There's a plant with a rather peculiar name—Goose-Not-Eating Grass. Most people have likely never heard of it. In fact, this herb is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat certain ailments. Some also boil it directly for drinking, which offers certain health benefits. So what exactly is Goose-Not-Eating Grass?What are the effects and functions of Goose-Not-Eating-Grass?
What is Goose-Not-Eating-Grass?
Also known as Stone Coriander, it has a pungent taste and warm nature, entering the lung and liver meridians.It dispels wind-cold, clears nasal passages, relieves coughing, alleviates pain, detoxifies, and reduces swelling. It treats conditions such as nasal congestion, runny nose, common cold headaches, cough with excessive phlegm, wheezing, eye opacities, trauma injuries, rheumatic pain, sinusitis, nasal polyps, and sore throat caused by wind-cold invading the lungs.
Usage of Goosefoot Herb
1. Treating Acute Tonsillitis
【Ingredients】50g–100g fresh goosefoot herb, 50g glutinous rice.
【Method】Wash goosefoot herb and cut into sections. Rinse glutinous rice and soak in a small amount of water for 1–2 hours.Place glutinous rice and fresh Goose-Not-Eating-Grass into a blender to puree and extract juice. Drink the extracted juice directly without boiling, taking small sips slowly. To maintain juice concentration, limit added water. One dose per day.
2. Treating Pediatric Diarrhea
【Ingredients】100g fresh goosefoot.
【Method】Wash and chop the goosefoot. Add one bowl of water to a pot, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer for 15-20 minutes. Strain out the residue and drink the liquid. Take once daily to treat diarrhea caused by malnutrition in children.
3. Treating Cold-Type Cough and Wheezing
【Ingredients】100g fresh goosefoot (or 30g dried), appropriate amount of rice wine.
【Usage】Wash goosefoot, add sufficient water to extract juice. Bring to boil, let cool slightly, then stir in a small cup of rice wine before drinking.Take 1-2 times daily. For dried herb, soak for 30 minutes then boil for 20 minutes to drink the broth. This alleviates cold-induced coughing and wheezing with excessive phlegm that worsens in autumn and winter.First, take 30g of the juice with warm wine. Then, heat the remaining paste in an iron pan and apply externally to the affected area for 20-30 minutes per session. Remove after cooling. Use 2-3 times daily to relieve localized redness, swelling, and pain from injuries. Apply after 24 hours of injury onset.
Effects of Goosefoot
(1) Wind-Cold Common Cold
This herb disperses wind-cold through its pungent, warming, and dispersing properties. However, its potency is relatively mild, making it less commonly selected for typical wind-cold colds. Its primary strength lies in unblocking nasal passages, thus it is mainly used for wind-cold colds presenting with nasal congestion, runny nose, and headache. It can be combined with herbs like Asarum, Angelica dahurica, and Xanthium seeds.
(2) Nasal Congestion
This herb's pungent and warm nature ascends and disperses, entering the lung meridian to open lung orifices and promote nasal breathing. Ancient formulas often employed nasal packing with this herb to treat nasal polyps, sinus congestion, and headaches.Modern clinical practice frequently employs it for rhinitis (including acute rhinitis, chronic simple rhinitis, hypertrophic rhinitis, allergic rhinitis, etc.). Administered intranasally in various formulations, it proves effective when used alone. Alternatively, it may be combined with herbs like Xingyi (Magnoliae Flos), Bai Zhi (Angelica dahurica), and Cang Er Zi (Xanthium seeds) to disperse wind-cold and open nasal passages when taken internally, treating nasal obstruction caused by wind-cold.For wind-heat patterns, combine with Mentha, Scutellaria, or Chrysanthemum indicum. (3) Cold Phlegm Cough and Asthma This herb also resolves phlegm, stops coughing, and alleviates asthma. Its pungent-warm nature makes it suitable for coughs with abundant phlegm, particularly those due to cold phlegm. Combine with Ephedra, Asarum, or Stemona.(4) Boils and Swellings
This herb also detoxifies and reduces swelling, treating boils and abscesses. The Binhu Jianfang Prescriptions recommends pounding it with manchurian pangolin scales and angelica root, adding wine, straining the juice for oral use, and applying the residue to the affected area. The Quanzhou Materia Medica uses fresh crushed herb applied locally to treat swollen pain from snake bites.