Chinese Herbalism
Silver cockscomb
Celosia argentea
Also known as plumed cockscomb, feather cockscomb, quail grass, silver spiked cockscomb, Lagos spinach, soko (West Africa), qing xiang zi (seed), qīng xiāng zǐ, qīng xiāng.
Celosia argentea is an upright annual of the amaranth family with silvery pink spikes, growing wild and as a weed of fields across tropical Asia and Africa; the crested garden cockscomb is a cultivated form of the same species. The tiny glossy black seeds are qing xiang zi, a bitter cooling herb used in Chinese medicine to clear heat from the Liver and eyes. The leaves are eaten as a green in West Africa and India, and Unani medicine uses the seeds for diabetes.
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Indications what the tradition reached for it in
- Red, swollen, painful eyes from Liver fire
- Photophobia with excessive tearing
- Pterygium or corneal opacity in its early, active stage (adjunct)
- Blurred vision with a hot, irritable constitution
- Headache and dizziness from Liver yang rising
- Hypertension with Liver-heat signs (adjunct)
- Itchy skin eruptions with heat (leaf, wash or poultice)
- Type 2 diabetes as an adjunct to standard care (one small trial, uncertain)
- Fatty liver and raised liver enzymes (preclinical interest)
- Wounds and burns (leaf, topical, folk use)
Specific indications
Hot, red, gritty eyes with light sensitivity and a temporal headache in a patient who is irritable and runs hot, with a red tongue and wiry pulse
A fresh, inflamed pterygium or corneal haze after conjunctivitis, used with other Liver-clearing eye herbs before it thickens
Safety
The record lists 6 contraindications; open the plate in the library to read them in full.
In practice
Qing xiang zi is one of the seed herbs for the eyes, alongside cassia seed, and it is the more forceful and cold of the two. Reach for it when there is real Liver fire: red painful eyes, light sensitivity, tearing, a temporal headache, a red tongue.
In Chinese medicine
Temperature: slightly cold. Taste: bitter. Channels: Liver. Actions: Clears Liver fire and drains heat from the eyes; Brightens the eyes and helps clear superficial opacities (nebula); Calms rising Liver yang with headache and dizziness; Lowers blood pressure in Liver-heat patterns (modern extension).
Dosing as the sources wrote it
| Preparation | As written | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Decoction | 9-15 g dried seed daily in decoction | 9000-15000 mg |
| Seed powder (as studied in diabetes) | 2 g dried seed powder twice daily with water | 2000-2000 mg |
| External (leaf) | fresh leaf crushed as a poultice or a decoction used as a wash once or twice daily |
Doses are reproduced from the sources for practitioners and are not a recommendation for any person.
From the sources
Overview. Celosia argentea is an upright annual of the amaranth family with silvery pink spikes, growing wild and as a weed of fields across tropical Asia and Africa; the crested garden cockscomb is a cultivated form of the same species. The tiny glossy black seeds are qing xiang zi, a bitter cooling herb used in Chinese medicine to clear heat from the Liver and eyes. The leaves are eaten as a green in West Africa and India, and Unani medicine uses the seeds for diabetes.
Clinical Notes. Qing xiang zi is one of the seed herbs for the eyes, alongside cassia seed, and it is the more forceful and cold of the two. Reach for it when there is real Liver fire: red painful eyes, light sensitivity, tearing, a temporal headache, a red tongue.
Chinese Medicine Profile. Temperature: slightly cold. Taste: bitter. Channels: Liver. Actions: Clears Liver fire and drains heat from the eyes; Brightens the eyes and helps clear superficial opacities (nebula); Calms rising Liver yang with headache and dizziness; Lowers blood pressure in Liver-heat patterns (modern extension).
In formulas
Silver cockscomb stands in 1 documented formula in the library, among them shí hú yè guāng wán.
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Slippery elmUlmus rubra
SmartweedPolygonum hydropiperThe 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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