Herb

Che Qian Cao

Plantain grass | 车前草

Also known as:

Plantago depressa

Che Qian Cao

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Properties

Dampness-draining herbs (利水渗湿药) · Cold

Traditionally supports*

Urinary Health Kidney Health Respiratory Health Detoxification

Parts Used

Whole plant / Aerial parts (全草 quán cǎo)

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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About This Herb

Traditional Chinese Medicine background and properties

Herb Description

Plantain herb is a cooling, gentle herb best known for supporting urinary health. It helps flush out excess heat and fluid from the body, making it popular for urinary tract discomfort, swelling, and water retention. It also helps clear phlegm from the lungs, cool the blood to stop minor bleeding, and calm inflammatory skin conditions.

Herb Category

Dampness-draining herbs (利水渗湿药) Herbs that clear Heat and resolve Toxicity (清热解毒药)

Main Actions

  • Clears Heat and Promotes Urination to Relieve Stranguria
  • Expels Phlegm
  • Cools the Blood
  • Resolves Toxicity
  • Stops Bleeding

How These Actions Work

'Clears Heat and promotes urination to treat painful urinary dysfunction' is the primary action of Chē Qián Cǎo. Its cold, sweet nature drains Damp-Heat downward through the urinary tract, increasing urine output and relieving the burning pain, urgency, and difficulty associated with Heat-type urinary problems. This makes it a go-to herb for conditions where the urine is scanty, dark, painful, or bloody due to Heat accumulating in the Bladder. It also helps reduce water retention and swelling when excess fluid is trapped in the body.

'Expels phlegm' refers to its ability to help clear thick, sticky mucus from the Lungs, especially when coughing is caused by Phlegm-Heat. It enters the Lung channel and helps thin out phlegm so it can be coughed up more easily. This is not a strong cough-stopping action but rather a gentle clearing of congestion.

'Cools Blood and stops bleeding' is an action that distinguishes Chē Qián Cǎo from its seed counterpart (Chē Qián Zǐ). Because it uses the whole plant rather than just the seeds, the herb has a stronger ability to cool overheated Blood and stop various types of bleeding, including nosebleeds, blood in the urine, and bloody dysentery. This action comes from its cold nature entering the Liver and Blood level.

'Resolves toxins' means this herb can help the body deal with infections and inflammatory swellings. It is applied both internally and externally for sore throat, boils, abscesses, and skin infections where Heat-toxin is the underlying cause.

Patterns Addressed

In TCM, symptoms cluster into recognizable patterns of disharmony that reveal what's out of balance in the body. Che Qian Cao is traditionally associated with these specific patterns.

The following describes this herb's classification within Traditional Chinese Medicine theory and is provided for educational purposes only.

Why Che Qian Cao addresses this pattern

Chē Qián Cǎo is sweet and cold, entering the Kidney, Bladder, and Small Intestine channels. These properties allow it to directly drain Damp-Heat that has accumulated in the lower body, particularly the urinary tract. Its cold nature clears the Heat component while its sweet, slippery quality promotes the flow of urine, carrying out both Heat and Dampness. This addresses the core pathomechanism of Damp-Heat in the Lower Jiao, where stagnant moisture and Heat obstruct the waterways, causing painful, scanty, or turbid urination.

A practitioner would look for one or more of these signs

Painful Urination

Burning, urgent, painful urination

Dark Urine

Dark, concentrated, or turbid urine

Urinary Difficulty

Scanty urine output or difficulty urinating

Edema

Swelling in the lower limbs

TCM Properties

Temperature

Cold

Taste

Sweet (甘 gān)

Channels Entered
Liver Kidneys Lungs Small Intestine
Parts Used

Whole plant / Aerial parts (全草 quán cǎo)

This is partial information on the herb's TCM properties. More detailed information is available on the herb's dedicated page

Product Details

Manufacturing, supplier, and product specifications

Product Type

Granules

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Botanical & Sourcing

Quality Indicators

Good quality dried Che Qian Cao should have intact leaves that are greyish-green to dark green in colour with clearly visible 5 to 7 arching veins. The roots should be present as fine, fibrous clusters. Spike-like flower stalks may be visible. The texture should be slightly flexible when rehydrated, not brittle or crumbly. It should have a faint fresh-grass aroma and a mildly bitter taste with slight mucilaginous quality when chewed. Avoid material that is heavily browned, mouldy, insect-damaged, or composed mainly of bare stems with few leaves. Per the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, the content of plantamajoside (大车前苷) should be no less than 0.10% on a dry weight basis.

Primary Growing Regions

Che Qian Cao grows throughout nearly all of China, from the tropical south to the temperate north, and is not associated with a single famous 道地 (terroir) region. It grows wild in abundance along roadsides, field margins, riverbanks, and waste ground nationwide. Historically, the Sichuan region was noted for cultivating it (as mentioned in the Ben Cao Tu Jing). The provinces of Jiangxi, Henan, and Hubei are noted producers of its seeds (Che Qian Zi). Because it is so widespread and adaptable, geographic origin is less critical for quality than it is for rarer herbs.

Harvesting Season

Summer (typically May to July), when the plant is in full growth. The whole plant is uprooted, cleaned of soil, and sun-dried.

Supplier Information

Treasure of the East

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Miscellaneous Info

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Usage & Safety

How to use this herb and important safety information

Important Medical Disclaimer

The information provided here is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice or to replace consultation with a qualified healthcare professional. This herb is a dietary supplement and has not been evaluated by the FDA. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, have a medical condition, or are taking other medications. Discontinue use and consult your healthcare provider if you experience any adverse reactions.

