parts
dried whole herb
Selection & Storage
Store in a dry container in a well-ventilated, dry place, protected from insects.