Kochiae Fructus
Aliases：Dì Kuí (Ground Sunflower); Dì Mài (Ground Wheat); Sǎo Zhou Zǐ (Broom Seed); Sǎo Zhou Cài Zǐ (Broom Vegetable Seed); Sǎo Zhou Miáo (Broom Sprout); Qiān Tóu Zǐ (Thousand-Headed Seed); Tiě Sǎo Bǎ Zǐ (Iron Broom Seed); Luò Zhou Zǐ (Falling Broom Seed); Dú Sǎo Zǐ (Lone Sweeper Seed); Yì Míng (Beneficial Brightness).
Dì Fū Zǐ (Belvedere Fruit) is a Chinese medicinal herb. It is the dried ripe fruit of Kochia scoparia (L.) Schrad., a plant of the Chenopodiaceae family. The fruit is flat, globose, and five-pointed star-shaped, with a grayish-green or pale brown surface, a faint odor, and a slightly bitter taste. The plant is harvested in autumn when the fruit is ripe, dried in the sun, and the fruit is threshed and cleaned of impurities.
Efficacy & Actions
Clears heat, promotes diuresis, dispels wind, and relieves itching.
Indications
Used for painful and difficult urination (stranguria), vaginal itching with leukorrhea, rubella (urticaria), eczema, and skin pruritus.
Modern Pharmacology
Anti‑inflammatory, anti‑allergic, and antipruritic: Shows good efficacy in anti‑infection and autoimmune responses. Antifungal: Inhibits various fungi. Hypoglycemic, anticancer, and antioxidant: Active components act via distinct molecular mechanisms. Treatment of osteoporosis: Its mechanism of action has been explored through network pharmacology and in vitro studies.
Ingredients
Triterpenoids and saponins: Oleanolic acid, 3-O-[β-D-xylopyranosyl(1→3)β-D-glucuronopyranosyl]-oleanolic acid-28-O-[β-D-glucopyranosyl] ester glycoside, etc. Volatile oils. Flavonoids. Others: Polysaccharides, amino acids, etc.
Usage & Dosage
Oral administration: Decoct 9–15g in water; or use in pills or powder. External use: Appropriate amount, decoct in water for fumigation and washing of the affected area.
Contraindications
Contraindicated in the absence of damp-heat: This herb is cold in nature, and its use may aggravate cold conditions. Contraindicated in cases of excessive urination. Not suitable for those with yin deficiency and fluid depletion: Its diuretic effect may worsen symptoms. Use with caution during pregnancy. Should not be used together with Piaoxiao (Mantis egg-case).
Selected Formulas
For chronic bloody dysentery (Taiping Shenghui Fang) Take 1 liang of Difuzi (Kochia fruit), 3 fen of Diyu (Sanguisorba, chopped), and 3 fen of Huangqin (Scutellaria). Grind into fine powder. Take 2 qian each time, mixed with rice water, at any time. For yang deficiency with qi weakness and difficult urination (Yixue Zhongzhong Canxi Lu, Xuanyang Tang) Take 4 qian of Yetaican (Codonopsis), 1.5 qian of Weilingxian (Clematis), 6 qian of Cumaidong (Ophiopogon, with core), and 1 qian of Difuzi. Decoct in water and drink. For yin deficiency with blood depletion and difficult urination (Yixue Zhongzhong Canxi Lu, Jiyin Tang) Take 1 liang of Huaishudi (prepared Rehmannia), 5 qian of raw Guiban (turtle shell, crushed), 5 qian of Shenghangshao (white peony root), and 1 qian of Difuzi. Decoct in water and drink. For hemorrhoids (Shengji Zonglu, Difuzi San) Take an appropriate amount of Difuzi, dry-roast on a new tile, grind into powder. Take 3 qian each time with aged millet water, three times daily. For blurred vision due to liver deficiency (Taiping Shenghui Fang, Difuzi San) Take 1 jin of Difuzi (dried in the shade, ground into powder) and 5 jin of fresh Shengdihuang (Rehmannia, crushed and juiced). Mix together, sun-dry, and grind into fine powder. Take 2 qian on an empty stomach with warm wine in the morning, and another 2 qian with warm water before bed.
Daily Consumption
For skin itching (Itching‑relieving Winter Melon Soup, empirical formula) Take Difuzi (Kochia fruit) wrapped in a gauze bag, place it together with winter melon in a pot, add water, and simmer over low heat until the melon is cooked. Season with a little salt, then remove the gauze bag. Eat the melon and drink the soup, once daily, for 10 consecutive days.
Medicinal Parts
Dried ripe fruit.
Selection & Storage
Store in a well‑ventilated, dry place. Protect from insects.
