🌿 Folk Prescriptions

In ancient times, the region around present-day Shaoxing, Zhejiang was part of the Yue Kingdom. King Goujian of Yue was captured by King Fu Chai of Wu and endured humiliation, feigning obedience to gain release. Upon returning home, he vowed to rebuild Yue. Legend says that in his first year back, Yue suffered a rare famine, leaving people without food. To share hardship with his people, Goujian personally searched mountains and valleys for edible wild plants. After tasting wild vegetables three times and suffering poisoning, he finally discovered a safe edible plant. This plant had remarkable regenerative ability—it grew back after being cut repeatedly. Thus, the entire kingdom relied on this humble plant to survive the crisis. The plant, which had a fishy odor, was named Fish Mint by Goujian.
Fish Mint is also known as Side Ear Root or Pig’s Nose Hole. Cold-mixed Side Ear Root is a traditional folk delicacy. As a medicinal herb, Fish Mint clears heat, detoxifies, eliminates abscesses, expels pus, promotes urination, and alleviates dysuria. It has wide applications in traditional Chinese medicine. Often combined with Lu Gen (reed rhizome), Jiegeng (Platycodon), and Gualou (Trichosanthes fruit) for lung abscess with purulent sputum (equivalent to modern pulmonary abscess) and phlegm-heat asthma. When treating heat-toxic sores and ulcers, it can be paired with Yejuhua (Chrysanthemum), Pugongying (Dandelion), and Jin Yin Hua (Honeysuckle), or used alone as fresh juice applied externally. For skin itching, insect bites, carbuncles, swelling, redness, and pain, it can be made into a topical tincture and applied directly (as mentioned in the "Complete Chinese Pharmacopeia" for Piyan Ning). For bladder damp-heat causing painful, difficult urination, it is often combined with Cheqianzi (Plantain seed), Bai Maogen (Imperata root), and Haijinsha (Lygodium spore). It can also be used alone to treat heat dysuria, leukorrhea, and vaginal discharge. For large intestine damp-heat causing diarrhea and dysentery, it is commonly paired with Huanglian (Coptis), Huangbai (Phellodendron), and Bai Touweng (Thunbergia root), or combined with Shan Zha Tan (Charred Hawthorn) to treat heat dysentery (equivalent to bacterial dysentery in modern medicine).
Modern pharmacological studies show that Fish Mint possesses antibacterial, antiviral, immune-enhancing, and diuretic properties. Clinical reports widely document its use in treating pneumonia, hemoptysis, upper respiratory tract infections, chronic bronchitis, whooping cough, influenza, pulmonary abscess, malignant pleural effusion, fever from colds, lung cancer, cervical erosion, suppurative arthritis, habitual constipation, acute bacillary dysentery, acute icteric hepatitis, nephrotic syndrome, herpes simplex keratitis, rhinitis, suppurative otitis media, mumps, papular urticaria, chronic pharyngitis, hemorrhoids, prostatitis, lupus erythematosus, hemangioma, and prevention of leptospiral infection.
Common patent medicines containing Fish Mint include Fish Mint Injection, which clears heat, detoxifies, and resolves dampness, used for pulmonary abscess, phlegm-heat cough, leukorrhea, urinary tract infections, and boils. Another example is Compound Fish Mint Tablets (containing Fish Mint, Huangqin, Banlangen, Lianqiao), which clears heat and detoxifies, used for sore throat and tonsillitis caused by external wind-heat.
Adverse reactions to Fish Mint preparations are rare.
Simple home remedies using Fish Mint:
☆ For pulmonary abscess: 30g Fish Mint, 15g Jiegeng. Decoct and drink, or grind into powder and swallow.
☆ For dysentery: 20g Fish Mint, 6g Shan Zha Tan. Decoct and add honey before drinking.
☆ For mumps: Fresh Fish Mint as needed, crush and apply externally to affected area, secure with adhesive tape, twice daily.
☆ For habitual constipation: 5–10g Fish Mint, steep in boiling water for 10–12 minutes, drink as tea. Discontinue other medications during treatment. One course lasts 10 days.
☆ For acute icteric hepatitis: 180g Fish Mint, 30g rock sugar. Decoct and drink, one dose daily, continue for 5–10 doses.
☆ For nephrotic syndrome: 100–150g dried Fish Mint in 1000ml boiling water, steep for half an hour, drink as tea, one dose daily. One course lasts 3 months, with 2–3 day intervals between courses.
☆ For cold and fever: 20g Xiye Xiangchacai, 16g Fish Mint. Decoct and drink, or grind into fine powder, decoct, filter, concentrate the liquid, mix with powder, press into tablets (0.3g each). Take 3–4 tablets three times daily; reduce dosage for children.