He Cao Ya鹤草芽
Agrimoniae Gemma · Agrimony Winter Bud
Overview
He Cao Ya is the underground winter bud of agrimony — the same plant whose aerial parts are the haemostatic Xian He Cao 仙鹤草, but a different drug with a different use. Bitter, astringent and cool, toxic, it is a tapeworm herb and little else. Like Lei Wan, it cannot be decocted: its active constituent is barely water-soluble and breaks down on heating, so the bud is dried gently, powdered and swallowed. Recorded here as classical and modern materia medica — the diagnosis is laboratory work and the treatment a prescribed antiparasitic.
Nature & Flavor
Bitter, astringent · Cool · ToxicChannels
Liver · Small Intestine · Large IntestineTypical Dosage
30–45 gActions
3 core actions
- Kills parasites — specifically tapewormIts scope is narrow and that is its character: tapeworm is the indication, and the response is usually judged on whether the scolex appears in the stool. It is not a general vermifuge.
- Destroyed by heat and barely water-soluble — powder onlyThe active constituent (agrimophol,) dissolves poorly in water and degrades when heated, so a decoction is close to inert. The bud must be dried at low temperature, ground, and swallowed as powder with water — the same rule as Lei Wan, and for the same kind of reason.
- The winter bud, not the herbThe drug is dug in late autumn or winter, before the plant shoots in spring, when the constituent is concentrated in the dormant bud. The aerial Xian He Cao 仙鹤草 that the same plant yields is a haemostatic and has no place in this indication — do not substitute one for the other.
In Formulas
Formulas containing He Cao Ya
No published formula lists this herb yet — the library is growing.
Indications & Clinical Uses
- Tapeworm infestation — the sole established indication
Confirmation means finding proglottids or eggs in the stool; treatment is a physician-prescribed antiparasitic, with cure judged by follow-up examination.
Western Medical Keywords
Searchable condition terms
Contraindications
Cautions
Toxic, and far from side-effect-free at the dose it is used in. Ceiling: 45 g of powder for an adult as a single dose, about 0.7–0.8 g/kg in children — a textbook and 《中华本草》 figure, since He Cao Ya is not carried in. Nausea, vomiting, dizziness, sweating and abdominal pain are commonly reported after a full dose, and they are dose-related.
Never decocted. Agrimophol is poorly water-soluble and heat-labile; a decoction wastes the drug, and raising the dose to compensate is exactly the wrong response. Low-temperature drying, then powder.
Not for the frail, the elderly or anyone whose Spleen and Stomach are weak and cold. Do not confuse the winter bud with the aerial Xian He Cao 仙鹤草.
Suspected parasitic infection is diagnosed in a laboratory, not from symptoms: a stool ova-and-parasite examination — with serology or imaging where the organism calls for it — identifies what is actually present, and treatment is a modern antiparasitic prescribed by a physician. This entry records the classical materia medica and is not a treatment recommendation.
Contraindicated in pregnancy: Avoid in pregnancy. A single 30–45 g anthelmintic dose that commonly causes vomiting and sweating is not appropriate during pregnancy or breastfeeding, and there is no established safety record for it in either. Parasitic infection in pregnancy is an obstetric decision.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only
References
- No classical monograph — the winter bud was separated from Xian He Cao 仙鹤草 and studied as an anthelmintic in the twentieth century.
2. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
3. 《中华本草》(State Administration of TCM, modern reference compendium).
Professional reference notice. Entries are scholarly references for licensed TCM practitioners and students — not medical advice, and not a recommendation to self-prescribe. Chinese herbal formulas should be used under the guidance of a qualified practitioner. Content is an original editorial compilation by Cura x Cura, cross-checked against the cited references.