This product is the whole herb of the perennial herbaceous plant Chinese Mosla (Elsholtzia splendens Nakai ex F. Maekawa) from the Lamiaceae family. It is mainly produced in Jiangxi, Anhui, and Henan.

The whole plant is harvested after the fruits mature, then dried and cut into segments for use.

bubble_chart Properties and Meridians

Acrid, slightly warm. act on lung, spleen and stomach channels.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Inducing sweating to releasing exterior, resolving dampness to harmonize the middle, unblock water and dispersing edema.

bubble_chart Indications

1. Used for the syndrome/pattern of yin summer-heat. This product is acrid and warm, dispersing and entering the lung channel, capable of inducing sweating to release the exterior and dispel cold. Its aromatic nature enters the spleen and stomach, resolving dampness and dispelling summerheat to harmonize the middle. Therefore, Chinese Mosla is effective in treating conditions such as external contraction of wind-cold, internal damage by summerheat dampness, aversion to cold with fever, headache without sweating, vomiting, and diarrhea due to the syndrome/pattern of yin summer-heat, often used in combination with Magnolia Bark and Hyacinth Bean, as in the Chinese Mosla Decoction.
2. Used for edema and beriberi. This product is acrid and dispersing, warm and unblocking, adept at promoting yang qi, entering the lung to open the upper source, thereby unblocking water and dispersing edema. For conditions such as difficulty in urination and beriberi edema, it can be used alone or in combination with White Atractylodes Rhizome, which fortifies the spleen and disinhibits water, as in the Atractylodes and Mosla Pill.

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Bielu: "Mainly treats cholera abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea, disperses edema."
2. Diannan Bencao: "Induces sweating, warms the stomach, and harmonizes the middle."
3. Bencao Gangmu: "World doctors treat summerheat disease, using Chinese Mosla as the primary medicine. However, in summer, taking cold drinks while enjoying the cool can cause yang qi to be suppressed by yin pathogens, leading to headache, fever and chills, dysphoria and thirst, vomiting or diarrhea, or cholera. This medicine should be used to promote yang qi, disperse water, and harmonize the spleen. Chinese Mosla is a medicine for releasing the exterior in summer, like Ephedra in winter, and should not be taken in large quantities by those with qi deficiency."

bubble_chart Usage and Dosage

Decoct and take 3-10g. For reducing swelling and promoting diuresis, a concentrated decoction is required.

bubble_chart Cautions and Contraindications

This product has a strong effect of releasing the exterior with pungent-warm properties. It should be avoided in cases of exterior deficiency with sweating and yang summer-heat syndrome/pattern.

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

This product contains volatile oils, with main components including Chinese Mosla diol, sterols, phenolic substances, and flavonoid glycosides. The volatile oils have diaphoretic and antipyretic effects, stimulating the secretion of digestive glands and gastrointestinal motility. Additionally, it has diuretic properties.