Lilac Pink Herb — Classic Formulas
Qu Mai · Herba Dianthi
Primary Actions
- Promotes urination and drains Damp-Heat — primary herb for heat strangury (Lin Zheng)
- Clears Heart Fire and drains it through the Small Intestine to the Bladder
- Breaks Blood stasis and promotes menstruation
- Treats stone strangury (Shi Lin) and bloody strangury (Xue Lin)
Classic Formulas
- Ba Zheng San (八正散) — the classic formula for acute Heat-type strangury; Qu Mai combined with Bian Xu, Che Qian Zi, Hua Shi, Zhi Zi, Mu Tong, Da Huang, and Deng Xin Cao to flush Damp-Heat from the lower burner
- Zhu Ling Qu Mai Tang (猪苓瞿麦汤) — for urinary difficulty with water retention; Qu Mai paired with Zhu Ling, Fu Ling, Ze Xie, and Fu Zi
Classical Text References
- Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (Divine Husbandman's Classic): lists Qu Mai as principal herb for treating Lin Zheng (strangury) — its inclusion in the foundational pharmacopoeia reflects centuries of empirical validation for urinary Damp-Heat
- Ben Cao Gang Mu (Li Shizhen): 'Qu Mai clears Heart Fire, drains Bladder Damp-Heat, promotes urination, and breaks Blood stasis — the foremost herb for painful dribbling urination, bloody urine, and stone strangury'