Herb Whole plant / Aerial parts (全草 quán cǎo)

Liu Yue Xue

Snow in June herb · 六月雪

Serissa japonica (Thunb.) Thunb. · Herba Serissae

Also known as: Bai Ma Gu (白马骨), Man Tian Xing (满天星)

Liu Yue Xue (Snow in June herb) plant

Images shown are for educational purposes only

Snowrose herb (Liu Yue Xue) is a cool, detoxifying herb from southern China used to clear inflammation, drain excess moisture from the body, and ease joint pain. It is commonly used in folk medicine for colds with fever, sore throat, hepatitis with jaundice, kidney-related swelling, and rheumatic aches. It is gentle enough to be taken in relatively large doses and is widely available as a whole-plant preparation.

Category Herbs that clear Heat and resolve Toxicity (清热解毒药)
Therapeutic focus Liver Health Kidney Health Joint and Muscle Health Immune Support Urinary Health

TCM Properties

Temperature

Cool

Taste

Bitter (苦 kǔ), Acrid / Pungent (辛 xīn), Bland (淡 dàn)

Channels entered

Lungs, Liver, Spleen

Parts used

Whole plant / Aerial parts (全草 quán cǎo)

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Educational content • Consult qualified TCM practitioners for diagnosis and treatment

What This Herb Does

Every herb has a specific set of actions — here's what Liu Yue Xue does in the body, explained in both everyday and TCM terms

Therapeutic focus

In practical terms, Liu Yue Xue is primarily used to support these areas of health:

Liver Health Kidney Health Joint and Muscle Health Immune Support Urinary Health

TCM Actions

In TCM terminology, these are the specific therapeutic actions that Liu Yue Xue performs to restore balance in the body:

Releases the Exterior and Disperses Wind-Cold Clears Heat and Resolves Toxicity Clears Heat and Drains Dampness Relaxes the Sinews and Unblocks the Collaterals Promotes Urination and Reduces Edema Invigorates Blood and Regulates Menstruation

How these actions work

'Disperses Wind and releases the exterior' means this herb helps the body push out pathogenic Wind that causes symptoms like fever, headache, and body aches at the early stage of a cold. Because it is cool in nature and pungent in taste, it is particularly suited for Wind-Heat colds where there is fever, sore throat, and headache. The pungent taste opens and disperses, while the cool nature counteracts the Heat.

'Clears Heat and resolves toxins' means it can reduce inflammation and fight infection. In TCM terms, Heat-toxins manifest as redness, swelling, pain, and fever, such as in sore throat (pharyngitis), tonsillitis, and skin abscesses. This herb's bitter and cool properties drain Heat downward and out of the body.

'Clears Heat and drains Dampness' refers to its ability to address conditions where Dampness and Heat combine in the body, causing symptoms such as jaundice, painful urination, diarrhea, or vaginal discharge. The bland taste promotes urination, while the cool nature clears Heat. This is why the herb is widely used in traditional practice for hepatitis with jaundice and for kidney conditions with edema.

'Relaxes sinews and unblocks the channels' means it can ease joint pain, stiffness, and muscle aches, particularly those caused by Wind-Dampness lodging in the channels. It enters the Liver channel, which governs the sinews. This action makes it useful for rheumatic joint pain.

Patterns Addressed

In TCM, symptoms cluster into recognizable patterns of disharmony. Liu Yue Xue is used to help correct these specific patterns.

Why Liu Yue Xue addresses this pattern

Liu Yue Xue is cool in temperature and pungent in taste, which allows it to disperse Wind-Heat from the exterior. Its coolness directly counteracts the Heat component, while its pungency opens the body's surface to release the pathogen. It enters the Lung channel, which governs the body's exterior defense, making it well-suited for the early febrile stage of Wind-Heat invasion. The herb also clears Heat-toxins, addressing the sore throat and inflammation that often accompany this pattern.

A practitioner would look for one or more of these signs

Fever

Fever with mild chills

Sore Throat

Sore, red, swollen throat

Headaches

Headache

Hypochondrial Pain That Is Worse On Coughing And Breathing

Cough

Commonly Used For

These are conditions where Liu Yue Xue is frequently used — but only when they arise from the specific patterns it addresses, not in all cases

Arises from: Damp-Heat in the Gallbladder

TCM Interpretation

In TCM, acute hepatitis with jaundice is understood as Damp-Heat accumulating in the Liver and Gallbladder. The Dampness comes from dietary irregularity or external invasion, and when it combines with Heat, it obstructs the normal flow of bile, causing the yellow discoloration of skin and eyes. The Spleen's ability to transform and transport fluids is also impaired, leading to fatigue, nausea, and poor appetite. The condition involves a combination of Heat (inflammation), Dampness (fluid stagnation), and Liver Qi constraint (pain and distension in the rib area).

