Promotes urination and treats chyluria (milky urine)
External application for snakebite, abscesses, and infected wounds
Classical References
Ben Cao Gang Mu (Li Shizhen): 'Di Jin Cao disperses blood stasis, stops bleeding, and resolves toxicity — used for bloody dysentery, hemorrhoids, uterine bleeding, traumatic bleeding, and malignant sores'
Ben Cao Hui Yan: 'Cools the blood and disperses blood stasis; detoxifies and stops dysentery' — a key heat-clearing, blood-cooling herb of Chinese folk medicine for gastro-intestinal and bleeding disorders
Modern Research
Active Compounds
Luteolin
Quercetin
Kaempferol
Gallic acid
Ellagic acid
Tannins (condensed and hydrolysable)
Phenolic acids (caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid)
Triterpenoids (friedelin, epifriedelanol)
Studied Effects
Hemostatic and antibacterial: E. humifusa extract incorporated into sodium alginate wound dressing via microfluidic spinning demonstrated potent hemostatic and antibacterial properties with accelerated wound healing and skin tissue regeneration in vitro and in vivo (PMID 36963544)
Vasorelaxant: total flavonoids produce endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation in rat aorta rings via NO-cGMP pathway and potassium channel activation, supporting use in hypertension-related dysentery and bleeding patterns (PMID 29151079)
Comprehensive pharmacological review (197 compounds characterised) confirms anti-diarrheal, hemostatic, antidiabetic, anti-HBV, anticancer, and anti-rheumatoid arthritis activities; no significant chronic toxicity in rat studies
Cold-Damp diarrhea or dysentery (pale stools, no fever, cold abdomen)
Spleen-Stomach Deficiency Cold with loose stools
Pregnancy (Blood-cooling and moving action)
Cautions
Standard dose 9–20g decoction; 30–60g fresh herb
Euphorbia humifusa (ground-creeping spurge) does not share the toxic milky latex properties of larger arboreal Euphorbia species — safe at standard doses
No significant chronic toxicity observed in animal studies at therapeutic doses