Dodder Seed Semen (Tu Si Zi, Cuscutae)

This herb is the ripe seed of Cuscuta chinensis Lam. or C. japonica Choisy., annual parasitic herb of the family Convolvulaceae. It is collected in autumn when the seed is ripen, dried in the sun and used unprepared or boiled after removal of impurities.
Properties: Sweet in flavor, warm in nature, it acts on the liver, kidney and spleen meridians. Being sweet, warm and moist in property, it functions in tonifying both kidney-yang and -yin, nourishing the liver and improving vision.
As a tonic, it is not sticky and often serves to treat syndromes of deficiency of the kidney and hypopsia due to deficiency of both liver-and kidney-yin. In addition, it also functions in warming the spleen and arresting diarrhea, serving to treat chronic diarrhea due to spleen-deficiency.

Effects: Tonifying the kidney, preserving essence, nourishing the liver to improve vision and relieving diarrhea.
Indications:
1. For insufficiency of kidney-qi, debility of the lower-jiao manifested as soreness in the loins and knees, vertigo, tinnitus, spermatorrhea, frequent micturation, impotence and premature ejaculation, it is often used with herbs for tonifying the kidney and preserving essence, such as Cornu Cervi Pantotrichum, Cortex Eucommiae, Ootheca, Fructus Schisandrae, etc.
2. For failure in nourishing eyes and blurred vision due to yin-deficiency of the liver and kidney, it can be used with herbs for nourishing the liver and bettering vision, such as Fructus Lycii, Semeh Plantaginis, Radix Rehmanniae Praeparata, Semen Astragali Complanati, etc.
Besides, this herb is also used to treat kidney-deficiency, induced threatened abortion and chronic diarrhea due to deficiency-cold of both the spleen and kidney.
Dosage and Administration: 1 0-20g.
Modern Researches: The extract of this herb has cardial tonic and hypotensive effects.