Why Liu Yue Xue Helps

Liu Yue Xue directly addresses the Damp-Heat mechanism at the root of hepatitis. Its cool nature clears the Heat component (inflammation), its bitter and bland tastes drain Dampness through the urine, and it enters the Liver and Spleen channels where the pathology is located. Classical sources note its ability to 'soothe the Liver and open stagnation' when paired with herbs like Di Er Cao (ground-ear herb). Modern pharmacological studies have found that its water extract can significantly reduce elevated liver enzymes (ALT, AST) in animal models of acute liver injury, supporting its traditional use for hepatitis.

Also commonly used for

Common Cold

Especially Wind-Heat type with fever and sore throat

Tonsillitis

Acute tonsillitis with swelling and pain

Pharyngitis

Sore throat and throat inflammation

Dysentery

Bacillary dysentery and enteritis

Edema

Kidney-related water retention

Headaches

Migraine and hypertension-related headache

Leukorrhea

Excessive vaginal discharge from Damp-Heat

Urinary Tract Infection

Painful urination and urinary turbidity

Viral Conjunctivitis

Red, swollen, painful eyes

Herb Properties

Every herb has an inherent temperature, taste, and affinity for specific channels — these properties determine how it interacts with the body

Temperature

Cool

Taste

Bitter (苦 kǔ), Acrid / Pungent (辛 xīn), Bland (淡 dàn)

Channels Entered

Lungs Liver Spleen

Parts Used

Whole plant / Aerial parts (全草 quán cǎo)

Dosage & Preparation

These are general dosage guidelines for Liu Yue Xue — always follow your practitioner's recommendation, as dosages vary based on the formula and your individual condition

Standard dosage

9-30g

Maximum dosage

Up to 60g in clinical practice for kidney disease or acute conditions, under practitioner supervision only.

Dosage notes

Standard doses of 9 to 30g are used for most indications such as common cold, sore throat, or joint pain. For kidney disease (chronic nephritis, proteinuria, elevated blood urea nitrogen), experienced practitioners may use 30 to 60g in decoction, often stewed with chicken for chronic kidney conditions as noted in traditional folk practice. Fresh herb can be used at higher amounts (30 to 60g). The herb can also be prepared as a meat stew (dun rou) for tonic or chronic conditions.

Preparation

No special decoction handling required. The herb is simply added to the decoction pot with other herbs and decocted normally. For external use, the fresh herb can be crushed and applied as a poultice, or the stem ash can be used to wash affected areas. It may also be stewed with meat (particularly old hen) for chronic conditions.

Common Herb Pairs

These ingredients are traditionally combined with Liu Yue Xue for enhanced therapeutic effect

Yin Chen
Yin Chen Yin Chen Hao 15-30g : Liu Yue Xue 30-60g

Liu Yue Xue and Yin Chen Hao both clear Damp-Heat from the Liver and Gallbladder, but from different angles. Yin Chen Hao is the primary herb for resolving jaundice by strongly promoting bile flow and clearing Damp-Heat. Liu Yue Xue adds its own Liver-soothing and Dampness-draining actions. Together, they powerfully clear Damp-Heat jaundice more effectively than either herb alone.

When to use: Acute jaundice-type hepatitis with yellow skin and eyes, dark urine, nausea, and rib-area discomfort.

Che Qian Cao
Che Qian Cao 1:1 (both at 15-30g)

Liu Yue Xue clears Heat and drains Dampness while also unblocking channels, and Che Qian Cao (plantain herb) strongly promotes urination and clears Heat from the Bladder. Together, they synergistically clear Damp-Heat through the urinary tract, reducing edema and resolving urinary difficulty.

When to use: Kidney-related edema, urinary tract infections, or nephritis with difficult, scanty, dark urine and swelling.

Pu Gong Ying
Pu Gong Ying 1:1 (both at 15g)

Both herbs clear Heat and resolve toxins, but Pu Gong Ying (dandelion) is especially strong at reducing swelling from toxic Heat abscesses, while Liu Yue Xue adds Dampness-draining and channel-unblocking actions. Combined, they clear Heat-toxins and reduce swelling and inflammation more comprehensively.

