The Hemostatic, Anti-Diarrheal, Anti-Leukorrheal, Labor-Inducing, Anti-Trichomonal and Hemorrhoid-Treating Actions of Jiguanhua (Cockscomb Flower)

Doctor zhou
Jiguanhua (cockscomb flower) is a common amaranth-family plant, found in most parts of China. It resembles white amaranth but is narrower, and bears flowers in three colors—red, white and yellow. The shape of the flower is much like a rooster’s comb, hence the name cockscomb flower; it also has the aliases Jiji Hua, Jijiaoqiang, Jiguan Tou and Jiguzi Hua.
Jiguanhua is one of the commonly used Chinese medicines; TCM uses its dried inflorescence as medicine. Traditional TCM holds that Jiguanhua is sweet and astringent in flavor and cool in nature, entering the Liver and Large Intestine meridians. It has astringent hemostatic, anti-leukorrheal and anti-diarrheal actions.
Modern pharmacological studies have further found that Jiguanhua also has labor-inducing and anti-trichomonal effects. A 10% Jiguanhua injection has a marked mid-term labor-inducing effect on pregnant experimental mice and guinea pigs; a 10–20% Jiguanhua decoction has a good killing effect on human vaginal trichomonas, and a 20% decoction can destroy human vaginal trichomonas within 5–10 minutes.
So Jiguanhua is a very good gynecological medicine and can treat various gynecological diseases such as leukorrhea, metrorrhagia and metrostaxis, and vaginal trichomoniasis. Jixiao Fang records that for incessant menstruation in women, take red cockscomb flower, dry it in the sun, grind into powder, and take on an empty stomach mixed with wine; during medication avoid fish, meat and pork. Incessant uterine bleeding in women is mostly caused by uterine fibroids, dysfunctional uterine bleeding or adenomyosis.
For excessive leukorrhea and sha lin (note: in TCM, sha lin refers to vaginal discharge of tofu-like secretion in women, mostly caused by vaginal trichomoniasis), use equal parts of white cockscomb flower and bitter gourd, stir-fry into charcoal, and take on an empty stomach with wine. The so-called "empty-stomach wine" is explained by some as taking the powder with wine on an empty stomach.
There are many folk folk remedies using cockscomb flower for red and white leukorrhea. For example, Hebei Zhongyiyao records that cockscomb flower and Chungenpi (Ailanthus root bark) 15 g each, decocted in water, treats red and white leukorrhea. There is also a food-therapy recipe of stewing cockscomb flower with longan and red dates together with meat to treat leukorrhea due to female deficiency.
One report treated chronic gynecological inflammation with 10% cockscomb flower injection, once daily, 2 ml each time, intramuscularly for 20–40 doses, treating 60 cases of chronic inflammation of the fallopian tubes, ovaries, uterine body and cervix: 13 cases were completely cured, 39 markedly effective, and 8 improved.
Cockscomb flower can also be used to treat various bleeding disorders. Sheng Hui Fang contains a cockscomb-flower powder for incessant nosebleed: one liang of cockscomb flower and one fen of shexiang (musk), ground together into a fine powder. Take one ge of raw rehmannia juice, stir well, and at any time mix two qian of cockscomb powder and take it frequently until cured. Cockscomb flower can also treat hematochezia and rectal prolapse; in treating hematochezia and rectal prolapse it may be combined with Huaihua (Sophora flower), Cebai Tan (charred biota leaves), Zhizi (Gardenia), Fangfeng (Saposhnikovia), Jingjiesui (Schizonepeta spike) and Chunshupi (tree-of-heaven bark). Shengji Zonglu contains a "Jiguanhua Wan": cockscomb flower and Chungenpi in equal parts, ground into fine powder, made with refined honey into pills the size of a parasol tree seed; take 30 pills (about 9 g) each dose, washed down with a strong decoction of Huangqi (Astragalus), to treat incessant hematochezia of jieyin with pain at irregular times—a disease resembling dysentery and ulcerative colitis. Bencao Gangmu also records a recipe using only white cockscomb flower, soaked and boiled seven times in vinegar, then ground into powder and swallowed, to treat incessant hematemesis.
Cockscomb flower has a good anti-diarrheal effect. In treating dysentery and enteritis diarrhea, cockscomb flower may be used alone or combined with Shiliupi (pomegranate rind), Huangbai (Phellodendron) and Wumei (smoked Prunus mume). In addition, cockscomb flower combined with diuretic Chinese herbs can also treat urinary tract infection; for example, Zhongcaoyaoxue includes a recipe for urinary tract infection: 15 g of cockscomb flower, 15 g of Bianxu (polygonum aviculare), and 30 g of Yazhicao (Commelina), decocted in water and taken.
Cockscomb flower also has a good effect in treating hemorrhoids. Some bencao works consider white cockscomb flower best for hemorrhoids; it may be decocted for external washing or combined with other herbs and taken internally. Sheng Hui Fang has two cockscomb-flower powders: one is the above-mentioned recipe for incessant nosebleed; the other uses one liang of cockscomb flower (baked until fragrant), two liang of Zonglü Tan (charred fan palm petiole) and one liang of Qianghuo (Notopterygium), ground together into a fine powder, stirred into porridge and taken—half a qian each time, three or four times a day—to treat pediatric hemorrhoids. Yuyao Yuan Fang also contains a "Jiguan San" for "five types of hemorrhoid with swelling and pain at the anal margin, or rat-like nipples, or penetrating holes, or sores that do not heal for a long time and become fistulous sores": one liang each of cockscomb flower and Fengyancao, made into coarse powder; each time take half a liang of the herb with one and a half bowls of water, decoct three to five boils, and soak and wash the affected area.
Modern TCM also uses this formula to treat carbuncles, sores and furuncles, because cockscomb flower has the actions of cooling blood and stopping bleeding, and dispersing swelling and relieving pain. Thus cockscomb flower may be used in tumor patients presenting with bleeding and pain. The common oral dose of cockscomb-flower decoction is 9–15 g; for external washing the decoction may use one or two liang, and the dose may be appropriately increased for treating tumors. For external application at a local lesion, cockscomb flower may also be ground into powder and applied externally. When decocting for tumors, the dose may be appropriately increased to about 30 g. Cockscomb flower is of very low toxicity, and no cases of poisoning have been reported; however, because it has a labor-inducing action, pregnant women should be strictly prohibited from using it.

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