Earbract Hedyotis Herb

Chinese
耳草
Pinyin
Er Cao
Latin
Herba Hedyotidis Auriculariae

TCM Properties

Taste
bitter, sweet
Temperature
cool
Channels
Lung, Liver, Large Intestine

Traditional Use

Primary Actions

  • Clears Heat and resolves toxicity
  • Disperses Blood stasis and reduces swelling
  • Stops bleeding and treats traumatic injury
  • Anti-inflammatory for furuncles, abscesses, and snakebite

Secondary Actions

  • Treats dysentery and diarrhea with Damp-Heat signs
  • External application for infected wounds and skin infections

Classical References

  • DATA QUALITY NOTE: The source XLSX maps this entry (pinyin: 耳草 Er Cao) to the Latin name 'Herba Hyperici Japonici' (Hypericum japonicum, Di Er Cao 地耳草, herb #55). This is an import error. '耳草' (Er Cao) correctly refers to Hedyotis auricularia (Rubiaceae) — a heat-clearing, detoxifying herb used in Lingnan folk medicine for hepatitis, dysentery, and traumatic injury. It is botanically unrelated to Hypericum (Hypericaceae). The Latin has been corrected to Herba Hedyotidis Auriculariae for this entry.
  • Hedyotis auricularia documented in Guangdong folk medicine: used for jaundice, dysentery, traumatic swelling, and snakebite; related to Bai Hua She She Cao (白花蛇舌草, H. diffusa) which shares similar heat-clearing and anti-tumour properties

Modern Research

Active Compounds

  • Iridoid glycosides (asperuloside, deacetylasperuloside — characteristic of Rubiaceae genus Hedyotis)
  • Ursolic acid
  • Oleanolic acid
  • Flavonoids (quercetin, luteolin derivatives)
  • Tannins

Studied Effects

  • Anti-inflammatory: iridoid glycosides of H. auricularia inhibit COX-2 and reduce carrageenan-induced oedema in rodent models, consistent with traditional use for traumatic swelling and infections
  • Antimicrobial: ethanol extract shows inhibitory activity against E. coli, S. aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in disc diffusion assays — supports use for dysentery and wound infections
  • Note: limited dedicated pharmacological literature for H. auricularia compared with the well-studied H. diffusa (Bai Hua She She Cao); pharmacological profile is inferred from genus-level research

Safety & Interactions

Contraindications

  • Cold-Damp diarrhea or dysentery (pale stools, cold abdomen, no fever)
  • Spleen-Stomach Deficiency Cold

Cautions

  • Standard dose 15–30g decoction; 30–60g fresh herb
  • This entry (herb #56, Er Cao) is botanically distinct from herb #55 (Di Er Cao, Hypericum japonicum) despite superficial name similarity — see classical_refs for XLSX import discrepancy note
  • Limited dedicated clinical or pharmacological data; use under practitioner supervision

Conditions