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Zi Hua Di Ding紫花地丁

Violae Herba · Purple-flowered Viola · Yedoen Violet Herb

Herbs that Clear Heat 清热药《本草纲目》

Overview

The whole flowering violet plant, root and all, gathered in spring and dried. Bitter, acrid and cold, it is one of the workhorse heat-toxin herbs: unglamorous, cheap, and reliably applied to hot, angry swellings on the skin — boils, carbuncles, cellulitis, the hard painful that comes to a head slowly. It is used inside and out at the same time, the decoction taken while the mashed fresh plant is laid on the lesion, and it is the classic partner of Pu Gong Ying in that role.

Nature & Flavor

Bitter, acrid · Cold

Channels

Heart · Liver

Typical Dosage

15–30 g in decoction
紫花地丁Photography for this entry is on its way.

Actions

4 core actions

  • Clears heat, resolves toxinHot painful sores and abscesses, furuncles and carbuncles, erysipelas, mastitis, and inflamed lymph nodes — used especially in the early stage before the lesion breaks.
  • Cools the blood, reduces swellingDeep red, hot, hard swellings where the heat has entered the blood level; also red painful eyes and sore swollen throat.
  • Used for bites and stingsTraditionally applied to snakebite and insect stings as an adjunct while proper medical care is arranged — never as a substitute for it.
  • Taken internally and applied at onceThe usual method: the decoction internally with the mashed fresh herb bound over the lesion, which is how most classical sore-and-abscess treatment was organised.

In Formulas

Formulas containing Zi Hua Di Ding

Indications & Clinical Uses

  • Furuncles, carbuncles and other hot toxic sores, especially before they open
    - Erysipelas, mastitis, inflamed and swollen lymph nodes
    - Red painful eyes, sore swollen throat
    - Snakebite and insect stings, as an adjunct to medical care

Western Medical Keywords

Searchable condition terms

CellulitisAbscessBoilsMastitisLymphadenitis

Contraindications

Cautions

Distinctly cold: it is for hot, red, painful swellings, not for the pale, flat, chronic sore of deficiency, and a cold, weak Spleen will not tolerate a long course of it. Discontinue once the swelling has settled. Any spreading skin infection, deep abscess, or snakebite needs proper medical assessment — this herb is an adjunct, not a treatment in itself.

Contraindicated in pregnancy: No specific restriction — practitioner judgment applies; because it is markedly cold, keep courses short in pregnancy.

For licensed practitioners’ reference only

References

  1. Ben Cao Gang Mu《本草纲目》(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.