Prunella Spike – 1 lb (454 g)

Prunella Spike, known in Chinese as 夏枯草 (Xiàkūcǎo) and scientifically as Spica Prunellae, is a valued herb in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). This TCM herb has been traditionally used to support natural wellness, maintain vitality, and encourage holistic balance. At TCMforyou.com, we provide premium-quality Prunella Spike carefully sourced to preserve its therapeutic properties.

As a herbal supplement, Prunella Spike helps promote overall well-being and supports natural energy, immunity, and balance. Integrating this herb into your wellness routine offers a gentle, time-tested approach to enhancing daily health. Whether brewed as tea, added to herbal remedies, or taken as part of a TCM formula, Prunella Spike provides a safe, natural way to experience the benefits of traditional Chinese medicine.

Trusted for centuries, Prunella Spike has been used in TCM to harmonize the body and encourage optimal functioning of key systems. At TCMforyou, we prioritize authenticity and quality. Each batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure purity and potency, delivering an herbal product aligned with traditional practices.

Experience the natural support of Prunella Spike, promoting immune health, vitality, and holistic well-being. Embrace the wisdom of TCM and incorporate this gentle, effective herbal remedy into your daily wellness journey.

[Overview] This herb is also known as Chunxiaku, Tiesecao, Bangchuicao, and Xiakutou. It is the fruit spike of Prunella vulgaris L., a plant of the Lamiaceae family. It is produced throughout most regions of China, mainly in Jiangsu, Anhui, and Henan provinces. Harvest in summer when the flower spikes turn reddish-brown, remove impurities, and dry in the sun.
[Properties] Bitter and pungent in taste, cold in nature. Enters the Liver and Gallbladder meridians.
[Actions] Clears Liver heat and brightens the eyes; dissipates nodules and detoxifies.
[Applications]
1. Used for red, swollen, painful eyes, headache, and dizziness caused by Liver fire rising or Liver Yang hyperactivity; often combined with Chrysanthemum flower, Scutellaria baicalensis, and Abalone shell. For predominant wind-heat, often combined with Mulberry leaf, Forsythia, and Cassia seed; for eye pain and tearing due to Yin and blood deficiency, combined with Lycium fruit and Dendrobium. Clinically often used to treat hypertension.
2. Used for scrofula, goiter, and carbuncles caused by phlegm-fire accumulation and Liver-Gallbladder Qi stagnation. For scrofula and goiter, often combined with Scrophularia, Fritillaria, Oyster shell, Kelp, and Seaweed, as in the formula Xiakucao Gao (Spica Prunellae Paste).
3. Used for toxic sores and mastitis, often combined with Viola yedoensis, Lonicera stem, and Taraxacum.
Additionally, this herb is often combined with Artemisia capillaris, Phellodendron, and Gardenia to treat acute and chronic hepatitis.
[Dosage and Administration] Internal use: decoction, 9–15 g; or made into paste; or included in pills or powders. External use: appropriate amount, decocted water for washing or pounded for topical application.
[Cautions] Use with caution in patients with weak spleen and stomach.
[Modern Research]
1. Chemical constituents: The fruit spikes contain ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, carotenoid glycosides, and β-amyrin. The whole plant contains Spica Prunellae polysaccharides, oleanolic acid, rutin, hyperoside, caffeic acid, vitamins C and K, carotene, tannins, and alkaloids.
2. Pharmacological effects: Aqueous and ethanol extracts of Spica Prunellae have hypotensive effects in anesthetized animals; decoction ethanol precipitate shows anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects; active substances in Spica Prunellae significantly inhibit alloxan-induced hyperglycemia in mice; ursolic acid and derivatives exhibit significant cytotoxicity against tumor cells P388, L1210, and human lung tumor cells A549; decoctions inhibit Shigella, Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella typhi, Escherichia coli, Proteus, Staphylococcus, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis to varying degrees; aqueous extracts inhibit various skin fungi; extracts show in vitro anti-Herpes simplex virus type I activity; saponins have significant anti-HIV effects.
3. Clinical reports:
(1) Pulmonary tuberculosis: 2 kg Spica Prunellae boiled and concentrated with brown sugar to make a paste; 20 ml per dose, three times daily for 2 months per course. Bai Ji powder 15 g orally three times daily until bleeding stops. In 45 cases, after one course, 42 improved markedly with cessation of hemoptysis, normalized temperature, negative sputum bacteria, and normal erythrocyte sedimentation rate; 22 cases showed significant lesion absorption on X-ray. Effective rate 91%. [Shaanxi Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1993,14(4):172]
(2) Insomnia: 15 g Spica Prunellae and 10 g processed Pinellia decocted once daily. In 62 cases (68 treatments), 61 effective, 7 ineffective; effective rate 89.71%. [Fujian Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1993,24(1):59]
(3) Mid to late-stage gastric and colorectal cancer: Treatment group received intravenous Spica Prunellae injection; control group oral Pingxiao capsules; both for 30 days. Treated 30 and 20 cases respectively; markedly effective in 12 and 2 cases, effective in 14 and 10 cases, ineffective in 4 and 8 cases; total effective rates 86.67% and 60.0%. [Shanxi Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2003,19(3):24]
(4) Skin burns: 50 g dried Spica Prunellae boiled with 500 g water for about 12 minutes, cooled to about 37°C, sterile gauze soaked and gently patted on affected area. Treated 32 cases, all cured. [Practical Clinical Integration of Chinese and Western Medicine, 2003,3(4):41]
(5) Neonatal impetigo: Along with basic treatment, bathed with Spica Prunellae decoction: 200 g Spica Prunellae boiled with 3000 ml water for 10–15 minutes, filtered; bathed once daily for 3 consecutive days. Treated 51 cases, all cured. [Henan Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2001,16(4):68]