Psoriasis, vaginal itching treated with TCM Kochia Scoparia

What's Kochia Scoparia (Di Fu Zi)? Kochia has a number of different common names, such as Belvedere, Mexican fireweed, Broom Cyprus, Mock cypress, and Summer Cypress. In TCM it means Kochia scoparia (L.) Schrad, a grass in Chenopodiaceae or Goosefoot Family. And its main medicinal part is the dried ripe fruits, which are usually harvested in autumn when they are ripe. Before the uses, fruits need to be dried in the sun and the impurities removed. In China, this plant, wild or cultivated, distributes mainly in Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Gansu and other places.

Its plant is one of annual bushes, about 50 to 150cm in height. Stems are erect, branched, green or red in autumn, and with young branches with white pubescence. Leaves are alternate, sessile, narrowly lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 1 to 7cm, 1 to 7mm wide, with acuminate apex, cuneate base, entire margin, green glabrous top surface, pale green lower surface with or without pubescence. Small yellow-green flowers, one or several, are axillary and form into spikes. Utricle is oblate, with persistent perianth on base and 1 black oblate seed. It blooms from July to September and fruits from August to October.

Main chemical constituents are triterpenoid saponins, 15% Kochia scoparia oil, and vitamin A. Green parts contain alkaloids. Fruits contains oleanolic acid, 3-O-[β-D-xylopyranosyl(1→3)β-D-glucuronopy- ranoxyl]-oleanolic acid, 3-O-[β-D-xylopyranosyl(1→3)β-D-methylglucuronopyranoxylate]oleanolic acid, 3-O-[β-D-xylopyranosyl(1→3)β-D-glucuronopyranosyl] oleanolic acid－28－O-β-D－glucopyranoside, n-triacontanol, saturated fatty acid mixtures, flavonoids, and volatile oil.

Kochia scoparia medicinal uses
As mentioned, Kochia is commonly used for some minor ailments in many Chinese folk recipes due to it’s economic and easy to get. As a matter of fact, it is able to give even more health benefits, which have been verified by modern pharmacology.

Modern pharmacological actions
1. Antifungal effect. Kochia water extract, in the ratio of 1:3, in vitro has varying degrees of inhibition to a variety of dermatophytes such as Trichophyton schoenleinii, nocardia asteroids, and so on.

2. Diuretic effect. Rabbits received Kochia decoction (2 g/kg) by intragastric administration showed that chloride in the urine increased by 127.1% to 131.6% within 6 hours, but the total amount of urine remained unchanged. And it was reported that this herb affected both urine volume and urinary sodium excretion in rats.