When to use: Sore throat, tonsillitis, skin abscesses, and oral inflammation with Heat-toxin signs such as redness, swelling, and pain.

Comparable Ingredients

These ingredients have overlapping uses — here's how to tell them apart

Bai Hua She She Cao
Liu Yue Xue vs Bai Hua She She Cao

Both are cool herbs in the Rubiaceae family that clear Heat, resolve toxins, and drain Dampness. However, Bai Hua She She Cao is more focused on clearing Heat-toxins and is widely used in cancer-support protocols, while Liu Yue Xue has a stronger action on relaxing sinews and unblocking channels for joint pain. Liu Yue Xue is also more commonly used for kidney conditions and chronic nephritis.

Ji Xue Cao
Liu Yue Xue vs Ji Xue Cao

Both herbs clear Damp-Heat from the Liver and are used for jaundice-type hepatitis. Ji Gu Cao (Abrus herb) is more specifically focused on Liver Damp-Heat and hepatitis as its primary indication, while Liu Yue Xue has a broader range of actions including Wind-dispersing, sinew-relaxing, and kidney-supporting effects that make it more versatile.

Chui pen cao
Liu Yue Xue vs Chui pen cao

Both Chui Pen Cao (stringy stonecrop) and Liu Yue Xue clear Damp-Heat and are used for hepatitis with elevated liver enzymes. Chui Pen Cao is cooler and primarily used for acute liver protection, while Liu Yue Xue is milder and more suitable for longer-term use, especially when kidney involvement or joint pain coexists with liver problems.

Identity & Adulterants

Related species and common adulterations to be aware of when sourcing Liu Yue Xue

Liu Yue Xue (Serissa japonica) and Bai Ma Gu (Serissa serissoides) are two closely related species that are used interchangeably in clinical practice. Bai Ma Gu has slightly larger leaves (1.5 to 3 cm) and a white corolla tube roughly equal in length to the calyx lobes, while true Liu Yue Xue has smaller leaves (6 to 15 mm) and a corolla tube longer than the calyx lobes, sometimes with a pinkish-purple tinge. Both are accepted as medicinal Liu Yue Xue with similar therapeutic effects. There is also a completely unrelated plant called "Liu Yue Xue Ye" (六月雪叶), which is the leaf of Eupatorium chinense from the Asteraceae family, used externally for snake bites and abscesses. This should not be confused with the Rubiaceae Liu Yue Xue described here.

Educational content — always consult a qualified healthcare provider or TCM practitioner before using any herb.

Toxicity Classification

Classical Chinese pharmacopoeia toxicity rating for Liu Yue Xue

Non-toxic

The Ben Cao Shi Yi (Supplement to the Materia Medica) explicitly records this herb as non-toxic. Modern acute toxicity studies in animal models have shown that large doses of the water extract do not produce significant toxic reactions, indicating a relatively high safety margin for short-term use. However, the plant does contain small amounts of alkaloids, anthraquinones (including emodin), and tannins. Excessive or prolonged unsupervised use may cause gastrointestinal discomfort (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea), and there are theoretical concerns about liver and kidney burden with very long-term use at high doses. Proper dosage under professional guidance eliminates significant toxicity risk.

Contraindications

Situations where Liu Yue Xue should not be used or requires extra caution

Caution

Pregnancy: Liu Yue Xue is cool in nature and has blood-moving properties. Pregnant women should avoid this herb as it may adversely affect the fetus.

Caution

Spleen and Stomach deficiency-cold (pi wei xu han): The cool nature of this herb can worsen digestive symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, and poor appetite in those with cold-type digestive weakness.

Caution

Breastfeeding women: The cool, bitter nature may affect milk quality and could be unsuitable for nursing infants.

Caution

Long-term unsupervised use: Prolonged high-dose use without medical guidance may place burden on liver and kidney function. Periodic monitoring is advised for extended courses.

Caution

Allergic individuals: Some people may experience skin irritation, nausea, or respiratory sensitivity from contact with the plant's sap or from internal use. Discontinue immediately if allergic reactions occur.

Special Populations

Important considerations for pregnancy, breastfeeding, and pediatric use

Pregnancy

Liu Yue Xue is cool in nature and has some blood-moving (huo xue) properties. Pregnant women should avoid use, as the cool nature and blood-activating action may potentially disturb the fetus or affect uterine stability. There is no formal modern safety data on use during pregnancy. Multiple Chinese medical sources advise that pregnant women should not take this herb.

