The Herb Cabinet 本草

淡竹叶 dàn zhú yè

Lophatherum gracile · lophatherum herb

Cold Sweet · Bland HeartStomachSmall Intestine

“Bamboo-like leaves that cool the way a bamboo grove does — lightly, pleasantly, and mostly by letting the heat drain quietly away downstream.” — Lao Xinglin

What the tradition says

A grass that grows like miniature bamboo, giving leaves that clear heat the gentle way: dan zhu ye eases the thirst and fretful irritability of fevers and, blandly diuretic, guides lingering heat out downward — the tradition's image of heart-fire leaving through the small intestine, felt as dark scanty urine or mouth sores^[1]. In Yin Qiao San it is the quiet assistant keeping a feverish patient comfortable while the chiefs do the arguing.

What the research says

Flavonoids from the leaves show mild anti-inflammatory and antioxidant signals in laboratory work; there is no clinical literature to summarize. In southern China it is simply summer tea — the herbal equivalent of a cool porch.

Where to be careful

Only the cold-and-draining basics: not for the chilly and depleted, and pointless where there's no heat to drain^[1]. Among the gentlest leaves in the cabinet.

In the pharmacy

Long, papery, bamboo-striped leaves, feather-light in the hand — a drawer sold by volume rather than weight, steeped more often than boiled^[1].

Reviewed 2026-08-26