Chinese Herbalism
Soft rush
Juncus effusus
Also known as common rush, lamp rush, rush pith, juncus, deng xin cao, dēng xīn cǎo, dēng cǎo.
Deng xin cao is the dried white pith stripped from the stems of the soft rush, a tufted wetland plant found across China, Japan, Europe and North America. The stems are cut in late summer, split and the spongy pith drawn out in one long strand and dried; it is astonishingly light, so that a handful weighs a gram or two. Rush pith served as lamp wick, hence the name, and in Chinese medicine it is a gentle cooling diuretic that leads Heart heat out through the urine and settles the restless, especially infants.
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Indications what the tradition reached for it in
- Painful, burning, scanty urination (heat lin)
- Urinary tract irritation with a red tongue tip
- Mild edema with reduced urination
- Insomnia and restlessness from Heart fire
- Night crying and fretfulness in infants
- Mouth ulcers and a sore red tongue tip
- Dribbling urination in young children
- Restless sleep with vivid dreams and thirst
- Sore throat with heat (charred pith, topical, traditional)
- Low-grade fever with irritability after illness (supportive)
Specific indications
A child who cries and startles at night, with a red tongue tip, hot palms and yellowish urine
Burning, frequent urination with a bitter taste, mouth sores and restless sleep, the Heart-fire-to-Small-Intestine picture of Dao Chi San
An anxious adult with a hot, red tongue tip who cannot settle at night and passes concentrated urine
Safety
Low dose botanical. Used in drop doses in the classical practice; not a plant to dose freely.
The record lists 5 contraindications; open the plate in the library to read them in full.
In practice
Deng xin cao is a supporting herb rather than a lead. Add it to Dao Chi San (sheng di huang, mu tong, dan zhu ye, gan cao) when Heart fire shows as mouth sores, restlessness and hot urine; to Ba Zheng San for burning urination; and with dan zhu ye, chan tui and gou teng for the fretful infant who cries at night.
In Chinese medicine
Temperature: slightly cold. Taste: sweet, bland. Channels: Heart, Lung, Small Intestine. Actions: Clears heat and promotes urination; Drains Heart fire through the Small Intestine; Eases restlessness and calms the spirit; Charred, stops bleeding of the throat and mouth (topical).
Dosing as the sources wrote it
| Preparation | As written | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Decoction (in formula) | 1-3 g dried pith daily | 1000-3000 mg |
| Infusion (cooling drink, with dan zhu ye) | 1-2 g dried pith per cup once or twice daily | 1000-2000 mg |
| Charred pith, topical to mouth and throat sores | 0.5-1 g charred pith powder as needed | 500-1000 mg |
Doses are reproduced from the sources for practitioners and are not a recommendation for any person.
From the sources
Overview. Deng xin cao is the dried white pith stripped from the stems of the soft rush, a tufted wetland plant found across China, Japan, Europe and North America. The stems are cut in late summer, split and the spongy pith drawn out in one long strand and dried; it is astonishingly light, so that a handful weighs a gram or two. Rush pith served as lamp wick, hence the name, and in Chinese medicine it is a gentle cooling diuretic that leads Heart heat out through the urine and settles the restless, especially infants.
Clinical Notes. Deng xin cao is a supporting herb rather than a lead. Add it to Dao Chi San (sheng di huang, mu tong, dan zhu ye, gan cao) when Heart fire shows as mouth sores, restlessness and hot urine; to Ba Zheng San for burning urination; and with dan zhu ye, chan tui and gou teng for the fretful infant who cries at night.
Chinese Medicine Profile. Temperature: slightly cold. Taste: sweet, bland. Channels: Heart, Lung, Small Intestine. Actions: Clears heat and promotes urination; Drains Heart fire through the Small Intestine; Eases restlessness and calms the spirit; Charred, stops bleeding of the throat and mouth (topical).
In formulas
Soft rush stands in 11 documented formulas in the library, among them jiā jiǎn dào ch xiè xin tāng, chú shi wei líng tāng, fên xiào tāng, bà zhèng sǎn, qing fei yín zi, jia wèi bà zhèng sǎn.
Often paired with
Zhi ZiGardenia jasminoides
AkebiaAkebia quinata
Licorice rootGlycyrrhiza glabra
KnotgrassPolygonum aviculare
Chinese RhubarbRheum palmatum
PoriaWolfiporia extensaNearby on the shelf
SneezeweedHelenium
Snow roseRhododendron chrysanthum
SoapwortSaponaria officinalis
Socotrine aloesAloes socotrina
SolanumJatropha
Solomon's SealPolygonatum biflorum
SorrelRumex Acetosa
SourwoodOxydendrum arboreumThe 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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