He Ye (荷叶) — TCM Lotus Leaf for Summer Heat, Bleeding, Lipids & Spleen Yang

At a Glance

• Herb: He Ye
• Chinese name: 荷叶 (Hé Yè)
• Latin name: Nelumbinis Folium
• Nature: Neutral
• Taste: Bitter / Astringent
• Meridian: Liver / Spleen / Stomach
• Category: Herbs that Stop Bleeding
• Introduction: He Ye (荷叶) is the dried leaf of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. (sacred lotus), the same aquatic plant that yields He Zi (lotus seed), Ou Jie (lotus node), and Lian Xin (lotus plumule). Documented in the Shennong Bencao Jing, the lotus leaf is classified as a hemostatic that also resolves Summer Heat and raises Spleen Yang — a unique combination that makes it essential in formulas for Summer-Heat diarrhea with bleeding, and as a vehicle herb for ascending clear Yang in Spleen deficiency. Nuciferine, neferine, and quercetin derivatives demonstrate lipid-lowering, anti-obesity, hemostatic, and antioxidant activities; modern research confirms significant reduction in total cholesterol and triglycerides with regular He Ye consumption, supporting its growing use in metabolic syndrome management. The charred form (荷叶炭) is more hemostatic, while the raw dried form is more cooling and Summer-Heat resolving.

Action

• Clears Summer Heat and resolves Damp — fever, thirst, diarrhea from Summer-Heat exposure
• Raises Spleen Yang — used as a lifting vehicle herb in formulas for Spleen-Qi sinking
• Cools Blood and stops bleeding — hemoptysis, bloody stool, uterine bleeding from Blood Heat
• Reduces lipids and assists weight management — modern use for hyperlipidemia and obesity

Clinical Application

• Summer-Heat with diarrhea, thirst, and fever: combined with Bian Dou, Hua Shi in summer formulas
• Hemoptysis and bloody stool from Blood Heat: charred He Ye in Shi Hui San
• Spleen deficiency with clear Yang failing to rise (diarrhea, fatigue, prolapse): He Ye as ascending vehicle
• Hyperlipidemia and metabolic syndrome: modern regular-dose tea preparation
• Spleen-damp obesity: combined with Ze Xie, Shan Zha in modern weight management formulas

Precautions

• Dosage: 3–10 g dried in decoction; up to 15–30 g fresh; tea preparation 10–15 g
• Charred form (荷叶炭) for hemostasis; raw form for Summer-Heat and lipid-lowering
• Use with caution in Cold-deficiency patterns — cooling nature may weaken Spleen-Yang further
• Generally safe for regular consumption as tea; food-medicine status makes it suitable for daily use
• May lower blood pressure — monitor in patients on antihypertensives at high doses

Formula

• Shi Hui San (十灰散) — He Ye charred among ten hemostatic herbs; Blood-Heat bleeding
• Qing Luo Yin (清络饮) — He Ye + Si Gua Luo + Dong Gua Ren + others; Summer-Heat in the Lung channel
• He Ye used as wrapping medium in classical cooking — He Ye Fan (荷叶饭) therapeutic diet
• Modern He Ye tea formulas: He Ye + Shan Zha + Ze Xie for hyperlipidemia and weight management

Combinations

• Lotus Leaf (荷叶) + Japanese Thistle (大蓟) + Cirsium Herb (小蓟) + Arborvitae Leaf (侧柏叶) → Shi Hui San (十灰散) — cool blood, stop all heat-type bleeding
• Lotus Leaf (荷叶) + Job’s Tears Seed (薏苡仁) + Winter Melon Peel (冬瓜皮) + Water Plantain Rhizome (泽泻) → lower lipids, reduce weight, damp-phlegm obesity
• Lotus Leaf (荷叶) + Cimicifuga Rhizome (升麻) + Kudzu Root (葛根) → raise clear yang, stop spleen-deficiency diarrhea and prolapse
• charred Lotus Leaf (荷叶炭) + charred Palm Fiber (棕榈炭) → hemostatic pair for uterine bleeding and metrorrhagia
• Lotus Leaf (荷叶) + Water Plantain Rhizome (泽泻) + Hawthorn Berry (山楂) → lipid-lowering formula, metabolic syndrome and hyperlipidemia; fresh Lotus Leaf (鲜荷叶) stronger cooling and hemostatic; charred Lotus Leaf (荷叶炭) strongest hemostatic; nuciferine is the primary lipid-lowering and anti-obesity alkaloid

Pharmacological Effects

• Hemostatic
  • tannins + flavonoids — shorten bleeding and clotting time, promote platelet aggregation
  • charred form 荷叶炭 strongest hemostatic via enhanced tannin exposure
• Lipid-lowering
  • nuciferine — inhibits cholesterol and fat absorption in intestine
  • activates AMPK to reduce hepatic lipogenesis
  • reduces total cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides
  • clinical studies confirm efficacy in hyperlipidemia and metabolic syndrome
• Anti-obesity
  • nuciferine — inhibits adipocyte differentiation, promotes lipolysis, reduces appetite via dopamine D2 receptor modulation
  • widely used in TCM weight management formulas
• Antioxidant
  • flavonoids, chlorogenic acid — high DPPH scavenging
  • protects LDL from oxidation
• Anti-inflammatory
  • quercetin, kaempferol — COX-2, NF-κB inhibition
• Vasodilatory
  • nuciferine — mild antihypertensive
• Clear-yang-raising
  • mild diaphoretic and lifting property — raises spleen yang to head
  • used for summer heat headache and prolapse
• Anti-diarrheal
  • tannins + yang-raising property
• antitumor; antimicrobial

Classic Description

• Ben Cao Gang Mu: ‘Generates and raises primordial qi; assists and supplements the spleen and stomach; astringes essence and turbid discharge; disperses blood stasis; mildly drains dampness; stops vomiting of blood and nosebleed.’
• Shi Wu Ben Cao: ‘Lotus Leaf… disperses wind, clears summerheat, raises yang, transforms phlegm, stops bleeding, secures essence, clears the head and eyes, benefits the throat, and clears the stomach and intestines.’
• Dian Nan Ben Cao: ‘Clears wind-heat from the head and eyes above; stops dizziness; clears phlegm; drains qi; stops vomiting; relieves headache with oppressive pain.’
• Ben Cao Tong Xuan: ‘Opens the appetite and aids digestion; stops bleeding and secures essence.’