Chinese Herbalism
Purple gromwell
Lithospermum erythrorhizon
Also known as red-root gromwell, Asian gromwell, lithospermum, zi cao, hard zi cao (Lithospermum erythrorhizon), soft zi cao or Xinjiang zi cao (Arnebia euchroma), zǐ cǎo, zǐ gēn, yìng zǐ cǎo (Lithospermum erythrorhizon).
Zi cao is the deep purple root of gromwells of the borage family. Lithospermum erythrorhizon, the original 'hard' zi cao, grows across northern China, Korea and Japan and was the source of the historic purple dye; it was the official source until the pharmacopoeia moved to the higher-yielding Arnebia euchroma of Xinjiang (the 'soft' zi cao) and Arnebia guttata of Inner Mongolia. All three roots are colored by the same red naphthoquinone pigments, shikonin and its esters. In Chinese medicine it is a cold, blood-cooling herb for eruptive and toxic heat, and across East Asia it is the purple pigment of wound and burn ointments.
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Indications what the tradition reached for it in
- Purple macules and petechial rashes from blood heat
- Measles and other eruptive fevers with a dusky rash that fails to erupt
- Burns and scalds (topical oil or ointment)
- Eczema and dermatitis with redness and weeping (topical)
- Boils, carbuncles and slow-healing sores (topical)
- Diaper rash and perianal dermatitis (topical, short use)
- Constipation with blood heat
- Hemorrhoids with bleeding (topical)
- Damp-heat vaginitis and cervical erosion (topical preparations, in formula)
Specific indications
A hot, red, dusky eruption with scattered purple spots, dry mouth and a red tongue, where the rash seems trapped and the patient is constipated
A superficial burn or a weeping, inflamed patch of eczema that needs a cooling, protective oil to speed re-epithelialization
Safety
Recognised toxicity. This plant carries a toxicity flag in the record; it is for trained practitioners only.
Low dose botanical. Used in drop doses in the classical practice; not a plant to dose freely.
The record lists 9 contraindications; open the plate in the library to read them in full.
In practice
Internally, zi cao belongs with the blood-cooling herbs and is reached for when heat has entered the blood and shows on the skin: purpuric or dusky rashes, measles that stall, urticaria with a red tongue and thirst.
In Chinese medicine
Temperature: cold. Taste: sweet, salty. Channels: Heart, Liver. Actions: Clears heat and cools the blood in blood-heat with toxin, the picture of purple macules and rashes that will not vent; Invigorates the blood and resolves toxicity in sores, boils and burns; Vents rashes and eruptions that are stuck beneath the skin, classically measles that fail to come out fully; Moistens the intestines, a side effect that becomes an action in constipation with blood heat.
Dosing as the sources wrote it
| Preparation | As written | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Decoction (short course) | 5-10 g dried root daily | 5000-10000 mg |
| Infused oil or ointment (external) | 1:5 oil infusion applied to the affected skin two to three times daily | |
| Powder in pills (short course) | 1-3 g dried root daily | 1000-3000 mg |
Doses are reproduced from the sources for practitioners and are not a recommendation for any person.
From the sources
Overview. Zi cao is the deep purple root of gromwells of the borage family. Lithospermum erythrorhizon, the original 'hard' zi cao, grows across northern China, Korea and Japan and was the source of the historic purple dye; it was the official source until the pharmacopoeia moved to the higher-yielding Arnebia euchroma of Xinjiang (the 'soft' zi cao) and Arnebia guttata of Inner Mongolia. All three roots are colored by the same red naphthoquinone pigments, shikonin and its esters. In Chinese medicine it is a cold, blood-cooling herb for eruptive and toxic heat, and across East Asia it is the purple pigment of wound and burn ointments.
Clinical Notes. Internally, zi cao belongs with the blood-cooling herbs and is reached for when heat has entered the blood and shows on the skin: purpuric or dusky rashes, measles that stall, urticaria with a red tongue and thirst.
Conservation. Wild Arnebia euchroma is under pressure in Xinjiang and Tibet and is now protected in parts of its range; Lithospermum erythrorhizon is cultivated in Japan and Korea because wild stands have declined.
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Qiang HuoNotopterygium incisumThe whole plate is in the library. The compass, Compare, the Sky of eleven hundred plants and the formulary open with an email address and a password, free, with the formula builder and its safety engine. Herbert without limit, his formulating, clients, the handouts and the labels are the paid room.
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