Breastfeeding

Liu Yue Xue's bitter, pungent, and cool properties may affect the quality of breast milk and could potentially cause digestive discomfort (loose stools, cold abdomen) in nursing infants. Breastfeeding women are advised to avoid this herb or use it only under practitioner supervision with careful monitoring of the infant's response. No formal pharmacokinetic studies on transfer through breast milk are available.

Children

Liu Yue Xue has traditional use in children for conditions such as childhood malnutrition (xiao er gan ji), infantile convulsions (xiao er jing feng), and summer heat in children. Dosage should be significantly reduced from the adult range, typically one-third to one-half depending on age and weight, and always under practitioner guidance. The bitter, cool nature may be too harsh for very young children with weak digestion. Infants and toddlers should generally avoid this herb unless specifically prescribed.

Drug Interactions

If you are taking pharmaceutical medications, be aware of these potential interactions with Liu Yue Xue

No well-documented specific drug interactions have been established through formal pharmacological studies. However, based on its known properties, the following theoretical considerations apply:

  • Diuretic medications: Liu Yue Xue promotes urination and dampness resolution. Concurrent use with pharmaceutical diuretics may have an additive effect, potentially leading to excessive fluid loss or electrolyte imbalance.
  • Immunosuppressants: Modern research suggests Liu Yue Xue may enhance immune function (both cellular and humoral immunity). This could theoretically counteract immunosuppressive medications, which is particularly relevant for kidney transplant patients or those on immunosuppressive therapy for lupus nephritis.
  • Hepatotoxic drugs: Although the herb has shown hepatoprotective effects in animal studies, long-term use at high doses could theoretically add to hepatic burden when combined with drugs known to affect liver function. Liver function should be monitored.

Dietary Advice

Foods and dietary considerations when taking Liu Yue Xue

Avoid cold, raw, and greasy foods during use, as these may compound the herb's cool nature and burden the Spleen. Avoid spicy, heavily stimulating foods that may counteract the herb's heat-clearing effects. Avoid alcohol and strong coffee during the course of treatment. Taking the herb after meals can reduce potential gastrointestinal irritation.

Botanical Description

Physical characteristics and morphology of the Liu Yue Xue source plant

Serissa japonica (Thunb.) Thunb. is a small evergreen shrub in the Rubiaceae (madder) family, typically growing to about 0.5 to 1 metre tall. It has numerous branches with greyish-white to bluish-grey bark. The young twigs are slightly hairy and emit a distinctive unpleasant odour when crushed. Leaves are opposite or clustered on short branches, near-leathery, and small in size (narrowly elliptic to obovate, 6 to 15 mm long), with a yellowish-green colour.

Small, white to pale pinkish-purple tubular flowers bloom from May to July, appearing singly or in clusters at the branch tips. When in full bloom, the tiny white flowers cover the entire bush, creating the visual effect of snow in summer, which gives the plant its poetic Chinese name ("June Snow"). The fruit is a small, nearly spherical drupe. The plant grows wild on hillsides, roadsides, stream banks, and in undergrowth throughout central and southern China. It prefers warm, semi-shaded, moist environments with well-drained, fertile, sandy loam soil, and can tolerate some drought.

Sourcing & Harvesting

Where Liu Yue Xue is sourced, when it's harvested or collected, and how to assess quality

Harvesting season

Stems and leaves are harvested from April to June (1 to 2 years after planting, with continuous harvest possible for 4 to 5 years). Roots are dug in autumn. The whole plant can also be collected year-round.

Primary growing regions

Liu Yue Xue is widely distributed across central and southern China. Major producing regions include Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Anhui, and Yunnan provinces. It also occurs in Japan and Vietnam. There is no single strongly defined dao di (terroir) region, as the herb grows abundantly in many southern provinces. It is typically collected locally for local use (zi chan zi xiao). The plant grows wild on hillsides, roadsides, stream banks, and in undergrowth.

Quality indicators

Good quality dried Liu Yue Xue has greyish-white to dark grey branches with visible longitudinal fissures, and the bark often peels away easily. Young twigs should be pale grey with fine hairs visible. The few remaining leaves should be yellowish-green, thin-leathery in texture, and slightly curled. White or pale flowers may be visible clustered at branch tips. The herb should have a mild, faint odour and a bland to slightly bitter taste. Branches should be firm with a fibrous cross-section. Avoid material that is heavily discoloured, mouldy, or excessively stripped of leaves. The roots, when present, should be slender, cylindrical, and yellowish on the outer bark.

