Di Fu Zi – Broom Cypress Fruit – Fructus Kochiae

Di Fu Zi

English Name: kochia, belvedere fruit, broom cypress fruit

Literal Translation: “earth-skin seed”

Pharmaceutical Name: Fructus Kochiae

Medica Category: Water-Regulating and Damp-Resolving Herbs

Properties: Di Fu Zi enters the Urinary Bladder and Kidney channels; it is sweet and bitter in nature and cold in temperature.

What is Di Fu Zi?:

The Chinese Herb Di Fu Zi is the dried fruit of a hardy plant (resembling a tumbleweed) called kochia or broom cypress (Kochia scoparia (L.) schrad.) that likes full sun and gravelly, sandy soils. In China it is found primarily in the North-Central provinces.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Therapeutic Actions of Di Fu Zi:

Di Fu Zi clears damp-heat and promotes urination to treat shi-re lin (damp-heat dysuria) characterized by painful, burning sensations when urinating and dark, scanty urine.

Di Fu Zi dispels dampness and relieves itching (either topically or internally) for damp-heat dermatological conditions (i.e. those exhibiting redness, swelling, pain, and/or weeping) w/itching such as scabies, urticaria, or eczema.