🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Drugs for promoting diuresis and removing dampness primarily regulate body fluid metabolism, promote urine excretion, and treat dampness syndromes. Dampness syndromes include: urinary retention, edema, dysuria, ascites, phlegm-dampness, damp-heat, jaundice, eczema, leukorrhea, etc.
① Plantago Herb (Che Qian Cao): Plantago herb is the whole herb of Plantago asiatica or P. major (Plantaginaceae). It contains aucubin, aucubin glycoside, and plantago mucilage. Pharmacological tests show plantago decoction regulates gastric secretion, increases respiratory secretions, and has significant expectorant effects. It also inhibits pathogenic fungi and certain bacteria. Traditional Chinese medicine considers it cold in nature, sweet in taste, with functions to clear liver and brighten eyes, promote urination, relieve dysuria, stop cough, and resolve phlegm. Used for urinary retention, leukorrhea, hematuria, cough with abundant phlegm, summer-damp diarrhea, and damp arthralgia. Dosage: generally 3–9g.
② Pyrrosia (Shi Wei): Pyrrosia is the leaf of Pyrrosia lingua, P. sheareri, or P. petiolata (Polypodiaceae). It contains flavonoids. The whole herb also contains saponins, anthraquinones, tannins, etc. Pyrrosia has obvious antitussive, expectorant, and bronchodilatory effects. It promotes diuresis and reduces swelling. Clinically effective for chronic bronchitis and bronchial asthma. Drinking pyrrosia leaf decoction or steeping it in boiling water as tea, consumed frequently, shows remarkable efficacy in treating acute and chronic nephritis and pyelonephritis. Traditional Chinese medicine considers it cool in nature, bitter and sweet in taste, with functions to promote urination, relieve dysuria, clear lung heat. Used for dysuria, hematuria, urinary stones, nephritis, lung heat cough, chronic bronchitis, dysentery. Dosage: 6–9g.
③ Coinwort (Jin Qian Cao): Coinwort is the whole herb of Lysimachia christinae (Primulaceae). It contains phenolic compounds, sterols, flavonoids, amino acids, choline potassium salts, and volatile oil. Pharmacological tests show coinwort has cholagogue effects, relaxes the biliary sphincter, facilitating the passage of sand-like gallstones, reducing biliary obstruction and pain, and resolving jaundice. It also promotes diuresis and treats urinary stones. Additionally, it increases blood flow in coronary, cerebral, femoral, and renal arteries, protecting against acute myocardial ischemia. Since it enhances bile secretion from the liver and gallbladder, it accelerates cholesterol excretion—making it highly effective for treating coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular sclerosis. Traditional Chinese medicine considers it neutral in nature, slightly salty in taste, with functions to clear heat, promote diuresis, reduce swelling, and detoxify. Used for damp-heat jaundice, edema, gallstones, kidney stones, bladder stones, regurgitation, dysphagia, edema, and abdominal distension. Dosage: generally around 30g.
④ Alisma (Ze Xie): Alisma is the tuber of Alisma orientale (Alismataceae). It contains various diterpenoids, including two alismol, two acetate esters of alismol, and epialismol. It also contains volatile oil, small amounts of alkaloids, betaine, lecithin, etc. Pharmacological tests show alisma significantly expands coronary arteries and has mild hypotensive effects. It markedly reduces blood cholesterol and triglycerides, prevents atherosclerosis, protects against fatty liver, and has strong diuretic effects. Traditional Chinese medicine considers it cold in nature, sweet and bland in taste, with functions to promote diuresis, remove dampness, and clear heat. Used for urinary retention, edema, vomiting, diarrhea, phlegm-dampness, foot qi, dysuria, hematuria, etc. Dosage: 6–9g; contraindicated in cases of yin deficiency without damp-heat.
⑤ Poria (Fu Ling): Poria is the dried sclerotium of Poria cocos (Polyporaceae). It contains poria polysaccharide, triterpenoids, poric acid, acetylporic acid, ergosterol, choline, lecithin, etc. It improves nervous, digestive, circulatory, and respiratory functions, lowers lipids, and has anti-tumor effects. Proven effective in treating neurasthenia, insomnia, indigestion, and spleen deficiency diarrhea. Traditional Chinese medicine considers it neutral in nature, sweet and bland in taste, with functions to promote diuresis, remove dampness, strengthen the spleen, tonify the middle burner, and calm the mind. Used for urinary retention, edema, phlegm-dampness, cough, poor appetite, loose stools, palpitations, and insomnia. The "Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing" states: "Long-term use calms the soul, nourishes the spirit, prevents hunger, and prolongs life." Tang Dynasty's "Medicine King" Sun Simiao said: "Long-term use of poria removes a hundred diseases within a hundred days." Su Dongpo of the Song Dynasty highly praised poria's health and longevity benefits, writing a special essay titled "Poria Ode." Dosage: generally 9–12g; avoid in cases of yin deficiency with dryness and depletion of body fluids.
⑥ Artemisia (Yin Chen): Artemisia is the tender stems and leaves of Artemisia capillaris (Asteraceae). It contains volatile oil, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, various artemisinin chromones, and multiple flavonoids, especially 6,7-dimethoxy coumarin, which has strong choleretic effects. Pharmacological tests show artemisia significantly promotes bile secretion and excretion, protects the liver, enhances myocardial contractility, increases coronary blood flow, markedly reduces blood pressure, and prevents atherosclerosis. It also has obvious antipyretic, bronchodilatory, and diuretic effects. Traditional Chinese medicine considers it cold in nature, bitter and pungent in taste, with functions to clear heat, remove dampness, promote bile secretion, and resolve jaundice. Used for damp-heat jaundice, hepatitis, urinary retention, pruritic skin conditions, etc. Dosage: generally 9–15g; severe cases may use 24–30g.
[Promoting Diuresis and Removing Dampness]