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Ze Xie泽泻

Alismatis Rhizoma · Water Plantain Rhizome · Alisma

Herbs that Drain Dampness 利水渗湿药《神农本草经》

Overview

The dried tuber of a water plantain that grows in standing water — an apt signature for a herb whose whole work is to move fluid downward and out through the urine. Sweet, bland and cold, it drains damp without warming and clears the heat that stagnant damp generates. That is why it sits both in the classical water-regulating formulas and in Liu Wei Di Huang Wan 六味地黄丸, where its job is to carry off turbidity so the tonics do not become cloying. Dry-fried Ze Xie is gentler and turned more toward the Spleen; salt-fried Ze Xie is directed to the Kidney and is the form chosen when the target is ministerial fire stirring below.

Nature & Flavor

Sweet · Cold

Channels

Kidney · Bladder

Typical Dosage

5–10 g in decoction
泽泻Photography for this entry is on its way.

Actions

3 core actions

  • Drains damp, promotes urinationScanty urine, oedema, abdominal fullness with retained fluid, and loose stools from damp pouring downward; the core pairing with Fu Ling 茯苓 and Zhu Ling 猪苓.
  • Clears heat bound up with dampBurning, urgent or turbid urination, and vaginal discharge with damp-heat.
  • Drains ministerial fire, disperses turbidityYin-deficient heat with dizziness and warm palms — the role it plays inside Liu Wei Di Huang Wan. Salt-frying strengthens this direction.

In Formulas

Formulas containing Ze Xie

Indications & Clinical Uses

  • Oedema, scanty urine, fluid distension
    - Burning or turbid urination and damp-heat vaginal discharge
    - Dizziness with retained fluid
    - Yin-deficient heat with warm palms, as an adjunct inside tonifying formulas

Western Medical Keywords

Searchable condition terms

EdemaUrinary tract infectionHyperlipidemiaVertigoOliguria

Contraindications

Cautions

It drains and does not build: prolonged or heavy use exhausts fluids and can leave the eyes dry and the person depleted, so it is given in courses rather than indefinitely. Not appropriate where urination is already frequent and copious from Kidney yang deficiency, nor for seminal loss without damp-heat. Keep to the practitioner's amount and do not exceed 9 g a day. Long-term high-dose use has been associated with kidney irritation in animal studies — another reason it is not a herb for open-ended self-medication.

Contraindicated in pregnancy: No specific restriction — practitioner judgment applies; fluid retention in pregnancy is treated under supervision, not self-managed.

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.