The Herb Cabinet 本草

荆芥 jīng jiè

Schizonepeta tenuifolia · schizonepeta spike

Slightly warm Pungent · Aromatic LungLiver

“A mint-family herb so even-tempered it works both sides of the street — warm formulas and cool ones alike hire it to open the door.” — Lao Xinglin

What the tradition says

Jing jie is the wind-expeller with no strong opinions about temperature: only slightly warm, it releases the exterior in cold formulas and — as in Yin Qiao San — keeps the surface open inside cooling ones, where its mildness keeps it from fighting the chiefs^[1]. Beyond colds, it vents half-erupted rashes and relieves itching (a signature), and, charcoaled (jing jie tan), switches careers entirely to stop bleeding^[1].

What the research says

The spike's essential oils (menthone relatives — it is mint family) show the expected anti-inflammatory and antihistamine-adjacent signals in laboratory models; clinical evidence is absent outside formula studies. Filed as a classical utility player.

Where to be careful

The standard disperser's fence: not for sweating from deficiency or fully erupted rashes^[1]. Otherwise notably gentle — part of why every era's formularies kept it employed.

In the pharmacy

Slender dried flower spikes and stems with a soft minty-camphor nose. Used raw for dispersing, charcoal-fried for bleeding — same plant, opposite jobs^[1].

Reviewed 2026-08-26