Ting Li Zi葶苈子
Lepidii seu Descurainiae Semen · Lepidium Seed · Flixweed Seed · Tingli Seed
Overview
Tiny brown seeds of pepperweed or flixweed, acrid, bitter and very cold, and among the most forcefully draining herbs in the cough group. It does not soothe a cough so much as empty the Lung of the water and phlegm weighing it down — the classic picture is a patient with a full chest, copious phlegm and wheezing who cannot lie flat — and it drives the same fluid out through the urine in edema. Two grades are sold: the southern Descurainia seed is the milder, the northern Lepidium seed the harsher. Dry-frying Ting Li Zi blunts the harshness and makes the seed easier to extract, while honey-preparing Ting Li Zi moderates the draining further for a weaker, chronically coughing patient. The seeds are wrapped in cloth for decoction.
Nature & Flavor
Bitter, acrid · Very coldChannels
Lung · BladderTypical Dosage
5–10 g in decoctionActions
2 core actions
- Drains the Lung, calms wheezingWheezing and cough with copious phlegm, a full oppressed chest and difficulty lying flat — an excess pattern, not a deficient one.
- Promotes urination, reduces swellingPuffiness of the face and limbs, fluid distension of the abdomen and scanty urine, where the water needs a downward exit.
In Formulas
Formulas containing Ting Li Zi
Indications & Clinical Uses
- Wheezing and cough with copious phlegm and chest fullness
- Inability to lie flat because of fluid in the chest
- Facial and limb edema with scanty urine
- Abdominal fluid distension as part of a wider prescription
Western Medical Keywords
Searchable condition terms
Contraindications
Cautions
Harsh, cold and strongly draining. It empties fluid but also drains Lung qi, so it is used in short courses and stopped once the chest is clear, never taken as a long-term cough remedy. It is contraindicated in wheezing from deficiency without real phlegm or fluid, and in Spleen deficiency with poor appetite and loose stools. The presentation it treats — breathlessness that stops a patient lying flat, with swollen legs — is very often cardiac or renal in origin, so it belongs alongside medical assessment and prescribed treatment, not in place of them. Use the honey-prepared form for frail or elderly patients.
Contraindicated in pregnancy: Avoid in pregnancy unless a practitioner has assessed the case — it drains downward strongly and depletes fluids.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only
References
- Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing《神农本草经》(classical source, public domain).
2. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
3. 《中华人民共和国药典》.
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.