- Region
- North America
- Origin
- California and western North America
North America · Herb · № 630
Scrophularia californica, S. lanceolata
Herb · North America
California figwort
Scrophularia californica, S. lanceolata
Traditionally attributed effects: cools heat in the blood and nourishes yin, drains damp heat and disperses swellings.
Safety notes
Not with a rapid heartbeat (tachycardia); caution during pregnancy. Traditional use is no proof of effectiveness; if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or have a medical condition, consult a doctor or pharmacist.
Cautions by tradition (1)
- Western herbs in Chinese medicine: Not with tachycardia; caution during pregnancy. Have mastitis with fever assessed by a doctor or midwife.
Preparation
Herb and root as a decoction, tincture or powdered extract; fresh leaves or herbal oil externally.
Use in traditions
A native species from western North America, compared by the author with the Chinese figwort (xuan shen).
Applications
Use by tradition
How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.
Western herbs in Chinese medicine
- Nature and taste
- bitter, slightly sweet, cold
- Meridians
- kidney, lung, stomach, triple burner, bladder
Attributed effects
Root: cools heat in the blood and deeper layers and nourishes yin in night sweats, sore throat, dry mucous membranes, purple blotchy rash and a rapid, thin pulse. Herb (with or without root): drains damp heat via the urine in joint pain, lymphatic congestion, skin diseases, haemorrhoids and painful urination. Disperses stagnation in a red, swollen breast around the nipple and in glandular swellings.
Preparation and amount
6–15 g as a decoction, 2–6 ml tincture or 1–3 g powdered extract. Put bruised fresh leaves on warm glandular swellings or make them into a herbal oil; that oil is also a base for salves against heat. Well-dried herb is dark green with red-purple stem parts, smells slightly unpleasant and has no flowers or seed capsules; dried root is greyish, partly blackened and has few fine rootlets. For mastitis from a blocked milk duct: a poultice or oil of the herb externally, and internally in the formula gua lou san.
Combinations
- With red root and cleavers for haemorrhoids and a swollen, painful scrotum and for lymphatic congestion (in the lower body plus ocotillo)
- With sarsaparilla and coix for joint pain from damp heat
- With goldenseal, Chinese skullcap and coix for painful, bloody urination
- With yellow dock for difficult bowel movements from damp heat (plus cascara bark for constipation)
Caution: Not with tachycardia; caution during pregnancy. Have mastitis with fever assessed by a doctor or midwife.