Luo Bu Ma Ye罗布麻叶
Apocyni Veneti, Herba · Dogbane Leaf · Apocynum Leaf
Overview
The leaf of Apocynum venetum, a salt-tolerant shrub of the northwest, and a comparatively recent entry to the materia medica rather than a classical herb. Sweet, bitter and cool, it settles a rising Liver yang and clears heat, and it is best known as a daily tea for dizziness, headache, tinnitus and irritability in someone whose blood pressure runs high. It also moves water, which suits the common picture where rising yang comes with puffiness and scanty urine.
Nature & Flavor
Sweet, bitter · CoolChannels
LiverTypical Dosage
6–12 g in decoction, or 3–6 g steeped as a tea — not above 15 g/dayActions
3 core actions
- Pacifies the Liver, subdues rising yangDizziness, headache, tinnitus and short temper from Liver-yang rising — usually alongside, not instead of, conventional management of raised blood pressure.
- Clears heatRestlessness, a hot flushed head, red eyes, poor sleep from heat that will not settle.
- Promotes urinationEdema and scanty urination, particularly where these accompany the pattern above.
In Formulas
Formulas containing Luo Bu Ma Ye
No published formula lists this herb yet — the library is growing.
Indications & Clinical Uses
- Dizziness, headache and tinnitus of Liver-yang rising
- Irritability, flushing and restless sleep
- Edema with scanty urination
Western Medical Keywords
Searchable condition terms
Contraindications
Cautions
Cooling: not for a cold, weak Spleen and Stomach with loose stools. The important caution is the setting it is used in. People take this leaf because their blood pressure is high, so blood pressure should be monitored while it is taken, prescribed medication must not be reduced or stopped on the strength of a herbal tea, and both the treating physician and the practitioner need to know it is being used. The plant also carries constituents of the cardiac-glycoside family, so long courses and doses above the range are avoided, and it is not combined with heart medication without medical advice. Keep to 15 g a day at most. Our dispensary data flags no toxicity and no allergy risk, but the dose ceiling here is real rather than nominal.
Contraindicated in pregnancy: No specific restriction is on record, but raised blood pressure in pregnancy is a medical matter — take it only under joint supervision by the practitioner and the treating physician
For licensed practitioners’ reference only
References
- Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
2. 《中华人民共和国药典》.
3. 《中华本草》.
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.