Classical Texts

Key passages from the classical Chinese medical texts that describe Liu Yue Xue and its therapeutic uses

《生草药性备要》 (Essentials of Raw Herbal Properties)

Original: "治伤寒，中暑，发狂乱语，火症，亦退身热。"

Translation: "Treats cold-damage disorders and summer-heat stroke, delirious speech, fire conditions, and also reduces body heat."

《本草拾遗》 (Supplement to the Materia Medica)

Original: "无毒。" (白马骨条)

Translation: "Non-toxic."

《植物名实图考》 (Illustrated Investigations of Plant Names and Realities)

Original: "治热证，疮痔，妇人白带。"

Translation: "Treats heat conditions, sores and haemorrhoids, and vaginal discharge in women."

《草木便方》 (Simple Formulas from Plants and Trees)

Original: "祛风毒，除风热，清利头目。治偏正头痛，牙、喉痛，胸膈虚热。"

Translation: "Dispels wind-toxin, eliminates wind-heat, clears and benefits the head and eyes. Treats unilateral and bilateral headaches, tooth and throat pain, and deficiency-heat in the chest and diaphragm."

《浙江民间常用草药》 (Common Folk Herbs of Zhejiang)

Original: "平肝，利湿，健脾，止泻。"

Translation: "Calms the Liver, promotes dampness resolution, strengthens the Spleen, and stops diarrhea."

Historical Context

The history and evolution of Liu Yue Xue's use in Chinese medicine over the centuries

Liu Yue Xue (六月雪, "June Snow") was first recorded under its alternative name Bai Ma Gu (白马骨, "White Horse Bone") in the Tang Dynasty text Ben Cao Shi Yi (《本草拾遗》, Supplement to the Materia Medica), which described it as a small plant resembling a pomegranate but shorter, with opposite nodes, and noted it was non-toxic. The name Bai Ma Gu comes from the plant's greyish-white stem bark, which resembles weathered bone. Similarly, its common names Ji Gu Chai ("chicken bone firewood") and Ying Gu Chai ("hard bone firewood") reference the same woody, bone-like appearance.

The name "Liu Yue Xue" (Six-Month Snow or June Snow) arose because its abundant tiny white flowers bloom in the sixth lunar month (early summer), making the shrub look as if covered in snow. A folk legend associates this imagery with the famous story of Dou E (from the Yuan Dynasty drama Dou E Yuan), whose wrongful execution supposedly caused snow to fall in midsummer. The Hua Jing (《花镜》, Mirror of Flowers) from the Qing Dynasty described Liu Yue Xue as an ornamental plant, noting it was very small with graceful spreading branches, favoured shade, and was suitable for potted display. The Zhi Wu Ming Shi Tu Kao (《植物名实图考》) later confirmed that Bai Ma Gu and Liu Yue Xue, though technically two related species, were both used medicinally under the same name.

In modern clinical practice, Liu Yue Xue has gained particular recognition in nephrology, where practitioners such as Chen Yiping and Yu Junsheng have incorporated large doses into formulas for chronic kidney disease, proteinuria, and elevated blood urea nitrogen, drawing on its dampness-draining and toxin-resolving properties.

Modern Research

2 published studies investigating the pharmacological effects or clinical outcomes of Liu Yue Xue

1

Chemical Constituents from Serissa japonica (Phytochemistry study, 2016)

Yu JL, Zhu GH, Liang F, Liu M, Liu X, Li FQ, Huang HL. Zhong Yao Cai. 2016;39(4):782-785.

Researchers isolated and identified eleven compounds from Serissa japonica, including anthraquinones (such as emodin), lignans (pinoresinol and medioresinol), lupeol, gallic acid, and methyl caffeate. Several of these compounds were isolated from the Serissa genus for the first time, establishing the phytochemical profile of this medicinal plant.

PubMed
2

Chemical Constituents of Serissa serissoides Roots (Phytochemistry study, 2006)

Zhang Q, Sun LR. Zhong Yao Cai. 2006;29(8):786-788.

This study investigated the chemical constituents of the roots of the closely related species Serissa serissoides (Bai Ma Gu), which is used interchangeably with Liu Yue Xue in clinical practice. The study contributed to understanding the shared chemical basis for the medicinal properties attributed to both species.

PubMed

Research on individual TCM herbs is growing but still limited by Western clinical trial standards. These studies provide emerging evidence and should be considered alongside practitioner expertise.