Xiang Ru (香薷) — Elsholtzia / Aromatic Madder
Xiang Ru is often called the ‘summer Ma Huang’ — a warming, aromatic exterior-releasing Chinese herb used specifically for summer-heat with cold food and drink lodging in the interior. It is the classical treatment for the summer cold and gastroenteritis picture.
On this page
- Overview
- Properties
- Actions and indications
- Dosage
- Cautions and incompatibilities
- Key formulas
- Treatment at my clinic
1. Overview
Xiang Ru (香薷) — Elsholtzia / Aromatic Madder (Elsholtzia splendens) — is a Chinese herb in the Release the Exterior (Summer-Heat with Damp) category. I prescribe it as part of bespoke pharmaceutical-grade granule formulas from Sun Ten in Taiwan at my clinic in Wokingham, Berkshire and via online herbal consultations.
2. Properties
| Pinyin name | Xiang Ru |
|---|---|
| Chinese characters | 香薷 |
| Latin name | Elsholtzia splendens |
| English name | Elsholtzia / Aromatic Madder |
| Nature | Slightly warm |
| Flavour | Acrid |
| Channels entered | Lung, Stomach |
| Category | Release the Exterior (Summer-Heat with Damp) |
3. Actions and indications
Principal actions
- Releases the exterior and dispels Summer-Cold
- Harmonises the Middle and transforms Damp
- Promotes urination
Indications
- Summer-cold from air conditioning or cold drinks
- Summer gastroenteritis with vomiting and diarrhoea
- Body ache with fever in hot weather
- Damp-Cold oedema
4. Dosage
3–9g
5. Cautions and incompatibilities
- Contraindicated in Yin-deficient patterns
- Not for high fever with sore throat (Wind-Heat)
- Reduce in weak patients
6. Key formulas
7. Treatment at my clinic
I prescribe Xiang Ru where its indications and TCM pattern match the patient’s presentation, always as part of a tailored formula. Return to the Chinese herbs directory or the Chinese herbal medicine main page.
