Alismatis Rhizoma
Aliases：Shui Ze、Ru Yi Hua、Che Ku Cai
泽泻是一种常用的利水渗湿药，为泽泻科植物东方泽泻 Alisma orientale (Sam.) Juzep. 或泽泻 Alisma plantago-aquatica Linn. 的干燥块茎。
Efficacy & Actions
Promote diuresis and drain dampness, drain heat, transform turbidity and lower blood lipids.
Indications
Difficult urination, edema and abdominal distension, diarrhea with scanty urine, phlegm‑fluid retention with vertigo, painful strangury due to heat, and hyperlipidemia.
Modern Pharmacology
Diuretic effect: The traditional core action, exerted by regulating renal water‑salt metabolism. Used for edema and difficult urination. Lipid‑lowering effect: Alcohol and water extracts of Alisma significantly reduce serum cholesterol and triglycerides, making it a commonly used Chinese medicinal for hyperlipidemia. Anti‑urolithiasis and renoprotective effect: Inhibits crystallization of stone‑forming components and promotes stone expulsion; reduces oxidative stress in renal tissue, suppresses inflammatory responses, and ameliorates kidney injury. Anti‑inflammatory effect: Ethanol extract improves inflammatory symptoms caused by gastritis and colitis; total triterpenoids reduce lung injury scores. Hepatoprotective effect: Alisol B 23‑acetate has therapeutic effects on fatty liver and alcoholic liver injury. Hypoglycemic effect: Triterpenoid components improve insulin resistance and serve as an adjunctive treatment for diabetes. Antitumor effect: Inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in various tumor cells, including liver cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, and gastric cancer. Anti‑atherosclerotic effect: When combined with Baizhu (Atractylodes macrocephala), it improves lipid metabolism in atherosclerotic model mice. Anti‑osteoporotic effect: Exhibits therapeutic effects on osteoporosis and related diseases. Antibacterial effect: Demonstrates significant antibacterial activity against pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.
Ingredients
1. Triterpenoids (protostane‑type tetracyclic triterpenes): Alisol A, alisol B, alisol C, alisol A monoacetate, alisol B monoacetate, alisol C monoacetate, 23‑acetyl alisol B, epialisol A, etc. These are the most abundant and most extensively studied compounds, and serve as the core active components responsible for the diuretic and lipid‑lowering effects. 2. Sesquiterpenoids: Alismol, alismoxide, orientalol E, clovandiol, etc. These compounds have certain effects on the cardiovascular system and improving urinary disorders. 3. Others: Diterpenoids, saccharides, volatile oils, alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, amino acids, etc.
Usage & Dosage
1. Usual dosage: 6–10 g in decoction. 2. Clinical dosage range: 4–90 g, with a common range of 15–30 g, adjusted according to the disease, pattern, and symptoms.
Contraindications
1. Contraindicated populations: Avoid in cases of kidney deficiency with spermatorrhea and in the absence of damp‑heat. 2. Pattern contraindications: Avoid in cases of strangury with thirst, edema due to kidney deficiency, yin deficiency without damp‑fluid retention, and deficiency‑cold diarrhea. 3. Incompatibility with other Chinese medicinals: Counteracted by Mactra shell (Haige) and Meretrix shell (Wenge). 4. Incompatibility with Western medications: Should not be used concurrently with antihypertensive drugs, antidiabetic drugs, or potassium‑sparing diuretics such as triamterene and spironolactone. 5. Dietary incompatibilities: Avoid iron utensils. Should not be taken together with iron‑rich foods such as laver (Porphyra), kelp, egg yolk, spinach, and celery. 6. Precautions for use: Long‑term or high‑dose use should be avoided. Prolonged use may damage the yang qi of the spleen and kidney, leading to loss of appetite, abdominal distension with loose stools, chilliness, cold extremities, soreness and weakness of the lower back and knees, and may cause blurred vision. A few patients may experience mild gastrointestinal reactions such as loss of appetite, borborygmus, and diarrhea. It should be used under the guidance of a qualified TCM practitioner and should not be taken indiscriminately.
Selected Formulas
1. For throat impediment (laryngitis) (Source: Pu Ji Fang – Universal Relief Prescriptions) Grind soapberry (Sapindus mukorossi) into powder and blow into the throat. 2. For tonsillitis (Source: Fujian Materia Medica) Take 9 g each of soapberry seed (kernel) and Fengweicao (Pteris multifida). Decoct in water and take orally. 3. For whooping cough, common cold with fever (Source: Qingdao Chinese Herbal Medicine Manual) Take 3 soapberry kernels (seeds). Decoct in water and take orally. 4. For asthma (Source: Zhejiang Medicinal Flora) Grind soapberry seeds into powder. Take 6 g each time, mixed with boiling water. 5. For abdominal distension due to qi stagnation in children (Source: Lingnan Herbal Medicine Records) Take 3–4 soapberry kernels (seeds). Bake until cooked and eat. 6. For infantile malnutrition (gan accumulation) (Source: Lingnan Herbal Medicine Records) Take 6–7 soapberry kernels (baked until cooked), together with one scorched rat (burned to ash). Grind into powder. Divide into 3–4 doses, each dose steamed with pork liver. 7. For swollen and painful gums (toothache) (Source: Pu Ji Fang – Universal Relief Prescriptions) Take 30 g of soapberry fruit (Sapindi Mukorossi Fructus), 30 g each of rhubarb (Dahuang) and nutgrass flat sedge (Xiangfu), and 15 g of green salt (Qingyan). Seal with clay, calcine, grind into powder. Use daily for tooth brushing.
Daily Consumption
1. Alisma and Lotus Leaf Congee Ingredients: Alisma (Zexie) 20 g (ground into powder), fresh lotus leaf 1 piece, japonica rice 100 g, a little rock sugar. Preparation: Place the lotus leaf at the bottom of the pot. Add the alisma powder and rice, cook into congee. Remove the lotus leaf, then add rock sugar. Action: Clears heat, drains dampness, transforms turbidity and lowers blood lipids. Suitable for hyperlipidemia, obesity, summer‑heat. Usage: Eat as breakfast. May be taken continuously for 1 month. 2. Alisma Rice Congee Ingredients: Alisma (Zexie) 30 g, rice 100 g, white sugar 15 g. Preparation: Wash and slice the alisma, cook together with rice for 55 minutes, then add white sugar. Action: Eliminates dampness and promotes diuresis. Suitable for acute and chronic nephritis with edema. Usage: Once daily as a main meal. 3. Alisma Powder Congee Ingredients: Alisma powder 10 g, japonica rice 50 g. Preparation: Cook the rice in water until the grains begin to open, then stir in the alisma powder and simmer briefly over low heat. Action: Fortifies the spleen, drains dampness, promotes diuresis and reduces edema. Suitable for edema, difficult urination, lower jiao damp‑heat. Usage: Twice daily, taken warm. Three days constitute one course of treatment; do not take for prolonged periods. 4. Poria and Alisma Stewed Chicken Ingredients: Poria (Fuling) 50 g, Alisma (Zexie) 50 g, one hen (old chicken), fresh ginger and table salt to taste. Preparation: Stew all ingredients together with the chicken. Action: Fortifies the spleen and drains dampness. Suitable for vertigo, chest stuffiness, palpitations, and heaviness of the limbs caused by spleen deficiency with dampness retention. Usage: Serve as an accompaniment to a meal.
Medicinal Parts
tuber (dried tuber)
Selection & Storage
Store in a well-ventilated, dry place, protected from moisture and insects. This product contains starch and is prone to moisture absorption; it should be kept in airtight containers.