Fineleaf Schizonepeta Herb

Chinese
荆芥
Pinyin
Jing Jie
Latin
Herba Schizonepetae

TCM Properties

Taste
acrid
Temperature
slightly warm
Channels
Lung, Liver

Traditional Use

Primary Actions

  • Releases exterior and disperses wind — uniquely effective for both wind-cold and wind-heat patterns; mild warm nature allows use across exterior syndromes with fever, chills, headache, and body aches
  • Vents rashes and relieves itching — treats measles with incomplete eruption, urticaria, eczema, and chronic skin itching from wind; one of the most important herbs for wind-type skin conditions
  • Clears early-stage sores and carbuncles — disperses wind-heat accumulation before pus formation; resolves swelling and redness at skin surface

Secondary Actions

  • Hemostatic when charred (Jing Jie Tan 荆芥炭) — transformed from dispersing to astringent by charring; used for uterine bleeding, bloody stool, and epistaxis from heat or wind
  • Treats throat pain and swelling — combined with Bo He and Niu Bang Zi for wind-heat sore throat and early-stage tonsillar swelling
  • Dispels wind from postpartum exhaustion — classical use for postpartum spasm, tetanus, and convulsion from wind entering blood deficiency

Classic Formulas

  • Jing Fang Bai Du San (荆防败毒散) — paired with Fang Feng as primary exterior-releasing duo; addresses wind-cold-damp exterior syndrome with headache, stiff neck, fever, and body aches
  • Xiao Feng San (消风散) — combined with Fang Feng, Ku Shen, Chan Tui for wind-heat skin disease with pronounced itching and weeping eczema
  • Yin Qiao San (银翘散, Wu Jutong, 1798) — Jing Jie added to wind-heat formula to strengthen surface-opening and mild dispersing; bridges cold and warm exterior-releasing herbs
  • Huai Hua San (槐花散) — charred Jing Jie with Huai Hua for blood in stool and dysentery from Large Intestine heat

Classical References

  • Bencao Jing Shu (本草经疏, Miao Xiyong, 1625) — 'Jing Jie is the foremost herb for wind; its flavour is acrid, its nature is warm and upward-moving; it enters the Lung and Liver, where it opens the exterior and disperses stagnation'
  • Bencao Gangmu (本草纲目, Li Shizhen, 1578) — distinguishes whole herb (Jing Jie) from spike (Jing Jie Sui); notes the spike is more fragrant and appropriate for venting rashes and stopping bleeding when charred
  • Wen Re Jing Wei (温热经纬, Wang Mengying, 1852) — Jing Jie as a 'bridge herb' suitable in early-stage warm disease due to its mild nature, unlike strong diaphoretics

Modern Research

Active Compounds

  • Pulegone (major volatile oil, 25–55% in stem and leaf)
  • Menthone
  • Isomenthol
  • d-Limonene
  • Hesperidin
  • Luteolin
  • Luteolin-7-O-glucoside
  • Rosmarinic acid
  • Caffeic acid
  • Apigenin
  • Acacetin

Studied Effects

  • Anti-inflammatory — hesperidin inhibits NF-κB and MAPK pathways, reduces TNF-α and IL-1β in LPS-induced RAW264.7 macrophages; pulegone suppresses COX-2 and iNOS (PMID 28629816)
  • Antipyretic and diaphoretic — volatile oil fraction promotes perspiration and reduces rectal temperature in febrile animal models; mechanism consistent with classical wei-level dispersing action
  • Antihistaminic and anti-pruritic — flavonoid fraction inhibits IgE-mediated mast cell degranulation and histamine release; clinical correlation to urticaria and atopic dermatitis applications (PMID 26774946)
  • Antimicrobial — essential oil demonstrates activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Candida albicans; MIC values clinically relevant for skin and throat infections
  • Hemostatic (charred form) — Jing Jie Tan significantly reduces PT and APTT, increases platelet aggregation in vivo; tannin content post-charring confirmed as primary mechanism (PMID 24847832)
  • Neuroprotective (preliminary) — rosmarinic acid fraction shows attenuation of LPS-induced neuroinflammation in BV2 microglia; potential relevance to wind-type neurological applications

PubMed References

Safety & Interactions

Contraindications

  • Spontaneous perspiration or night sweats from yin or wei-qi deficiency — acrid dispersing nature will further open the surface and drain protective qi
  • Internal fire without exterior pathogen — mild warm nature contraindicated in pure interior heat, liver yang rising, or yin-deficiency heat conditions

Cautions

  • The charred form (Jing Jie Tan) is pharmacologically distinct from raw Jing Jie — raw form disperses exterior, charred form arrests bleeding; verify correct preparation before dispensing
  • Standard decoction dose 3–9 g is safe and well-tolerated; high doses of volatile oil in isolation may cause nausea or dizziness
  • Short decoction recommended — add in the final 5–10 minutes to preserve volatile oil content; prolonged boiling significantly reduces efficacy
  • Generally compatible with most TCM herbs; no clinically significant drug interactions documented in standard decoction doses

Conditions