Introduction of Jin Qian Cao: Christina Loosetrife Herb
✵This article documents the herb Christina Loosetrife, including its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavors, botanical source—namely, a single plant species: (1) Lysimachia christinae Hance—and provides a detailed description of the plant’s botanical features, growth characteristics, ecological environment, macroscopic characteristics of the herb, pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Herba Lysimachiae (Christina Loosetrife)
Pinyin Name: Jīn Qián Cǎo
English Name: Christina Loosetrife, Christina Loosetrife Herb
Latin Name:Herba Lysimachiae Properties and Flavors: Cool, sweet, slightly bitter
Brief Introduction:Herba Lysimachiae is the dried whole plant of Lysimachia christinae Hance, used (1) as a cholagogue, lithagogue, and diuretic for treating acute jaundice and biliary or urinary calculi; and (2) to detoxify and reduce swelling in cases of boils and venomous snakebite. The herb is commonly known as Herba Lysimachiae, Christina Loosetrife, or Jīn Qián Cǎo.
Botanical Source: Classical herbal works define Herba Lysimachiae (Christina Loosetrife) as the dried whole plant of (1) Lysimachia christinae Hance, a species of the genus Lysimachia, family Primulaceae (primrose family), order Primulales. This widely used species is described below:
(1) Lysimachia christinae Hance.
Botanical Description:Lysimachia christinae Hance is commonly known as Guò Lù Huáng. It is a perennial, rampant herb. The stem is soft and weak, procumbent and spreading, 20–60 cm long; the surface is celadon (sage green) or reddish-violet; the whole plant is glabrous or sparsely hairy; the fresh parts are densely covered with brown sessile glands; internodes on the lower part are shorter, and adventitious roots often develop; internodes in the middle part are 1.5–5 cm long, or up to 10 cm long.
Leaves are opposite; petioles are 1–3 cm long and glabrous; leaf blades are oval (egg-shaped) to orbicular or rounded-reniform, 1.5–6 cm long and 1–4 cm wide; the apex is acute or obtuse to rounded; the base is truncate to shallowly cordate; the leaves are slightly succulent; dense, transparent glandular strips are visible when held up to light; these strips turn black upon drying; both surfaces are glabrous but bear glandular hairs.
Flowers are solitary and axillary; pedicels (flower stalks) are 1–5 cm long, usually not exceeding the leaf length; young, fresh pedicels are hirsutiusculous (slightly pubescent) and sometimes bear brown sessile glands; the calyx is 4–10 mm long, deeply 5-parted nearly to the base; lobes are lanceolate, elliptic-lanceolate to linear, or the upper part is slightly enlarged and nearly spatulate (spoon-shaped); the apex is acute or slightly obtuse; the calyx is glabrous, pubescent, or bears marginal setae only along the margins; the corolla is yellow, rotate-campanulate, 7–15 mm long, deeply 5-parted; the connate basal portion is 2–4 mm long; lobes are narrowly ovate to lanceolate; the apex is acute or obtuse; the lobes are slightly thickened and bear long black glandular strips; there are 5 stamens; filaments are 6–8 mm long, with their lower parts fused into a tube; anthers are ovoid, 1–1.5 mm long; the ovary is ovoid or ovate; the style is 6–8 mm long.
The capsule is spheric (globular), 3–5 mm in diameter, glabrous, and bears sparse black glandular strips. Flowering occurs from May to July; fruiting occurs from July to October.
Ecological Environment: The plant grows on earthen slopes, roadsides, ditch margins, damp sites along gully edges, and forest margins; its vertical distribution extends up to altitudes of 2,300 meters above sea level.
Growth Characteristics:Lysimachia christinae prefers a warm, cool, moist environment and is not cold-tolerant. Cultivation is best carried out in fertile, loose, humus-rich, sandy soil.
Characteristics of the Herb: The whole herb is wrinkled into a mass; nodes on the lower stem portion sometimes bear tender fibrous roots; the plant is glabrous or sparsely pilose. Stems are twisted, approximately 1 mm in diameter; the surface is brick-red (reddish-brown) or dark brown-red, with prominent longitudinal veins; slender fibrous roots are sometimes attached to the lower stem nodes; the fracture surface is solid and ash-gray (grayish-white). Leaves are opposite, mostly wrinkled and fragmented; intact leaves are broadly ovate or cordate, entire, 1–4 cm long and 1–5 cm wide; the base is slightly concave; the upper surface is dark green to brownish-green; the lower surface is pale; the main veins are prominently raised; black or brown short stripes are visible against light after the herb is soaked in water; petioles are thin and elongated, 1–4 cm long; flowers or fruits may be present in the leaf axils—flowers are yellow, solitary, axillary, and grow on long pedicels. The herb has a faint odor and a mild taste.
