Expels kidney and bladder stones — primary indication
Clears Liver-Gallbladder Damp-Heat and dissolves gallstones
Clears Heat and resolves toxicity
Secondary Actions
Reduces jaundice and promotes bile flow in cholecystitis and hepatitis
Anti-inflammatory for lower urinary tract
Classic Formulas
Shi Lin Tong (石淋通) — patent formula using Jin Qian Cao (Guo Lu Huang) as the principal herb to dissolve urinary stones and relieve painful urination
Combined with Hai Jin Sha (海金沙) and Qu Mai (瞿麦) in classical stone-expelling prescriptions for kidney and bladder calculi
Classical References
Pharmacopoeia name 金钱草 (Jin Qian Cao, Gold Coin Grass) derives from the round coin-shaped leaves; 过路黄 (Guo Lu Huang, Yellow Roadside Herb) is the folk vernacular for the same plant Lysimachia christinae Hance
Stone-dissolving use recorded in Song dynasty formularies; incorporated into Shi Lin (石淋, stone strangury) treatment lineage
Modern Research
Active Compounds
Rutin (quercetin-3-O-rutinoside; 3.36 mg/g in crude extract)
Quercetin (0.83 mg/g)
Kaempferol (0.86 mg/g)
Hyperoside (quercetin-3-galactoside)
Isoquercetin
Chlorogenic acid
Studied Effects
Anti-urolithiasis: aqueous extract eliminated preestablished cholesterol gallstones almost entirely after 2–4 weeks of treatment in mice — dose- and duration-dependent regression (PMID 25794804)
Gallstone prevention via gut microbiota: aqueous extract prevents cholesterol gallstone formation in high-fat-diet mice by favourably altering intestinal microflora composition, reducing total cholesterol and bile acid excretion (PMID 34261853)
Nephrolithiasis mechanisms: network pharmacology identified 16 active compounds and 11 key targets including purine salvage, IL-4/IL-13 signalling, and neutrophil degranulation pathways as mechanisms for kidney stone inhibition (PMID 32241963)