Greater duckweed (fu ping)

Spirodela polyrhiza

Traditionally attributed effects: diaphoretic and diuretic; helps rashes come out.

Safety notes

Not with weakness with spontaneous sweating. Traditional use is no proof of effectiveness; if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or have a medical condition, consult a doctor or pharmacist.

Preparation

Whole plant. Usually as a decoction, together with other herbs.

Use in traditions

Described in the classical Chinese materia medica, in the group 'herbs that open the surface'. The floating duckweed opens the exterior in itchy rashes and measles and drains fluid in oedema. It grows in rice fields and ponds.

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.

Chinese materia medica

Nature and taste: pungent, cold
Meridians: lung, bladder

Attributed effects

Opens the surface in colds with headache and muscle pain, helps measles and itchy rashes from wind come out and reduces hot swellings, especially in the upper body, with difficult urination.

Preparation and amount

Traditional dosage: 3–6 g a day, usually in a decoction. Because duckweed floats on the water, Chinese herbalists saw it as a remedy for the surface. Powdered and rolled into pills with honey.

Ways to prepare herbs: Decoction Syrup, honey and oxymel Powder and kitchen

Sources

All herbs from Asia →