Qu Mai | Herba Dianthi | Dianthus
Properties: bitter, cold
Channels: Bladder, Heart, Small intestine
Qu Mai drains damp heat from urinary bladder, promotes urination and unblocks painful urinary dysfunction, breaks up blood stasis, invigorates blood, cools heat, unblocks bowels, purges heart and small intestine fire and leads it out through the urine.
Approximately 194 chemical compounds have been identified and isolated from Dianthi herba [Qu Mai], the most important being triterpenoid saponins, flavonoids, and volatile oil compounds. These compounds possess antiviral, anticancer, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties, inter alia. (2)
This herb is a powerhouse in its ability to assist the body in its diuretic function. This function is exactly why this herb is used for urinary tract disorders. In Chinese medicine we consider both bacterial and non-bacterial UTI’s. The latter is what we would call heart heat transferring to the small intestine, respectively. To better understand this terminology, think about the symptoms of UTI’s, there is often frequent urination and burning sensation present. This can be caused by heat in the body not related to an actual bacteria. This heat can have many causes but the main two often considered is diet and emotional state.
If we consume a lot of spicy foods, that creates heat in the body, this heat can agitate you and cause your body to try to rid itself of this heat, often seen in frequent urination or heat sensation. Another very common cause of this heat in the body is related to emotional imbalance, this might look like a strong emotional response to a situation/person etc. Think about what happens when you get really angry or really upset with someone, your face often flushes, you get hot, this is heat. This heat is created as a biological response to the shifts of things like adrenal in the body. Once that emotional trigger subsides, the heat is still in the body, now the body’s natural desire is a homeostatic state, so it looks for ways to rid itself of that heat.
Without going too deep into Chinese medicine theory, the heart and small intestines are paired together through their median systems, meaning the heart will utilize this relationship to transfer this heat to the small intestine. The small intestine channels has a branch that connects to the bladder channel which is how the heat moves out through the urine.
The three channels or meridians that Qu Mai enter are the heart, small intestine and bladder. This means qu mai will enter into these channels and work as an assistant to the body to move the heat out, draining it down through this pathway mentioned above.
If we consider the active constituents in this herb we see that as it moves through these channels, specifically the bladder, it also supports the body in clearing bacteria or microbial imbalances.
As mentioned before in other blog posts, herbs have a synergetic effective, meaning that work well in combinations, so qu mai works with other herbs within our Yoni Wash White formula to use its diuretic functions to drain any heat out through the urine. This is why when using this wash you may have increased urination, even though it is only used as a topically.
Qu Mai also works well in cases of dysmenorrhea for its ability to work with the blood through its relationship to the heart. This is simply a snapshot of the key use within our yoni wash.
References:
1. Bensky, Materia Medica, 3rd edition
2. Liu, Q., Zang, EH., Wang, CC. et al. Dianthi herba: a comprehensive review of its botany, traditional use, phytochemistry, and pharmacology. Chin Med 17, 15 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13020-022-00570-2