Shi Wei (石韦) — Pyrrosia Leaf | TCM Herb Guide
Key Takeaways
- Nature: Slightly Cold | Taste: Bitter, Sweet
- Category: Herbs that Drain Dampness (Diuretic Herbs)
- Latin: Pyrrosiae Folium
At a Glance
- Herb: Shi Wei
- Chinese name: 石韦 (Shí Wéi)
- Latin name: Pyrrosiae Folium
- Nature: Slightly Cold
- Taste: Bitter / Sweet
- Meridian: Lung / Bladder
- Category: Herbs that Drain Dampness (Diuretic Herbs)
- Introduction: Shi Wei (石韦), Folium Pyrrosiae, is the dried frond of Pyrrosia lingua or related species, a fern that clings to rocks and tree bark in mountain forests. It clears heat, promotes urination for lin syndrome, cools blood to stop bleeding, and clears lung heat to stop cough. One of the principal herbs for urinary stones and blood in the urine. Modern research identifies quercetin and mangiferin with anti-inflammatory, diuretic, and antispasmodic properties that help pass urinary calculi.
Action
- Clears heat and promotes urination
- Dissolves stones and relieves stone lin syndrome
- Cools blood and stops bleeding (hematuria)
- Clears lung heat and stops cough and wheezing
Clinical Application
- Urinary stones with painful hematuria — combines with Jin Qian Cao, Hai Jin Sha, Ji Nei Jin
- Damp-heat lin syndrome: burning, scanty, dark urine — combines with Qu Mai, Bian Xu, Hua Shi
- Blood lin: hematuria with heat — combines with Xiao Ji, Pu Huang, Sheng Di Huang
- Lung heat cough and wheezing with blood-streaked sputum — combines with Huang Qin, Sang Bai Pi
- Chronic urinary tract infection with damp-heat
Precautions
- Dosage: 6–12 g in decoction; up to 30 g for stones
- Contraindicated in cold patterns of the lower jiao or kidney deficiency without heat
- Use cautiously in pregnancy
- Remove the underside hairs from the frond before use — can irritate the throat if not removed
- Generally safe for prolonged use in stone management
Formula
- Shi Wei San (石韦散): Shi Wei, Qu Mai, Hua Shi, Che Qian Zi, Dong Kui Zi — clears damp-heat, promotes urination, dissolves stones
- San Jin Tang (三金汤): Shi Wei, Jin Qian Cao, Ji Nei Jin, Hai Jin Sha — passes stones, promotes urination
- Shi Wei + Xiao Ji + Pu Huang: classical combination for blood lin with hematuria
Combinations
- Pyrrosia Leaf (石韦) + Cluster Mallow Seed (冬葵子) + Dianthus Herb (瞿麦) → clear heat, promote urination; stone lin and urinary gravel
- Pyrrosia Leaf (石韦) + Plantain Seed (车前子) + Akebia Stem (木通) → clear heat, dissolve stones; bloody dysuria (blood lin)
- Pyrrosia Leaf (石韦) + Lysimachia Herb (金钱草) + Japanese Climbing Fern Spore (海金沙) → major stone-dissolving combination; kidney and bladder stones
- Pyrrosia Leaf (石韦) + Mulberry Root Bark (桑白皮) + Scutellaria Root (黄芩) → clear Lung heat, stop cough and wheezing; blood-tinged sputum
- Pyrrosia Leaf (石韦) + Agrimony Herb (仙鹤草) + Field Thistle Herb (小蓟) → cool blood, stop bleeding; hematuria and urinary bleeding
Pharmacological Effects
- Diuretic; antibacterial
- against urinary pathogens
- Antitussive and expectorant; hemostatic; anti-inflammatory; dissolves urinary calculi
- promotes stone passage
- immunomodulatory
Classic Description
- Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (《神农本草经》): ‘Governs heat pathogen from taxation, the five blockages and stranguries, and promotes urination through the waterway.’
- Ben Cao Gang Mu (《本草纲目》): ‘Pyrrosia Leaf promotes urination and opens strangury, clears the Lung and stops cough, cools blood and stops bleeding; treats the five stranguries.’
- Ming Yi Bie Lu (《名医别录》): ‘Stops vexation and descends qi, unblocks Bladder fullness, tonifies the five taxations, calms the five organs, expels evil wind, and benefits essence and qi.’
- Ben Cao Bei Yao (《本草备要》): ‘Clears Lung Metal to nourish the transformation source, unblocks the Bladder and promotes the waterway, stops bleeding and clears heat; treats the five stranguries and uterine bleeding.’