He Shi鹤虱
Carpesii Fructus · Common Carpesium Fruit · Northern He Shi
Overview
He Shi is the ripe fruit of Carpesium abrotanoides, bitter and acrid with a neutral thermal nature and a grading of slightly toxic. It is the broadest of the classical vermifuges in scope — roundworm, pinworm and tapeworm are all recorded — and it is used for the colicky abdominal pain and childhood that the tradition attributed to worms. The trade calls this one to separate it from Nan He Shi, the wild-carrot fruit sold under the same name; both are documented here as classical materia medica, not as a treatment plan.
Nature & Flavor
Bitter, acrid · Neutral · Slightly toxicChannels
Spleen · StomachTypical Dosage
3–10 g in decoctionActions
3 core actions
- Kills parasites, disperses accumulationThe classical indication covers roundworm, pinworm and tapeworm, presenting as periumbilical colicky pain that comes and goes, and as childhood with a distended abdomen and poor growth.
- Relieves parasite-accumulation abdominal painFrequently paired with Bing Lang 槟榔 and Ku Lian Pi 苦楝皮 in the classical anthelmintic prescriptions, where its acrid, dispersing quality addresses the cramping pain alongside the vermifuge action.
- Two drugs share the nameHe Shi proper is Carpesium fruit; Nan He Shi is the fruit of wild carrot, appended to this entry in the textbook and carried as a separate pharmacopoeia item. They share the indication and the dose, but they are different plants and the label should say which one is supplied.
In Formulas
Formulas containing He Shi
Indications & Clinical Uses
- Roundworm, pinworm and tapeworm infestation
- Colicky periumbilical pain attributed to parasite accumulation
- Childhood with abdominal distension and poor appetite
Modern management of all three starts with a laboratory identification of the organism.
Western Medical Keywords
Searchable condition terms
Contraindications
Cautions
Slightly toxic. The pharmacopoeia dose is 3–9 g, and 9 g per day is the ceiling. Overdose has been reported to cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, abdominal pain and, in larger amounts, hiccup and restlessness — the margin between an effective dose and an unpleasant one is not wide.
Preparation: it may be decocted, but for the anthelmintic indication it is conventionally given as a powder or in pills on an empty stomach, since the vermifuge constituents are poorly extracted by water. Do not increase the dose to compensate for a decoction.
Not for those with a weak, cold Spleen and Stomach, nor for the debilitated or the elderly without close supervision. Check which drug the label supplies — (Carpesium) or Nan He Shi (wild carrot).
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: Use with caution in pregnancy — in practice, avoid it. The pharmacopoeia flags He Shi for caution in pregnancy, and a slightly toxic vermifuge has no place in a pregnant patient's prescription; treatment during pregnancy is an obstetric decision.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only
References
- Xin Xiu Ben Cao《新修本草》(Tang dynasty, public domain).
2. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
3. 《中华人民共和国药典》(2020年版一部).
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.