Pileae Plataniflorae Herba
Aliases：Shí Qín Cǎo (Stone Celery Grass), Shí Rěn Cǎo (Stone Berry Grass), Shí Tóu Huā (Stone Flower), Gǒu Gǔ Jié (Dog Bone Joint), Ruǎn Zhī Sān Gǔ Jīn (Soft-branched Three-tendon Grass), Cǎo Běn Sān Gǔ Jīn (Herbaceous Three-tendon Grass), Liù Yuè Lěng (June Cold), Sān Qián Cǎo (Three Coin Grass), Bá Dú Cǎo (Toxin-extracting Herb), Xuè Tóng Zǐ Cǎo (Blood Tung Seed Herb), Bà Wáng Biān (Overlord Whip), Shé Huái Jié (Snake Ankle Joint).
Shí Jīn Cǎo is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb. It is the dried whole plant or root of Pilea plataniflora C. H. Wright, a plant belonging to the family Urticaceae. This plant is a perennial herb, glabrous, with a long creeping rhizome and fibrous roots. The stem is fleshy, 10–70 cm tall. The leaves are thinly papery or nearly membranous, highly variable in shape and size, ovate or ovate-lanceolate. The flowers are monoecious or dioecious, in cymose panicles. The achenes are ovoid with small tubercles. It flowers from May to September and fruits from July to October. Shí Jīn Cǎo was first recorded in Diannan Bencao (Materia Medica of Yunnan). It is widely used in folk medicine for treating wind-dampness arthralgia and injuries of the sinews and bones, due to its ability to relax the sinews and unblock the joints.
Efficacy & Actions
Relaxes the sinews and unblocks the collaterals; promotes diuresis; detoxifies.
Indications
Indicated for wind-cold-dampness arthralgia, bone and muscle pain, numbness of the hands and feet, traumatic injuries, edema, difficult urination, urinary retention, jaundice, dysentery, sores and toxic swellings, and burns and scalds.
Modern Pharmacology
Anti-inflammatory effects: Research projects at Fudan University have been conducted on the anti-inflammatory active components of Shí Jīn Cǎo. Wind-dampness dispelling effects: It can dispel wind-dampness pathogenic factors from the body, reduce joint pain and swelling, and is commonly used for treating limb numbness and limited movement caused by rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis. Diuretic and anti-edema effects: It regulates the water passages and promotes diuresis to reduce edema, and is used for treating edema, difficult urination, and urinary retention.
Ingredients
Flavonoids. Triterpenoids. Volatile oils.
Usage & Dosage
For oral administration: decoct in water, 6–15 g; or steep in wine for consumption. For external use: apply an appropriate amount, crushed and applied topically to the affected area.
Contraindications
Use with caution during pregnancy—as this herb has blood-activating and collateral-unblocking effects. Use with caution in patients with excessive bleeding. Use with caution in patients with damp-heat constitution—may cause mild diarrhea after use; it is recommended to combine with Spleen-strengthening herbs such as Atractylodes (Bái Zhú). No clinical contraindications have been reported to date.
Selected Formulas
For wind‑cold‑dampness impediment with sinew and bone pain, and numbness of hands and feet (Diannan Bencao) Take equal parts of Shijincao (a local herb), Yangdushen (a local herb), Mugua (Chaenomeles fruit), Niuxi (Achyranthes root), and Jishengcao (Taxillus herb). Soak in distilled liquor and take orally. For hepatitis (Kunming Common Chinese Herbal Medicine) Take 9–15g of Gougujie (Shijincao), decoct in water and drink. For nephritis edema and urinary retention (National Compilation of Chinese Herbal Medicine) Take 15–30g of Shijincao, decoct in water and drink.
Daily Consumption
Wine infusion for oral administration: Take an appropriate amount of Shí Jīn Cǎo, combine it with other herbs that dispel wind-dampness, activate blood circulation, and unblock the collaterals. Soak the mixture in white wine to make a medicinal wine, and consume in moderation.
Medicinal Parts
Dried whole plant or root.
Selection & Storage
Store in a ventilated, dry place, protected from moisture and mold.
