Herb

Jin Qian Cao

Gold coin herb | 金钱草

Also known as:

Snowbelleaf Tickclover Herb , Gold Coin Grass , Gold money herb

Jin Qian Cao

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Properties

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

Traditionally supports*

Kidney and Bladder Health Liver and Gallbladder Health Liver 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

Jīn Qián Cǎo, or Gold Coin Grass, is one of the most widely used herbs in Chinese medicine for supporting kidney, bladder, and gallbladder health. It is especially valued for helping the body pass kidney and gallbladder stones, and is also used for urinary tract discomfort, jaundice, and related conditions involving dampness and heat in the body.

Herb Category

Dampness-draining herbs (利水渗湿药) Herbs that clear Heat and dry Dampness (清热燥湿药)

Main Actions

  • Clears Damp-Heat and Resolves Jaundice
  • Promotes Urination and Relieves Stranguria
  • Expels Urinary Stones
  • Clears Heat and Resolves Toxicity
  • Reduces swelling

How These Actions Work

'Clears damp-heat and relieves jaundice' means Jīn Qián Cǎo drains the combination of dampness and heat that can accumulate in the Liver and Gallbladder, causing yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice), dark urine, and a feeling of heaviness. Its sweet and salty flavours help draw dampness out through the urine, while its cool nature clears the heat component. This is why it is a go-to herb whenever jaundice appears alongside signs of internal heat and dampness.

'Promotes urination and unblocks painful urinary dysfunction' refers to the herb's ability to increase urine output and ease the burning, stinging pain of urinary tract conditions that TCM calls 'lín syndrome.' It is especially valued for stone-type lín (shí lín), where gravel or stones cause sharp pain during urination. The herb works by flushing the urinary tract while simultaneously cooling the inflammatory heat that often accompanies these conditions.

'Expels stones' is arguably the most famous action of Jīn Qián Cǎo. Its salty taste is understood in TCM to soften hardness, which applies directly to the hardened mineral deposits of kidney, bladder, and gallbladder stones. The herb is used in large doses (often 30 to 60 grams) to both dissolve and flush out stones from the biliary and urinary systems. Modern research has shown it can inhibit the crystallization of calcium oxalate, a major component of kidney stones.

'Clears heat and resolves toxins' means this herb can address hot, inflamed conditions such as boils, abscesses, and even snakebites. The fresh herb can be juiced and taken internally or mashed and applied directly to the affected area. This action reflects its cool nature working to counteract the heat and poison driving these conditions.

Patterns Addressed

In TCM, symptoms cluster into recognizable patterns of disharmony that reveal what's out of balance in the body. Jin 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 Jin Qian Cao addresses this pattern

When damp-heat lodges in the Liver and Gallbladder, it obstructs the normal flow of bile, leading to jaundice, rib-side pain, bitter taste, and dark urine. Jīn Qián Cǎo enters the Liver and Gallbladder channels directly and its cool nature clears the heat while its sweet and bland flavours promote the drainage of dampness downward through the urine. Its salty taste softens any hardened accumulations (such as gallstones) that often develop when damp-heat stagnates in the biliary system over time. This makes it uniquely suited to address both the root cause (damp-heat) and its common complication (stones) in this pattern.

A practitioner would look for one or more of these signs

Jaundice

Yellow skin and eyes from bile obstruction

Hypochondriac Pain

Distending pain below the ribs on the right side

Dark Urine

Scanty, dark yellow urine

Bitter Taste In The Mouth

Bitter taste, especially in the morning

TCM Properties

Temperature

Cool

Taste

Sweet (甘 gān), Salty (咸 xián), Bland (淡 dàn)

Channels Entered
Liver Gallbladder Kidneys Urinary Bladder
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 Jin Qian Cao (Herba Lysimachiae) comes as tangled masses of whole plant material. Stems should be brownish to dark brownish-red with visible longitudinal striations, and the cross-section should be solid (not hollow). Leaves, when flattened, should be broadly ovate or heart-shaped, gray-green to brownish-green on the upper surface and lighter below, with the main vein prominently raised. A key authenticity test: when soaked in water and held up to light, genuine Jin Qian Cao leaves show characteristic black or dark-brown streaks and dots (glandular secretory canals). Some pieces may bear yellow flowers on long stalks. The aroma should be faint and the taste mild and bland. Avoid material that is overly dark, moldy, has hollow stems, or lacks the diagnostic translucent dark streaks on the leaves.

Primary Growing Regions

The recognized dao di (道地) production region is Sichuan province, where it is known as "Sichuan Da Jin Qian Cao" (四川大金钱草). It is broadly distributed across the Yangtze River basin and southern China, including Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, and Jiangxi. Sichuan-origin material (especially from areas like Bazhong) is traditionally considered the standard and highest quality source. The plant grows wild in moist, shaded habitats at low to moderate elevations.

Harvesting Season

Summer and autumn. In the first year of cultivation, harvest occurs in September to October. In subsequent years, two harvests are possible: the first in June and the second in September.