Medicinal Efficacy: Clears damp-heat; promotes diuresis; treats stranguria; alleviates edema; relieves cough; reduces swelling; invigorates blood circulation and resolves stasis; clears heat and detoxifies. It is indicated for heat-stranguria, stone-stranguria, turbid-stranguria, dysuria with pain, jaundice (especially with red urine), damp-heat jaundice, edema, nephritic edema (nephritis-associated dropsy), rheumatism with numbness and pain, infantile malnutrition and indigestion, convulsive disorders (e.g., epilepsy), malaria, pulmonary abscess, cough, hematemesis, leukorrhea, hepatobiliary and urinary calculi (including hepatic, biliary, urinary, and vesical calculi), lithangiuria, carbuncles and swellings, furuncles, sores, tinea, eczema, venomous snakebite, and traumatic injury.
Administration of Herba Lysimachiae (Jīn Qián Cǎo):
Reference:
Administration Guide of Herba Lysimachiae (Jīn Qián Cǎo)
TCM Books:
(1) Internally: 15–60 grams, with double dosage for the fresh herb; (2) Internally: water decoction, 3–5 qian (≈9–15 grams); fresh herb, 1–2 liang (≈30–60 grams); or infused in wine, or as extracted juice. Externally: mashed fresh herb applied topically, or juice smeared on the affected area; (3) Internally: water decoction, 15–60 grams, with double dosage for the fresh herb, or taken as extracted juice. Externally: appropriate amount—mashed fresh herb applied topically.
Article Link:
URL QR code:
References:
1.Introduction of Jīn Qián Cǎo: Christina Loosestrife Herb
✵This article documents the herb Christina Loosetrife, including its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavors, botanical source—namely, a single plant species: (1) Lysimachia christinae Hance—and provides a detailed description of the plant’s botanical features, growth characteristics, ecological environment, macroscopic characteristics of the herb, pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Pinyin Name: Jīn Qián Cǎo
Botanical Description: Lysimachia christinae Hance is commonly known as Guò Lù Huáng. It is a perennial, rampant herb. The stem is soft and weak, procumbent and spreading, 20–60 cm long; the surface is celadon (sage green) or reddish-violet; the whole plant is glabrous or sparsely hairy; the fresh parts are densely covered with brown sessile glands; internodes on the lower part are shorter, and adventitious roots often develop; internodes in the middle part are 1.5–5 cm long, or up to 10 cm long.
Flowers are solitary and axillary; pedicels (flower stalks) are 1–5 cm long, usually not exceeding the leaf length; young, fresh pedicels are hirsutiusculous (slightly pubescent) and sometimes bear brown sessile glands; the calyx is 4–10 mm long, deeply 5-parted nearly to the base; lobes are lanceolate, elliptic-lanceolate to linear, or the upper part is slightly enlarged and nearly spatulate (spoon-shaped); the apex is acute or slightly obtuse; the calyx is glabrous, pubescent, or bears marginal setae only along the margins; the corolla is yellow, rotate-campanulate, 7–15 mm long, deeply 5-parted; the connate basal portion is 2–4 mm long; lobes are narrowly ovate to lanceolate; the apex is acute or obtuse; the lobes are slightly thickened and bear long black glandular strips; there are 5 stamens; filaments are 6–8 mm long, with their lower parts fused into a tube; anthers are ovoid, 1–1.5 mm long; the ovary is ovoid or ovate; the style is 6–8 mm long.
Ecological Environment: The plant grows on earthen slopes, roadsides, ditch margins, damp sites along gully edges, and forest margins; its vertical distribution extends up to altitudes of 2,300 meters above sea level.
Characteristics of the Herb: The whole herb is wrinkled into a mass; nodes on the lower stem portion sometimes bear tender fibrous roots; the plant is glabrous or sparsely pilose. Stems are twisted, approximately 1 mm in diameter; the surface is brick-red (reddish-brown) or dark brown-red, with prominent longitudinal veins; slender fibrous roots are sometimes attached to the lower stem nodes; the fracture surface is solid and ash-gray (grayish-white). Leaves are opposite, mostly wrinkled and fragmented; intact leaves are broadly ovate or cordate, entire, 1–4 cm long and 1–5 cm wide; the base is slightly concave; the upper surface is dark green to brownish-green; the lower surface is pale; the main veins are prominently raised; black or brown short stripes are visible against light after the herb is soaked in water; petioles are thin and elongated, 1–4 cm long; flowers or fruits may be present in the leaf axils—flowers are yellow, solitary, axillary, and grow on long pedicels. The herb has a faint odor and a mild taste.
URL QR code:
