Jing Jie (荆芥) — TCM Herb for Wind-Cold, Wind-Heat, Skin Rash & Bleeding

At a Glance

• Herb: Jing Jie
• Chinese name: 荆芥 (Jīng Jiè)
• Latin name: Schizonepetae Herba
• Nature: Slightly Warm
• Taste: Acrid
• Meridian: Lung / Liver
• Category: Herbs that Release the Exterior — Warm, Acrid
• Introduction: 荆芥 (Jīng Jiè, Schizonepeta) is the dried aerial parts — or specifically the flower spikes (荆芥穗, Jing Jie Sui) — of Schizonepeta tenuifolia, an annual aromatic herb in the Lamiaceae family cultivated widely across China. Harvested in summer and autumn when the flower spikes are abundant, the whole herb or isolated spikes are dried in shade to preserve the volatile oil content. The flower spike (穗) is considered more potent for exterior release and wind dispersal.

  In TCM theory, Jing Jie releases the exterior and expels wind, relieves sore throat, and stops bleeding when charred. Unlike most warm-acrid exterior herbs it is remarkably gentle — it can be used for both wind-cold and wind-heat patterns, and it enters the blood aspect, making it valuable for skin diseases and bleeding from wind-heat in the blood. Charred Jing Jie (荆芥炭) is a classical hemostatic for uterine and hemorrhoidal bleeding.

  The Jing-Fang combination (荆防) — Jing Jie paired with Fang Feng — is one of TCM’s most famous herb pairs, forming the backbone of numerous exterior-releasing formulas and serving as the reference combination for treating wind patterns at the wei level.

Action

• Releases the exterior and expels wind (解表祛风): For both wind-cold and wind-heat — mild fever, headache, chills, nasal congestion; more versatile than purely warm exterior herbs.
• Relieves sore throat and benefits the voice (利咽): For wind-heat sore throat, loss of voice, and throat swelling.
• Vents rashes and relieves itching (透疹止痒): For incomplete expression of measles rash; urticaria, eczema, and wind-heat skin diseases.
• Stops bleeding when charred (炭止血): Charred Jing Jie for uterine bleeding, haemorrhoidal bleeding, and epistaxis — enters blood aspect to stop bleeding without leaving stasis.

Clinical Application

• Clinical Application:
• Wind-cold exterior: With Fang Feng, Qiang Huo, Du Huo (Jing Fang Bai Du San)
• Wind-heat exterior and sore throat: With Bo He, Lian Qiao, Niu Bang Zi, Jie Geng (Yin Qiao San)
• Incomplete measles rash: With Niu Bang Zi, Bo He, Chan Tui
• Urticaria and wind-heat skin disease: With Fang Feng, Chan Tui, Di Fu Zi
• Uterine bleeding (charred): With Ce Bai Ye, Ai Ye Tan, Di Yu Tan
• Haemorrhoids with bleeding (charred): With Di Yu, Huai Hua
• Dosage: 3–10g in decoction. Flower spike (穗) for stronger wind dispersal. Do not decoct long — add near end to preserve volatile oils. Charred form (荆芥炭) for hemostatic use only.

Precautions

• Do not use charred and raw forms interchangeably — completely different actions. Avoid prolonged decoction — volatile oils dissipate; add in last 5 minutes. Use cautiously in yin deficiency with hyperactive fire — slightly warm-dispersing nature may injure yin. Not appropriate for fully expressed rashes (promotes outward movement; avoid when rash is already fully out). Pulegone: large doses of volatile oil have hepatotoxic potential — standard therapeutic doses are safe.

Formula

• Yin Qiao San (银翘散): Jin Yin Hua, Lian Qiao, Jing Jie, Dan Dou Chi, Niu Bang Zi, Bo He, Jie Geng, Zhu Ye, Lu Gen, Gan Cao — for wind-heat exterior with sore throat.
• Xiao Feng San (消风散): Jing Jie, Fang Feng, Chan Tui, Ku Shen, Cang Zhu, Mu Tong, Shi Gao, Zhi Mu, Dang Gui, Sheng Di, Hu Ma Ren, Gan Cao — for wind-heat skin disease with itching.
• Jing Fang Bai Du San (荆防败毒散): Jing Jie, Fang Feng, Qiang Huo, Du Huo, Chai Hu, Qian Hu, Zhi Ke, Fu Ling, Jie Geng, Chuan Xiong, Gan Cao — for wind-cold exterior with qi deficiency.

Combinations

• Jing Jie + Fang Feng: The quintessential wind-expelling pair; releases wei level, expels wind from cold or heat patterns. Source: Jing Fang Bai Du San (荆防败毒散).
• Jing Jie + Bo He: Expels wind-heat, relieves sore throat, clears head; for wind-heat exterior with throat symptoms. Source: Yin Qiao San (银翘散).
• Jing Jie + Chan Tui: Vents rashes, expels wind-heat from skin; for urticaria, itching, and incomplete measles. Source: Xiao Feng San (消风散).
• Jing Jie + Niu Bang Zi: Expels wind-heat, relieves throat, vents toxin; for wind-heat with sore throat and early rash. Source: Yin Qiao San.
• Jing Jie Tan + Di Yu: Stops blood from intestines and uterus; for wind-heat bleeding in lower body. Source: Huai Jiao Wan (槐角丸) modifications.

Pharmacological Effects

Classic Description

• Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (《神农本草经》): ‘Governs cold-heat, rat fistula, scrofula sores, breaks bound accumulations of qi, descends stasis blood, and eliminates damp impediment.’
• Ben Cao Gang Mu (《本草纲目》): ‘Disperses wind-heat, clears the head and eyes, benefits the throat, reduces sores and swellings; treats neck stiffness, dark spots in the visual field, sores, yin mounting, hematemesis, nosebleed, and rectal bleeding.’
• Ben Cao Bei Yao (《本草备要》): ‘Schizonepeta Spike: upwardly clears the head and eyes, benefits the throat, opens the sweat pores; charred, stops all bleeding disorders.’