Diclipterae Chinensis Herba
Aliases：Jīn Lóng Bàng (Golden Dragon Club); Zhū Gān Cài (Pig Liver Vegetable); Yáng Gān Cài (Goat Liver Vegetable); Qīng Shé (Green Snake); Qīng Shé Zǎi (Little Green Snake); Lù Biān Qīng (Roadside Green); Mài Suì Hóng (Wheat Ear Red); Yě Là Jiāo (Wild Chili); Tǔ Líng Yáng (Earth Antelope); Jiǎ Mǐ Zhēn (False Rice Needle); Zǐ Yàn Cǎo (Purple Swallow Herb); Jiǔ Tóu Shī Zi Cǎo (Nine-headed Lion Herb); Xiǎo Qīng (Little Green); Tiān Qīng Cài (Sky Green Vegetable); Dà Qīng (Big Green); Huá Jiǔ Tóu Shī Zi Cǎo (Chinese Nine-headed Lion Herb); Jiǎ Hóng Lán (False Red Blue).
Gǒu Gān Cài (Dog Liver Herb) is a Chinese medicinal substance. It is the whole plant of Dicliptera chinensis (L.) Nees, a plant of the Acanthaceae family.
Efficacy & Actions
Clears heat, cools blood, promotes diuresis to eliminate dampness, and detoxifies.
Indications
Used for colds with fever, febrile diseases with skin eruptions, hematemesis and epistaxis, bloody stool, hematuria, metrorrhagia and metrostaxis (uterine bleeding), lung-heat cough, sore throat, red eyes due to liver heat, infantile convulsions, dribbling urination, leukorrhea, herpes zoster, carbuncles and furuncles, and snake or dog bites.
Modern Pharmacology
Hepatoprotective Effect: Polysaccharides from Dog Liver Herb (Dicliptera chinensis) can alleviate acute liver failure by inhibiting the TLR-4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway. Polysaccharides of different molecular weights all show protective effects against carbon tetrachloride-induced acute liver injury in rats, with the fraction having a relative molecular weight of <6000 showing the best hepatoprotective effect. Dog Liver Herb polysaccharides can also inhibit alcoholic fatty liver through anti-inflammatory and antioxidant mechanisms, and provide protective effects against dimethylnitrosamine-induced hepatic fibrosis. Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Effects: Exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory activities, and regulates hepatic enzyme activity. Immunomodulatory Effect: Can enhance immune function.
Ingredients
Organic Acids: Ferulic acid, chlorogenic acid Terpenoids: Ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, isoalantolactone Steroids: β-sitosterol, diosgenin, daucosterol Coumarins: 7-hydroxycoumarin, scoparone Flavonoids: Epicatechin, kaempferitrin Iridoids: Geniposide Alcohols: n-Octadecanol
Usage & Dosage
Oral Administration: Decoction, the standard dosage is 15–60g. Fresh herb may be mashed and the juice extracted for oral use. Topical Application: Appropriate amount, fresh herb mashed and applied to the affected area; or decocted in water for fumigation and washing.
Contraindications
Use with caution in patients with spleen-stomach deficiency-cold: As this herb is cold and cool in nature, it may damage the yang qi of the spleen and stomach. Patients with spleen-stomach deficiency-cold may experience discomfort such as diarrhea and abdominal pain after taking it. Use with caution during pregnancy: As this herb is cold in nature and has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, it should be used with caution during pregnancy.
Selected Formulas
For Colds with Fever (Empirical Formula) Take 2000g each of Dog Liver Herb (Dicliptera chinensis), Vitex leaf (Mǔ Jīng Yè), and Ilex leaf (Gāng Méi Yè); and 1500g each of Centella (Jī Xuě Cǎo), Elsholtzia (Xiāng Rú), Artemisia annua (Qīng Hāo), and Licorice (Gān Cǎo). Dry in the sun and grind into powder. Package into 6g portions. Take 1–3 packets each time, three times daily, with boiling water. For Epidemic Encephalitis B (Empirical Formula) Take 30g of Dog Liver Herb (Dicliptera chinensis), and 15g each of Elephantopus (Dì Dǎn Cǎo), Centella (Jī Xuě Cǎo), Bidens (Cì Zhēn Cǎo), and Plantain (Chē Qián Cǎo) (double the amount if fresh). Decoct in water and take orally. For Eye Heat (Empirical Formula) Take 120g of fresh Dog Liver Herb (Dicliptera chinensis) and 60g of soybeans. Decoct with five bowls of water until one bowl remains, and take warm. For High Fever Due to Colds (from Lu Chuan Materia Medica) Take equal parts of Dog Liver Herb (Dicliptera chinensis), White-flowered Wedelia (Bái Huā Péng Qí Cài), and Hairy Sugarcane Tip (Máo Gān Zhè Tóu), totaling 250g; add 30g of Gypsum (Shí Gāo) and a pinch of unpolished red rice. Decoct with several bowls of water until 2–3 bowls remain. Divide into three doses, and add an appropriate amount of brown sugar before taking.
Daily Consumption
Dog Liver Herb, Prunella, and Candied Date Soup: Take 400g of Dog Liver Herb (Dicliptera chinensis), 50g of Prunella Spike (Xià Kū Cǎo), 15g of candied dates, and 10g of rock sugar. Wash the Dog Liver Herb, Prunella Spike, and candied dates thoroughly. Place them in a pot with boiling water and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer for approximately 1 hour. Add the rock sugar and cook until fully dissolved.
Medicinal Parts
Dried whole plant.
Selection & Storage
Store in a well-ventilated, dry place, protected from moisture and mold.
