What it is:
This herb is the ripe seed of Lepidium apetalum Willd., or Descurainia sophia (L.) webb ex Prantl. (family Cruciferae). The former, called northern lepidium seed, is mostly produced in the provinces of Hebei and Liaoning; the latter, called southern lepidium seed, is mostly produced in Jiangsu and Shandong pro- vinces. The seeds are dried in sun- light after collec- tion, used unpre- pared or stir-baked slightly.

Property:
Pungent and bitter in flavour, very cold in property, acting on the lung and urin- ary bladder channels.

Effects:
Removing heat from the lung, relieving asthma and promoting diuresis to reduce edema.

Used for:
1.Phlegm accumula- tion and retention manifested as full- ness in the chest, cough with dyspnea and profuse sputum, inability to lie flat due to dyspnea, generalized edema. It is commonly used with Chinese-dates, known as Decoction of Lepidium Seed and Chinese- dates for Removing Phlegm from the Lung (Tingli Dazao Xiefei Tang).

2. Pleural effusion , ascites, scanty urination, etc. For water retention in the intestines shown as fullness in the abdomen, dry mouth and tongue, it is usually used with tetrandra root, pricklyash seed and rhubarb rhizome, known as Pill of Tetrandra, Prick- lyash Seed, Lepi- sium and Rhubarb (Ji Jiao Li Huang Wan). For pleural effusion with con- stipation and oli- guria, it is often used with bitter apricot kernel and rhubarb rhizome, as in Major Bolus for Removing Phlegm-heat from Chest (Da Xian xiong Wan).

Dosage and administration: 3- 10g, decocted in water for an oral dose.