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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Instructions for safe storage and consumption

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Traditional Dosage Reference

Standard

15–60g

Maximum

Up to 60g of dried herb (120g fresh) in acute stone conditions, taken as a strong decoction. Some eminent practitioners have used doses of 60g or more for actively expelling gallstones or kidney stones, but this should only be done under professional supervision and for limited duration to avoid cold-damage to the Spleen and Stomach.

Notes

For general dampness-heat conditions (jaundice, urinary tract infections), standard doses of 15–30g are appropriate. For active stone expulsion (gallstones, kidney stones, ureteral stones), higher doses of 30–60g are commonly used, and the herb can be decocted alone as a concentrated tea. Fresh herb is used at double the dried dose when available, and the fresh juice can be applied topically for sores, burns, or snakebite. Because of its cold nature, patients with weak digestion should combine it with warming herbs such as dried ginger to offset the cooling effect when using it for prolonged periods.

Toxicity Classification

Non-toxic

Jin Qian Cao is classified as non-toxic. Animal toxicity studies found that a single oral dose of the aqueous extract at 50g raw material per kg body weight in mice produced no deaths, no organ damage, and no changes in blood biochemistry or histomorphology. Clinical reports have noted occasional contact dermatitis from external use of the fresh herb, but oral use at standard doses has no known toxic effects. No toxic components have been identified in the herb.

Contraindications

Caution

Spleen and Stomach deficiency cold (脾胃虚寒): Jin Qian Cao is cold in nature and strongly drains dampness. Prolonged or large-dose use in people with a cold, weak digestive system can further damage Spleen Yang, worsening loose stools, poor appetite, and abdominal coldness.

Caution

Kidney Yang deficiency: The cold, draining nature of this herb is inappropriate for patterns of internal cold with clear, copious urination, cold limbs, and low back soreness due to Kidney Yang insufficiency.

Caution

Contact dermatitis risk: Clinical reports document that external application of fresh Jin Qian Cao (as a wash or poultice) has caused contact dermatitis and allergic reactions in some individuals. People with sensitive skin should exercise caution with topical use.

Caution

Yin deficiency without dampness-heat: As a cold, dampness-draining herb, it is unsuitable when Yin deficiency is the primary pattern without accompanying dampness-heat, as it may further deplete fluids.

Caution

Pregnancy: Classical sources advise caution in pregnant women due to the herb's cold nature and strong downward-draining action, which could potentially disturb the fetus.

Special Populations

Pregnancy

Use with caution during pregnancy. Jin Qian Cao's cold nature and strong downward-draining, dampness-clearing properties may potentially disturb fetal stability. Classical sources list pregnancy as a caution. There are no specific studies on teratogenicity, but the herb's potent diuretic and stone-expelling actions involve significant movement of fluids and downward-directing force that are generally avoided during pregnancy without clear clinical necessity.

Breastfeeding

No specific studies exist on the safety of Jin Qian Cao during breastfeeding. The herb is classified as non-toxic and has no known components that raise specific concerns about transfer through breast milk. However, its cold nature and strong dampness-draining properties could theoretically affect the mother's digestive function and milk production if used in large doses over an extended period. Short-term use at standard doses under practitioner guidance is generally considered acceptable, but caution is warranted.

Pediatric Use

Jin Qian Cao has been used in pediatric folk medicine for conditions like childhood malnutrition (gan ji, 疳积), typically at reduced doses around 9g decocted with animal liver. As a non-toxic herb, it is generally considered safe for children at age-appropriate doses (roughly one-third to one-half of adult doses for older children). However, due to its cold nature, prolonged use in children with weak digestion should be avoided. A practitioner should supervise use in children.

Drug Interactions

Anticoagulant/antiplatelet medications: Pharmacological studies show that Jin Qian Cao has mild blood platelet aggregation-inhibiting and vascular smooth muscle-relaxing properties. While not strongly blood-moving, concurrent use with anticoagulants (warfarin, heparin) or antiplatelet drugs (aspirin, clopidogrel) should be monitored, as there may be an additive effect on bleeding risk.

Immunosuppressant medications: Animal studies have shown that Jin Qian Cao has immunosuppressive effects on both cellular and humoral immunity, comparable in some measures to cyclophosphamide, and the two agents together produced enhanced suppression. Patients on immunosuppressive therapy should inform their prescriber if using this herb.

Diuretic medications: As a potent herbal diuretic, combining Jin Qian Cao with pharmaceutical diuretics may produce additive fluid and electrolyte loss. Potassium levels and hydration should be monitored in such cases.

Dietary Advice

While taking Jin Qian Cao for stone conditions, it is advisable to drink plenty of water to support the herb's diuretic and stone-flushing actions. Avoid excessive consumption of greasy, rich foods and high-cholesterol foods, as these contribute to stone formation. For those with weak digestion using this cold-natured herb, avoid cold and raw foods to protect Spleen function. Classical sources on topical use for burns note to avoid beans, loofah, eggs, and fish during treatment.

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.