Jin Qian Cao – Lysimachia – Herba Lysimachiae

Jin Qian Cao

English Name: lysimachia, Asian moneywort herb, loose strife herb

Literal Translation: “gold money herb”, “golden coin grass”

Pharmaceutical Name: Herba Lysimachiae

Medica Category: Water-Regulating and Damp-Resolving Herbs

Properties: Jin Qian Cao enters the Urinary Bladder, Gallbladder, Liver, and Kidney channels; it is sweet and salty in nature and cool in temperature.

What is Jin Qian Cao?:

The Chinese Herb Jin Qian Cao is the dried aerial parts of a perennial, grassy herb native to Europe but now cultivated in South China called lysimachia (Lysicmachia christinae Hance).

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Therapeutic Actions of Jin Qian Cao:

Jin Qian Cao clears damp-heat and promotes urination to treat lin zheng (dysuria syndrome) characterized by heat and the presence of urinary calculi—it is considered an indispensable herb for treating urinary stones.

Jin Qian Cao Clears damp-heat from the Liver and gallbladder and is used to help expel gallstones (see the formula Li Dan Pian).

Jin Qian Cao clears heat and toxins to reduce painful swelling and reduce infection in various skin conditions such as sores, lesions, or snakebites.

**safety note— this herb has a diuretic effect and should be used with caution/under supervision of a trained TCM practitioner when combined with pharmaceutical medications that have diuretic effects (such as chlorothiazide, hydrochlorothiazide, furosemide (Lasix), bumetanide (Bumex), and torsemide (Demadex)) to avoid potentially excessive loss of fluids and/or electrolytes.