Ban Zhi Lian – Scute Barbata – Herba Scutellariae Barbatae

Ban Zhi Lian

English Name: barbed skullcap, bearded scuttelaria, scute barbata

Literal Translation: “half-branch lotus”

Pharmaceutical Name: Herba Scutellariae Barbatae

Medica Category: Heat-Clearing and Toxin-Eliminating Herbs

Properties: Ban Zhi Lian enters the Liver, Lung, and Stomach channels; it is acrid and slightly bitter in nature and cool in temperature.

What is Ban Zhi Lian?:

The Chinese Herb Ban Zhi Lian is the dried aerial parts of the barbed skullcap (Scutellaria barbata D. Don.), a flowering plant of mint family that grows in fertile and moist areas along the margins of rice paddy fields, streamsides and wet grasslands throughout China, Japan, and Korea.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Therapeutic Actions of Ban Zhi Lian:

Ban Zhi Lian clears heat and eliminates toxins and is used in China to treat various types of cancer (most effectively cancers of the lung and gastro-intestinal system) with other heat-toxin removing, anti-neoplastic herbs such as Bai Hua She She Cao.

Ban Zhi Lian promotes urination and reduces swelling to treat painful heat dysuria (i.e. painful urination with scanty, yellow to dark yellow urine. This action also makes it effective at treating edema and ascites associated with liver cirrhosis.