Recommended Dosage

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Traditional Dosage Reference

Standard

15-30g (dried herb); 30-60g (fresh herb)

Maximum

Up to 60g of fresh herb in acute conditions (urinary tract infection, acute gout flare), under practitioner supervision. For dried herb, do not routinely exceed 30g. Prolonged use at high doses should be accompanied by kidney function monitoring.

Notes

Use lower doses (15g dried) for mild damp-heat conditions or as part of a multi-herb formula. Use higher doses (30g dried, or 30-60g fresh) for acute urinary infections, hot-type painful urination, or acute gout with heat signs. Fresh herb is preferred when strong heat-clearing and detoxifying action is needed, as the fresh juice can also be taken directly (by pounding and straining). For phlegm-heat cough, standard doses of 15-30g are typical. Because the herb is strongly cold and diuretic, doses should be reduced and duration limited in patients with any underlying Spleen or Kidney weakness.

Toxicity Classification

Non-toxic

Che Qian Cao is classified as non-toxic in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia and has been safely used both as medicine and food for millennia. Animal toxicity studies show a wide safety margin (LD50 of the decoction was 7.9 g/kg by intravenous injection in mice). However, prolonged use at high doses may theoretically impair kidney function due to the herb's strong diuretic effect, so kidney function should be monitored if the herb is used over extended periods. The aucubin (桃叶珊瑚甙) content has a mild laxative effect at higher doses. Individuals with known allergy to Plantago pollen should use with caution, as cross-reactivity is possible.

Contraindications

Caution

Spleen and Stomach deficiency-cold (脾胃虚寒): Che Qian Cao is cold in nature and can worsen symptoms such as chronic loose stools, abdominal pain, and poor appetite in those with cold-type digestive weakness.

Caution

Kidney deficiency with seminal instability (肾虚精滑): The herb's strong diuretic and draining nature can further deplete Kidney essence. Classical texts such as the Ben Jing Feng Yuan explicitly warn against use in this condition.

Caution

Internal injury with Qi exhaustion and Yang sinking (内伤劳倦，阳气下陷): The cold, descending nature of this herb will further suppress already depleted Yang Qi.

Caution

Absence of damp-heat (内无湿热): When there is no underlying damp-heat pathology, using this strongly clearing and draining herb can damage healthy Qi and fluids without therapeutic benefit.

Avoid

Known allergy to Plantago species: Individuals with known hypersensitivity to Plantago pollen or plants may experience allergic reactions including skin rash, itching, or respiratory symptoms.

Special Populations

Pregnancy

Not recommended during pregnancy. Che Qian Cao has been shown pharmacologically to promote uterine smooth muscle contraction, which could potentially stimulate uterine activity and increase the risk of miscarriage or preterm labor. Its strongly cold nature may also be harmful during the vulnerable early stages of pregnancy. Classical contraindication texts advise caution for pregnant women. If urinary symptoms arise during pregnancy, safer alternatives should be discussed with a qualified practitioner.

Breastfeeding

Use with caution during breastfeeding. While there is no strong evidence of direct toxicity through breast milk, the herb's strongly cold nature may theoretically affect the digestive system of the nursing infant, potentially contributing to loose stools or colic. It should only be used under practitioner supervision and at the lowest effective dose if deemed necessary.

Pediatric Use

Che Qian Cao may be used in children under practitioner supervision with appropriate dose reduction. As a general guide, children aged 6 to 12 may use approximately one-third to one-half of the adult dose. For younger children, even lower doses should be used. Because of its cold nature and strong diuretic action, it should be used cautiously and for short durations in children to avoid damaging the developing digestive system. Adequate fluid intake should be maintained during use.

Drug Interactions

Diuretic medications: Che Qian Cao has a well-documented diuretic effect that increases urinary excretion of water, sodium, chloride, and uric acid. Concurrent use with pharmaceutical diuretics (furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide) may produce additive effects, increasing the risk of electrolyte imbalance and dehydration. Electrolytes should be monitored if combined use is necessary.

Antihypertensive medications: Preclinical research has demonstrated that P. asiatica extracts can lower blood pressure through ACE inhibition and diuresis. Combining with antihypertensive drugs (especially ACE inhibitors or ARBs) may cause excessive blood pressure reduction.

Lithium: As with other diuretic herbs and drugs, the increased renal clearance of sodium caused by Che Qian Cao could theoretically reduce lithium excretion, potentially raising serum lithium levels to toxic concentrations. Patients on lithium should avoid this herb or be closely monitored.

Hypoglycaemic agents: Animal studies suggest blood glucose-lowering effects. Patients on insulin or oral hypoglycaemics should be aware of possible additive effects and monitor blood sugar accordingly.

Dietary Advice

While taking Che Qian Cao, avoid excessive cold and raw foods, as the herb's cold nature combined with cold food may weaken the Spleen and Stomach. Drink plenty of water to support the herb's diuretic action and prevent dehydration. Avoid alcohol, which generates damp-heat and counteracts the herb's therapeutic purpose. When using the herb for gout or high uric acid, also reduce high-purine foods such as organ meats, shellfish, and heavy red meat.

Cautions & Warnings

Although this formula is typically safe for most individuals, it may cause side effects in some people. Pregnant women, nursing mothers, postpartum women, and those with liver disease should use the formula with caution.

As with any Chinese herbal remedy, it is advisable to seek guidance from a qualified TCM practitioner before beginning treatment.