He Geng荷梗
Nelumbinis Caulis · Lotus Stem · Lotus Leaf Stalk
Overview
- — summer damp, of He Ye.*
The long hollow stalk that carries a lotus leaf up out of the water. Bitter and neutral, entering Spleen and Stomach. It is the least famous member of a family in which almost every part is a drug — the leaf, the flower, the stamen, the seed, the plumule, the node of the rhizome — and its character follows directly from its shape: a straight hollow tube that lifts something up through water. It moves qi, opens the chest, and lets damp out of the middle.
Where He Ye lifts clear yang and cools the blood, He Geng is the qi-moving, chest-opening member of the pair. It is a summer herb: the muggy, stifled feeling in the chest and epigastrium when summer damp settles on the middle burner, with a heavy head and no appetite. The classical texts also credit it with settling the stomach and calming a restless fetus.
Nature & Flavor
Bitter · NeutralChannels
Spleen · StomachTypical Dosage
10–15 g in decoctionActions
4 core actions
- Resolves summer heat, transforms dampSummer damp lying on the middle burner: a stifled chest, epigastric fullness, a heavy head, poor appetite, nausea and a greasy tongue coating. Bitter and drying without being cold or harsh.
- Moves qi, opens the chestThis is what distinguishes it from the leaf. A tight, oppressed feeling across the chest and diaphragm with sighing and a reluctance to eat — it opens rather than pushes down.
- Settles the stomach, quiets the fetusThe classical record gives it for pregnancy nausea and vomiting and for a restless fetus with epigastric fullness. It is a gentle herb and this is a traditional use of long standing, but it belongs in a prescription written by a practitioner, not chosen at home.
- The lotus familyHe Ye lifts clear yang and cools the blood; He Geng moves qi and opens the chest; Lian Zi tonifies the Spleen and holds the essence; Lian Zi Xin drains Heart fire; astringes; Ou Jie stops bleeding. One plant, six different intentions.
In Formulas
Formulas containing He Geng
Indications & Clinical Uses
- Summer damp with chest oppression, epigastric fullness and a heavy head
- Poor appetite and nausea in muggy weather, with a greasy tongue coating
- Summer diarrhoea with damp obstructing the middle
- Pregnancy nausea and a restless fetus, in the classical record
Western Medical Keywords
Searchable condition terms
Contraindications
Cautions
A mild herb with few restrictions.
- It moves qi, so it is not for sinking qi. Avoid or use carefully where there is qi deficiency with prolapse, chronic diarrhoea from collapse of the middle, or marked exhaustion — moving qi in a depleted person spends what little there is.
- Not a herb for a cold, empty stomach without damp. Its usefulness depends on damp being present; without it, the bitterness is just bitterness.
- Identify the plant and its water. Fresh lotus stalk is gathered from ponds. Water quality matters — lotus is grown in still water that can carry agricultural runoff — so use material from a supplier, not from an unknown pond.
- Pregnancy nausea has limits. Persistent vomiting in pregnancy, weight loss, or inability to keep fluids down needs medical assessment; a mild aromatic herb is not the answer to hyperemesis.
Contraindicated in pregnancy: Traditionally used during pregnancy rather than avoided — the classical texts list, settling the stomach and quieting a restless fetus, among its actions, and it is a mild herb. That is not the same as being suitable unsupervised: the pattern has to fit, the dose stays ordinary, and the prescription belongs to the treating practitioner. Persistent vomiting needs medical assessment.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only
References
- Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing《神农本草经》(classical source, public domain) — the parent plant; the stalk is treated as a separate item in the later 本草 literature.
2. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
3. Provincial 中药材标准 carry 荷梗 at 9–15 g; it is not a national pharmacopoeia monograph.
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.