Knowledge Base/Herbs/Prostrate Knotweed (Knotgrass)
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利水渗湿药（利尿通淋） · Damp-draining; strangury-relieving

Prostrate Knotweed (Knotgrass) biǎn xù · 萹蓄

Polygoni Avicularis Herba (Polygonum aviculare L.)

Nature and flavour. Bitter, slightly cold; Bladder system.

Classically described as promoting urination and relieving strangury — the traditional term for difficult, painful or dribbling urination — and as clearing damp-heat from the lower burner. It is also recorded for expelling intestinal parasites and for washing itchy skin, which is why the same herb appears in both urinary and skin contexts in the classical texts.

性味归经。苦，微寒；归膀胱经。

传统记载为利尿通淋、清下焦湿热，用于小便不利、淋沥涩痛。古籍亦载其杀虫止痒，可煎汤外洗，故同一味药在古籍中既见于淋证也见于皮肤瘙痒。

Classical category · no formulas, no dosages, no herb-drug combinations are given.
Safety. Slightly cold in nature; classically avoided where there is no damp-heat, and used with care where the digestion is weak and cold. Avoid in pregnancy and breastfeeding — reliable human safety data are lacking. Burning on urination, blood in the urine, or urinary symptoms with fever need medical assessment; they are not always a matter of damp-heat and are not self-managed.

性微寒，传统列为无湿热者不宜，脾胃虚寒者慎用。孕期与哺乳期避免使用 —— 人体安全性数据不充分。排尿灼痛、尿血或伴有发热的泌尿症状应当就医评估，未必都是湿热，也不应自行处理。

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