What is Qu Mai?

Qu Mai is a dried herb used in Chinese medicine, mostly for hot, painful urine that is hard to pass. It is the dried top part of the fringed pink plant (Dianthus superbus or Dianthus chinensis).

Qu Mai is one herb, not a formula. In practice, it is nearly always mixed with other herbs.

Old texts call Qu Mai bitter and cold. Herb experts use it to "drain damp-heat" from the bladder and to "move blood". In plain words, they reach for it for burning urine and for late or missing periods.

Here is the honest verdict on the evidence. Qu Mai has a long, well-recorded place in Chinese medicine. But almost none of it has been tested in people.

A long history of use is not proof that a herb works. Standing in a tradition and proof of effect are two different things. Nothing on this page is a promise of any result.

How does Qu Mai work?

No one has shown how Qu Mai works in the body. What follows are ideas, not settled facts.

Lab and animal studies hint at two effects. The plant may raise how much urine you pass. It may also slow the growth of some germs in a dish.

Would either effect happen from a cup of tea? At the amounts a person drinks, no one knows.

The old account is a different kind of thing. Chinese medicine says Qu Mai clears "damp-heat" from the bladder and unblocks stuck blood. Those words describe a tradition, not the chemistry.

What forms does Qu Mai come in?

Most often, Qu Mai is sold as the cut, dried herb. You simmer it into a decoction, which is a strong boiled tea.

Common forms: - Loose dried tops, simmered in water as your herb expert tells you - Granules or extract powder, stirred into hot water - One herb inside old set formulas, such as Ba Zheng San, sold as pills or granules

Western shops rarely sell it as a capsule on its own. There is also no set extract strength you can count on.

Where it comes from:

Qu Mai is a very old herb. It shows up in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing, the first great Chinese herb book, written about the first to second century CE. It has stayed in use ever since.

It is best known as part of Ba Zheng San ("Eight Herb Powder for Rectification"). That formula for painful urine comes from the Song dynasty book Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang.

Its use spread to Japanese Kampo and to Korean practice. But its home tradition is Chinese.

What does Qu Mai help with?

• Painful or burning urine (traditional use): This is the main reason Qu Mai is given, and the old record is strongest here. Chinese texts call it a first-choice herb for "lin" patterns. That means hot, scanty, painful urine. We could find no published human trials of Qu Mai on its own for urine symptoms. Burning urine can mean a urine infection, which may need antibiotics. So this is not a symptom to treat yourself for long.
• Stones and gravel in the urine (traditional use): Old practice puts Qu Mai in stone formulas. The thinking is that it raises urine flow and helps wash the grit out. Human evidence for this is missing. A kidney stone can block the flow of urine, and that is an emergency. Bad pain in one side of the back, with fever or being sick, needs a doctor, not a tea.
• Blood in the urine (traditional use): Old sources list Qu Mai for blood you can see in the urine, when it comes with burning. No human trials back this up. Blood in the urine always needs a doctor to check it. It can point to an infection, to stones, or to something worse.
• Missing or late periods (traditional use): Chinese medicine says Qu Mai "invigorates blood". Some formulas use it for periods that have stopped or grown irregular. That same trait is why the herb is banned in pregnancy. No human trial shows that it brings periods back.
• Swelling from held-in fluid (traditional use): Qu Mai is thought to raise how much urine you pass. For that reason, old formulas use it for puffiness and swelling. Animal work backs a diuretic (urine-raising) effect. Human work does not exist. New or worse swelling in the legs or face can be a sign of heart, kidney or liver trouble. Get it checked.

Which foods are rich in Qu Mai?

Qu Mai is a medicinal herb, not a food. It is not present in any normal diet.

What are the side effects of Qu Mai?

• Needing to pass urine much more often
• Nausea or stomach upset
• Loose stools or diarrhoea
• Loss of appetite
• Dehydration and dizziness if you do not drink enough fluid
• Allergic skin rash (uncommon)
• Heavier or earlier menstrual bleeding

Good to know:

Most reported problems are mild and stop when you stop the herb.

The real risks are not a long list of side effects but two specific ones: harm in pregnancy, and the chance that increased urination pushes out too much fluid and salt in someone who is frail, elderly or already on water pills.

Safety data is thin. Qu Mai has not been through formal safety testing in people, so unexpected reactions cannot be ruled out.

How much Qu Mai should you take?

• Recommended daily: No dose has been set by clinical research. The numbers below come from old practice only. Chinese herb books and pharmacopoeia texts give about 9 to 15 grams of the dried herb a day. You simmer it into a tea. Most often, that day's amount is split into two doses. Granules and set formulas vary a lot in strength. Follow the label, or ask a trained herb expert. Do not work the dose out from raw-herb grams yourself.
• Best time of day: Most people take it in two doses, one in the morning and one in the early evening. Skip a dose close to bedtime. The herb is used because it makes you pass more urine.
• With or without food: Most people take it between meals, on a fairly empty stomach. If it upsets your stomach, take it with food instead. Drink plenty of water while you use it.
• Time to effect: Old use is for fast relief of sudden symptoms, within a day or two. No trial data backs up any time to effect.
• How long to take it: Use it short term only. Old practice uses Qu Mai for a sudden problem, over days or a week or two. It is not a daily supplement. See a doctor if urine symptoms have not clearly eased in 2 to 3 days. Stop the herb at that point. A urine infection left alone can spread up to the kidneys.