Wang Bu Liu Xing Zi王不留行子
Vaccariae Semen · Vaccaria Seed · Cowherb Seed
Overview
The small, hard, blue-black seed of cowherb, a field weed of the pink family. Its name — roughly "the king cannot make it stay" — describes what it does: bitter and neutral, it keeps moving downward and refuses to be held up, so it is the herb for passages that have closed. Two of those passages define its practice: the menses, which it reopens, and the milk ducts, which it frees when milk is scanty or blocked. It is nearly always dry-fried before use, until the seeds burst open — the unpopped seed is hard enough to pass through a decoction almost untouched. The same seeds, taped to points on the ear, are the standard material for auricular acupressure.
Nature & Flavor
Bitter · NeutralChannels
Liver · StomachTypical Dosage
5–9 g in decoction, dry-fried and crushedActions
3 core actions
- Invigorates blood, unblocks the mensesAmenorrhea and period pain from stasis, with a fixed, stabbing quality and dark clots.
- Promotes lactation, reduces breast swellingScanty or blocked breast milk, and hot, painful breast swelling — commonly with Chuan Shan Jia substitutes and Lou Lu 漏芦.
- Frees painful urinationHot, dribbling, painful urination and stone-type urinary blockage.
In Formulas
Formulas containing Wang Bu Liu Xing Zi
No published formula lists this herb yet — the library is growing.
Indications & Clinical Uses
- Amenorrhea and stasis-type dysmenorrhea
- Scanty or blocked breast milk after childbirth
- Painful, swollen breasts and early breast abscess
- Hot, painful, dribbling urination
Western Medical Keywords
Searchable condition terms
Contraindications
Cautions
A strong downward-moving blood herb. It is contraindicated in pregnancy, and it is the wrong herb where milk is scanty because qi and blood are depleted rather than blocked — there the breast is soft and slack, not full and tender, and moving herbs make it worse. Use it cautiously alongside anticoagulant or antiplatelet medication and stop it before surgery on the practitioner's advice. Breast pain with fever, spreading redness or a firm lump is not a case for herbs alone: mastitis needs prompt medical assessment, and any new breast lump needs imaging.
Contraindicated in pregnancy: Contraindicated in pregnancy — it moves blood strongly downward.
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.