Qian Shi (Gordon Euryale Seed)

Name

Qian Shi (Gordon Euryale Seed), from Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (Shen Nong's Herbal)

Source and quality

The ripe seeds of the annual plant Euryale ferox Salisb. of the family Nymphaeaceae. It is produced in Hunan, Jiangxi and Anhui provinces, and collected from late autumn to early winter. The fruit is peeled, the seeds are taken out, then shelled and dried in the sun.

It has no odor and a slight flavor. The best grade is full and rich in powder, with a white cross section free of fragments.

It is crushed and used raw or stir-baked.

Nature and action

Sweet, astringent and neutral. It enters the spleen and kidney meridians.

It tonifies the kidney and secures essence; it tonifies the spleen to check diarrhea, dries dampness and stops leukorrhagia.

Indications

Seminal emission and spermatorrhea

It tonifies the kidney and secures essence. For seminal emission and spermatorrhea with soreness and limpness of the knees and lower back due to insecurity of kidney qi, it is combined with Jin Ying Zi so that the two reinforce each other's astringency, as in Shuilu Erxian Dan from Ren Chun Tang Jing Yan Fang. It is also combined with kidney-tonifying and astringent herbs, such as Lian Zi, Lian Xu and Mu Li in Jinsuo Gujing Wan from Yi Fang Ji Jie.

Chronic diarrhea due to spleen deficiency

It both tonifies the spleen and dries dampness, and it astringes the intestine to check diarrhea. For chronic diarrhea due to spleen deficiency with excess dampness, it is combined with Bai Zhu, Fu Ling and Bai Bian Dou.

Leukorrhagia

It is a good herb for leukorrhagia due to spleen deficiency or kidney deficiency, because it tonifies the spleen and kidney, astringes and dries dampness, and the drying of dampness is not the action of Lian Zi.

• For thin leukorrhagia due to kidney and spleen deficiency, it is combined with herbs that tonify spleen qi, such as Dang Shen, Bai Zhu and Shan Yao.
• For yellow, thick leukorrhagia, it is combined with herbs that clear heat and drain dampness, such as Huang Bai and Che Qian Zi in Yi Huang Tang from Fu Qing Zhu Nv Ke.

Dosage and administration

Decoct 10~15 g.