Chinese Herbs Single Item: Jixuecao / Lianqiancao / Centella Asiatica / Centella Asiatica / Gotu Kola

NAMES
积雪草 Jixuecao
连钱草 Lianqiancao
破铜钱草
Centella Asiatica
Gotu Kola

Jixuecao is the dried whole herb of the umbelliferous plant Jixuecao in Chinese medicine. It has a bitter and pungent taste and is cold in nature. It has the effects of clearing heat and dampness (improving symptoms of excessive internal heat and removing dampness), detoxifying and reducing swelling. It is often used for damp-heat jaundice, heatstroke diarrhea, urinary calculi and hematuria (discharging sand or stones/blood in urine, urinary pain), abscesses, and injuries from falls or blows. It is mainly distributed in the southwest, Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Sichuan, Guangdong, and other places, and the harvesting time is in summer.

Jixuecao is a perennial herb with a grape-like stem that is slender and rooted at the nodes, and is either hairless or slightly hairy. It often grows in open areas, along roadsides, and by ditches in shady and damp places, preferring sunny and moist environments.