Han Lian Cao (旱莲草) — TCM Eclipta for Yin Deficiency, Bleeding & Hair Loss

At a Glance

• Herb: Han Lian Cao
• Chinese name: 旱莲草 (Hàn Lián Cǎo)
• Latin name: Ecliptae Herba
• Nature: Cold
• Taste: Sweet / Sour
• Meridian: Kidney / Liver
• Category: Herbs that Stop Bleeding
• Introduction: Han Lian Cao (旱莲草, False Daisy) is the dried aerial parts of Eclipta prostrata (L.) L. (formerly E. alba), a small annual weed in the daisy family (Asteraceae) found in moist, disturbed soils throughout tropical and subtropical Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Its name ‘dry lotus grass’ refers to the way its broken stems exude a juice that turns black on exposure to air, resembling ink — this blackening property signals its traditional role in nourishing Kidney Yin and darkening gray hair. Documented in the Tang dynasty Xinxiu Bencao, it occupies a unique position as both a hemostatic that cools Blood and a Yin tonic that nourishes the Liver and Kidney — making it suitable for chronic bleeding in Yin-deficient patients who need simultaneous nourishment. Wedelolactone, ecliptasaponins, and polypeptides demonstrate 5α-reductase inhibition, hepatoprotective, hemostatic, and Yin-nourishing activities in modern studies, supporting its dual classical application.

Action

• Nourishes Liver and Kidney Yin — dizziness, tinnitus, premature graying, weakness from Yin deficiency
• Cools Blood and stops bleeding — hemoptysis, hematuria, uterine bleeding from Yin-deficiency Heat
• Promotes hair growth and darkens hair — alopecia and premature graying from Kidney deficiency
• Clears Deficiency Heat — evening fever, night sweats, five-center heat from Yin deficiency

Clinical Application

• Liver-Kidney Yin deficiency: combined with Nü Zhen Zi in Er Zhi Wan — flagship formula for chronic Yin deficiency
• Chronic uterine bleeding from Yin-deficiency Heat: combined with Nü Zhen Zi and Sheng Di
• Hemoptysis and hematemesis with Yin deficiency: combined with Mai Dong and Bai Ji
• Premature graying and hair loss from Kidney deficiency: combined with He Shou Wu and Sang Shen
• Hepatitis and liver disease: modern evidence for hepatoprotective effect via wedelolactone

Precautions

• Dosage: 6–12 g in decoction; fresh herb 15–30 g
• Cooling and nourishing — use with caution in Spleen-deficient patients with loose stools
• Not suitable for Cold-pattern bleeding — cooling Yin-nourishing nature will worsen Cold conditions
• Generally well tolerated for long-term use in Yin-deficiency constitutions
• Pairs almost universally with Nü Zhen Zi (Er Zhi Wan) — their combined Yin-nourishing + hemostatic profile is one of TCM’s most elegant dual-action combinations

Formula

• Er Zhi Wan (二至丸) — Han Lian Cao + Nü Zhen Zi; Liver-Kidney Yin deficiency with deficiency-Heat bleeding; one of the most important Yin-nourishing patent formulas
• Combined with Sheng Di, Mai Dong, E Jiao for Yin-deficiency uterine bleeding (Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan modifications)
• Combined with He Shou Wu and Sang Shen as hair-darkening tonic formula
• Modern liver formulas incorporate Han Lian Cao for hepatoprotection in chronic hepatitis

Combinations

• Eclipta Herb (旱莲草) + Privet Berry (女贞子) → Er Zhi Wan (二至丸) — nourish liver-kidney yin, cool blood; menopausal syndrome, premature graying
• Eclipta Herb (旱莲草) + Rehmannia Root (生地) + White Peony Root (白芍) → nourish yin and blood, cool blood, stop bleeding from yin deficiency heat
• Eclipta Herb (旱莲草) + Arborvitae Leaf (侧柏叶) + Cirsium Herb (小蓟) → cool blood, stop bleeding, epistaxis and hemoptysis from heat or yin-deficiency heat
• Eclipta Herb (旱莲草) + Mulberry Fruit (桑椹) + Wolfberry (枸杞) → nourish liver-kidney, premature graying and hair loss
• Eclipta Herb (旱莲草) (fresh juice, topical) → stop external bleeding from wounds; unique: only major hemostatic herb that simultaneously nourishes liver-kidney yin; Er Zhi Wan is the foundational yin-nourishing formula in Chinese gynecology

Pharmacological Effects

• Hemostatic
  • wedelolactone + tannins — shorten bleeding and clotting time
  • promote platelet aggregation
  • topical and internal efficacy
• Yin-nourishing and estrogenic
  • ecliptasaponins — bind estrogen receptors ERα and ERβ
  • modulate HPO axis
  • explain use for menopausal symptoms, premature aging, yin deficiency patterns
• Hair growth
  • wedelolactone — stimulates hair follicle dermal papilla cell proliferation
  • promotes melanin synthesis in melanocytes
  • inhibits 5α-reductase
  • used topically for hair growth and prevention of premature graying — ‘乌须发’ action
• Hepatoprotective
  • wedelolactone — inhibits hepatitis B virus DNA replication
  • reduces liver fibrosis
  • anti-hepatotoxic
  • one of the most studied natural hepatoprotectives for HBV
• Anti-inflammatory
  • luteolin, apigenin — COX-2 and 5-LOX inhibition
• antitumor; antimicrobial; antioxidant; immunostimulant; comparison with 女贞子 in Er Zhi Wan: 旱莲草 = colder, stronger cooling-blood hemostatic, more hair-growth; 女贞子 = neutral, stronger liver-kidney yin tonification, vision

Classic Description

• Tang Ben Cao: ‘Governs bloody diarrhea. For acupuncture and moxibustion sores with uncontrollable heavy bleeding, apply it and the bleeding stops immediately. The juice applied to hair and eyebrows causes rapid and dense regrowth.’
• Ben Cao Gang Mu: ‘Darkens hair and beard; supplements kidney yin; stops bleeding.’
• Ben Cao Zheng Yi: ‘Enters the kidney to supplement yin and promote hair growth; it also enters the blood aspect to cool blood heat, stop bloody dysentery, arrest lower bleeding, and applied topically to incised wounds — it is a commonly used medicinal for gynecological blood heat.’
• Ri Hua Zi Ben Cao: ‘Expels pus; stops bleeding; opens the small intestine; applied topically to all types of sores.’