Jin Qian Cao

What Is Jin Qian Cao?

Jin Qian Cao is the pinyin name for Lysimachiae Herba, the dried whole plant of Lysimachia christinae, a creeping primrose-family herb with rounded, coin-shaped leaves. In English it is called lysimachia, christina loosestrife, or, very commonly in the herbal trade, gold coin grass, a translation of the Chinese name. Because of its traditional association with urinary and biliary stones it is also nicknamed the "stone herb."

The whole fresh or dried plant is used, gathered in summer and autumn while flowering or bearing fruit, cleaned, and dried. Readers should be aware that the name Jin Qian Cao has sometimes been applied loosely in the market to several unrelated spreading herbs, so correctly identified Lysimachia christinae material from a reputable supplier is the pharmacopoeia standard.

TCM Properties and Actions

Jin Qian Cao is sweet and bland in flavor and neutral to slightly cool in nature, entering the Liver, Gallbladder, Kidney, and Bladder meridians. Its central actions are to promote urination, clear damp-heat, relieve swelling, and, most distinctively, to dissolve stones. Modern study has examined its use in kidney and gallbladder stone patterns, while traditional practice describes it as softening and gradually reducing stone aggregates and easing their passage.

It is used in two principal stone contexts. In the urinary tract it is directed at kidney and ureteric stones with painful, difficult, sometimes bloody urination and the damp-heat lin presentation of scanty dark urine and urgency. In the biliary system it is used for gallbladder stones and damp-heat gallbladder patterns with right-sided rib and abdominal discomfort, bitter taste, and jaundice-tinged presentations. Its heat-clearing, toxin-resolving and swelling-reducing actions are also applied externally to some hot sores and insect bites, and internally to damp-heat jaundice.

Traditional Use and Common Combinations

For urinary stones, Jin Qian Cao is combined with other damp-heat-clearing and lin-promoting herbs and taken with generous fluids; for gallbladder stones and damp-heat jaundice it is paired with herbs that move Liver and Gallbladder qi and clear damp-heat. External use involves a fresh crushed poultice or concentrated decoction wash for minor hot swellings.

These uses belong to traditional stone-pattern care. Stones can cause obstruction, infection, kidney injury, or severe biliary attacks: fever, chills, inability to urinate, visible blood, colicky pain, vomiting, or jaundice demand urgent medical evaluation and often imaging, pain control, or surgery. The herb is an adjunct, not a substitute for assessment of stone size and location.

Safety, Contraindications, and Interactions

Jin Qian Cao is recorded as safe in standard TCM use at the usual dose. Being neutral and bland, it is better tolerated than strongly bitter or cold diuretic herbs, although high doses may occasionally cause stomach fullness or loose stools. People with spleen-stomach deficiency-cold, marked cold diarrhea, or poor appetite use it cautiously or with warming companions.

Because it increases urine output, people taking prescription diuretics, lithium, or medicines affecting blood pressure or electrolytes should consult the prescribing clinician before use. Pregnancy and breastfeeding, use in young children, and known kidney or gallbladder disease warrant professional guidance rather than self-treatment, even for a traditionally safe herb. Correct species identification remains essential because of market substitutes.

How TCM Practitioners Use It Today

The standard dosage is 15-30 grams in decoction, a relatively large dose reflecting the bland, light character of the whole plant; fresh material is sometimes used at still higher traditional amounts. Practitioners today use it as the leading stone-pattern herb, coordinating urinary and gallbladder cases with imaging and medical follow-up, monitoring stone passage and watching for signs of obstruction or infection rather than relying on the herb alone.

This guide is for educational purposes only and does not replace diagnosis or treatment by a qualified healthcare professional.

Frequently asked questions

Is Jin Qian Cao safe during pregnancy?

It is traditionally regarded as safe at normal doses, but its strong urine-promoting action and the seriousness of stone disease in pregnancy mean it should be used only under professional supervision; pregnant or breastfeeding women should not take it on their own, and colicky pain or fever during pregnancy needs urgent care.

Can Jin Qian Cao replace prescription medication or surgery?

No. It is a traditional stone-pattern herb used adjunctively for kidney and gallbladder stones and damp-heat lin; it cannot replace pain relief, antibiotics, shock-wave treatment, or surgery. Stone size, location, obstruction, and infection must be assessed medically.

What is the difference between Jin Qian Cao and Guang Jin Qian Cao?

Jin Qian Cao is Lysimachia christinae (gold coin grass), the pharmacopoeia-standard "stone herb," sweet and neutral, entering the Kidney, Bladder, Liver, and Gallbladder for both urinary and gallbladder stones. Guang Jin Qian Cao comes from Desmodium species and, while also used for damp-heat and stones, is a different plant with a different traditional emphasis; only correctly identified, labeled material should be used.