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Tu Si Zi菟丝子

Cuscutae Semen · Chinese Dodder Seed · Cuscuta Seed

Herbs that Tonify the Yang 补阳药《神农本草经》

Overview

The tiny brown seed of the dodder, a leafless parasitic vine that winds over its host plant; gathered in autumn and used whole, lightly crushed, or steamed and pressed into cakes. Sweet, slightly acrid and neutral, it is the gentlest of the yang tonics — warming without drying, and supplementing Kidney yang, Kidney yin and Liver essence at once. That balance is why it appears in so many long-course prescriptions for the whole picture of Kidney insufficiency: an aching weak lower back, seminal loss, frequent urination, dim vision, loose morning stools and an unsettled pregnancy.

Nature & Flavor

Acrid, sweet · Neutral

Channels

Kidney · Liver · Spleen

Typical Dosage

10–20 g in decoction
菟丝子Photography for this entry is on its way.

Actions

4 core actions

  • Supplements the Kidney, secures essenceSore, weak lower back and knees, seminal emission and premature ejaculation, frequent or dribbling urination and childhood bedwetting.
  • Nourishes Liver and Kidney, brightens the eyesDim or blurred vision and tired dry eyes from Liver–Kidney deficiency — classically with Gou Qi Zi 枸杞子 and Shu Di Huang 熟地黄.
  • Steadies a restless fetusRestless fetus and threatened miscarriage on a Kidney-deficiency background, in prescriptions with Sang Ji Sheng 桑寄生 and Xu Duan 续断 — always under supervision.
  • Fortifies the Spleen, stops diarrhoeaChronic loose stools and early-morning diarrhoea where Spleen and Kidney are both depleted.

In Formulas

Formulas containing Tu Si Zi

Indications & Clinical Uses

  • Sore weak lower back and knees, seminal emission, impotence
    - Frequent urination, dribbling, bedwetting
    - Blurred, dim vision from Liver–Kidney deficiency
    - Chronic loose stools and dawn diarrhoea
    - Restless fetus from Kidney deficiency (supervised care only)

Western Medical Keywords

Searchable condition terms

Male infertilityErectile dysfunctionRecurrent miscarriageChronic low back painNocturia

Contraindications

Cautions

Warming and securing: not for yin deficiency with vigorous fire, and not where there is dry hard stool, dark scanty urine or marked internal heat. Because it holds things in, it is the wrong herb during an acute urinary infection or an acute diarrhoeal illness, which need to be cleared rather than secured. Its fetus-steadying use is a supervised clinical decision, never a self-treatment: bleeding or pain in pregnancy is an obstetric emergency first and a herbal question second.

Contraindicated in pregnancy: Classically used to steady the fetus in Kidney-deficiency patterns — only under practitioner supervision, and never in place of obstetric assessment.

For licensed practitioners’ reference only

References

  1. 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.