The Efficacy and Function of Plantain Seed

Feb 25, 2025 Source: Cainiu Health

Dr. Zhang Xiuhong

Introduction

Under normal circumstances, Plantago seeds (Che Qian Zi) have various effects and functions, including clearing heat, promoting urination and relieving stranguria, removing dampness to stop diarrhea, improving vision, clearing the lungs and resolving phlegm, and anti-inflammatory actions. When using Plantago seeds, it is important to follow the advice and guidance of a physician to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the medication. Particularly for special populations such as pregnant women, lactating women, and individuals with allergic constitutions, caution should be exercised or use should be avoided.

Generally, Plantago seeds (Cheqianzi) are the dried mature seeds of Plantago asiatica or Plantago depressa of the Plantaginaceae family. Plantago seeds have various therapeutic effects and functions, including clearing heat, promoting urination to relieve urinary tract discomfort, removing dampness to stop diarrhea, improving vision, clearing lungs and resolving phlegm, and anti-inflammatory properties. The specific details are as follows:

1. Clearing Heat, Promoting Urination, and Relieving Urinary Discomfort

Plantago seeds can remove internal heat toxins and promote urine excretion, particularly suitable for treating symptoms such as painful urination due to heat, edema, and abdominal distension. It helps improve urinary system function and alleviate pain and discomfort caused by heat toxins and dampness.

2. Removing Dampness and Stopping Diarrhea

Plantago seeds possess the effect of eliminating dampness and stopping diarrhea, making them effective for treating watery diarrhea caused by excessive dampness. They help expel dampness from the body, improve spleen and stomach function, and thereby alleviate diarrhea symptoms.

3. Improving Vision

Plantago seeds have certain therapeutic effects on eye diseases, especially symptoms such as red, swollen, painful eyes and photophobia with excessive tearing caused by liver fire ascending. They can clear liver heat, relieve eye discomfort, and improve vision.

4. Clearing Lungs and Resolving Phlegm

Plantago seeds can clear lung heat, remove phlegm, and stop coughing, and can be used to treat coughing with excessive phlegm caused by lung heat. By clearing lung heat, they promote the free flow of lung qi and facilitate phlegm expulsion, thereby alleviating symptoms such as coughing and phlegm production.

5. Anti-inflammatory Effect

Plantago seeds have certain anti-inflammatory properties. They can inhibit inflammatory responses and reduce tissue damage and pain. This may provide some auxiliary benefits in treating inflammatory diseases such as dermatitis and arthritis.

When using Plantago seeds, it is important to follow medical advice and guidance to ensure safe and effective medication. Special populations, such as pregnant women, lactating women, and individuals with allergic constitutions, should use them cautiously or avoid their use altogether.

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What are the uses of Plantago asiatica seeds?

Under normal circumstances, plantain seed (cheqianzi) has various functions and effects such as promoting diuresis and relieving stranguria, clearing away heat and summerheat, clearing the liver and improving vision, resolving phlegm and relieving cough, and promoting dampness drainage to stop diarrhea. However, specific groups including pregnant women, individuals with cold-deficiency constitution, and those experiencing symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal distension should use plantain seed cautiously. Additionally, due to its cold nature, plantain seed should not be consumed together with warm-natured foods such as lamb.

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What are the effects of Plantago asiatica seeds?

Plantago seeds are the dried mature seeds of Plantago asiatica or Plantago depressa of the Plantaginaceae family. Their effects may include promoting urination to relieve dysuria, clearing heat to relieve summerheat, clearing liver heat to improve vision, resolving phlegm to relieve cough, and removing dampness to stop diarrhea. Plantago seeds are cold in nature and can clear heat toxins from the body. However, due to their cold nature, they should not be consumed together with warm or hot-natured foods or herbs, to avoid counteracting the medicinal effects or causing gastrointestinal discomfort.

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What are the functions and benefits of Plantago seeds?

Under normal circumstances, plantain seed is a traditional Chinese medicine derived from the dried mature seeds of Plantago asiatica or Plantago depressa of the Plantaginaceae family. It has various functions and effects, primarily including promoting diuresis and relieving stranguria, clearing heat and detoxifying, improving vision and removing eye opacity, alleviating diarrhea and dysentery, and resolving phlegm and relieving cough. However, it should be noted that plantain seed is cold in nature and should be used cautiously in individuals with spleen and stomach deficiency-cold to avoid exacerbating the condition.

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The Efficacy and Functions of Plantain Seed (Plantago asiatica L.) and Its Clinical Applications

Currently, the effects and functions of Plantago seeds include clearing heat and summerheat, promoting diuresis and resolving dampness, broadening the middle jiao and invigorating qi, detoxifying and improving complexion, clearing the liver and improving vision. Its functions and main indications include edema, frequent and urgent urination, diarrhea, cough, redness, swelling and pain of the eyes, etc. Drug use should be conducted under the guidance of a physician. Plantago seeds can alleviate symptoms such as headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain caused by heat-toxin.