Ou Jie (Node of the Lotus Rhizome)

Chinese Herb Actions

Chinese Herb Dosage

• What is the typical dosage of Ou Jie?

  Standard decoction range is about 9–15 g (some references extend this to ~30 g), with lower amounts of roughly 5–10 g seen where it is one ingredient among several, as in the formula Xiao Ji Yin Zi. It is also traditionally prepared two other ways: as fresh juice (the fresh rhizome node pounded and strained, dosage not standardized in decoction grams) and as Ou Jie Tan, the charred form.

  Processing changes emphasis rather than adding a new action: the fresh juice is traditionally favored for bleeding associated with heat, while the charred form is favored for bleeding associated with deficiency and cold, and is generally considered to have the stronger astringent hemostatic effect of the two.

  Source: TCM materia medica consensus; Sacred Lotus formula data (Xiao Ji Yin Zi, 5–10 g). Reference only — not a prescription.

Chinese Herb Contraindications & Cautions

• Are there cautions for Ou Jie?

  Ou Jie is regarded as a mild, food-adjacent herb — it comes from the edible lotus rhizome — and standard materia medica references do not describe strong contraindications for it specifically. The general caution for stop-bleeding herbs applies: bleeding has many possible causes, and an astringent hemostatic like Ou Jie is chosen to match the pattern (e.g. heat vs. deficiency/cold, with or without stasis); using the wrong herb for the underlying cause is traditionally considered less effective rather than dangerous.

  As with any bleeding symptom, professional evaluation is advisable, since bleeding (hemoptysis, hematemesis, epistaxis, hematuria) can reflect conditions that need direct medical assessment beyond herbal treatment.

  Source: TCM materia medica consensus. Traditional-use framing; not a substitute for medical evaluation of bleeding symptoms.

Chinese Herb Toxicity & Overdose

• Low. Ou Jie is derived from the edible lotus rhizome (a common food plant) and no significant toxicity is reported in materia medica references or the available research at traditional doses.

  Source: TCM materia medica consensus. Reference note, not a safety guarantee.

Herb-Drug Interactions

• No well-established clinical herb–drug interactions are documented for Ou Jie (the lotus rhizome node) specifically. Separately, preclinical research on other parts of the Nelumbo nucifera plant — whole-plant, leaf, and flower extracts, not the rhizome node — has reported antiplatelet and thrombolytic activity (see research below), which is a different material and the opposite pharmacological direction from Ou Jie's traditional hemostatic use. This is background context, not a demonstrated interaction for this substance; practitioner awareness is reasonable for patients on anticoagulant or antiplatelet medication given the shared plant genus. (Flagged for practitioner confirmation.)

Western / Biomedical Research

Chinese Herb Clinical Studies & Research

Provided as research context — a summary of published biomedical study, not a therapeutic or medical claim.

• Is there modern research on Ou Jie (Nodus Rhizomatis Nelumbinis Nuciferae)?

  Yes, but direct research on the rhizome node itself is limited and preclinical. The clearest node-specific study used the charred form to test a modern nanomedicine preparation in an animal model, while other findings come from research on the broader lotus plant.

  • Gastroprotection (charred Ou Jie, preclinical) — "carbon dots" prepared from charred lotus-rhizome-node material (Nelumbinis Rhizomatis Nodus Carbonisata) reduced ulcer severity in a rat model of ethanol-induced gastric ulcers, with effects linked to reduced oxidative stress and inflammation. Rat model only, not clinical evidence, but notable given Ou Jie's traditional Stomach-channel association and its common use in charred form.
  • Phytochemistry (broader plant) — review literature on Nelumbo nucifera describes flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, and triterpenoids across the plant's tissues, with tannins commonly proposed in TCM pharmacology discussions as contributors to astringent, hemostatic-type effects; this is general plant chemistry context, not node-specific proof of mechanism.

  Note: Some preclinical studies report the opposite pharmacological direction — antiplatelet and thrombolytic (clot-dissolving) activity from Nelumbo nucifera whole-plant extracts, and anticoagulant activity from leaf extracts. These use different parts of the plant than the rhizome node used for Ou Jie, so we do not read them as evidence about Ou Jie itself; they are kept here as relevant background on the wider plant, with the discrepancy flagged rather than resolved.

  Overall, node-specific clinical evidence is essentially absent; what exists is small-scale, preclinical, and should be read as context, not proof of efficacy.

  Sources: DOI 10.2217/nnm-2020-0472 (Luo et al., gastroprotective carbon dots from charred lotus-rhizome-node material, rat model, Nanomedicine 2021;16(19):1657–71); PMID 30477094 (flavonoid phytochemistry/pharmacology review, Medicines (Basel) 2018); PMID 31622211 (whole-plant extract thrombolytic/antiplatelet/bleeding-time study, Cardiovascular & Hematologic Agents in Medicinal Chemistry 2019;17(2):115–124). Research context, not a therapeutic claim.

Chinese Herb Notes

• How is Ou Jie related to other Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) herbs like Lian Zi and He Ye?

  Ou Jie is one of several distinct Chinese herbs all derived from different parts of the same lotus plant (Nelumbo nucifera) — despite the shared botanical source, each plant part is processed into its own substance with its own flavor, channels, and action, so they are not interchangeable.

  • He Ye (Lotus Leaf) — bitter, slightly sweet, neutral; Heart/Liver/Spleen. Raises clear yang and clears summerheat; charred, it is also used to stop bleeding and, like Ou Jie, is traditionally described as directing hemostatic effect to the upper body.
  • Lian Zi (Lotus Seed) — sweet, astringent, neutral; Heart/Kidney/Spleen. A tonifying, astringing seed — strengthens the Spleen, binds Kidney essence, and calms the spirit; it does not share Ou Jie's hemostatic role.
  • Lian Zi Xin (Lotus Plumule) — bitter, cold; Heart/Pericardium. Clears Heart heat and calms the spirit.
  • Lian Xu (Lotus Stamen) — sweet, astringent, neutral; Heart/Kidney. Astringes and binds essence.

  Formula context: in the Sacred Lotus formula data, Ou Jie (5–10 g) appears in Xiao Ji Yin Zi (Cephalanoplos Decoction) alongside Xiao Ji, Pu Huang, Sheng Di Huang, Hua Shi, Chuan Mu Tong, Dan Zhu Ye, Zhi Zi, Dang Gui, and Gan Cao — a formula that clears heat, cools the blood, and stops bleeding, traditionally used for heat-type bleeding in the lower burner (e.g. blood in the urine) with damp-heat signs. (Traditional formula context, not treatment advice.)

  Source: Sacred Lotus local Sacred Lotus (herb identity and ingredient links for Xiao Ji Yin Zi); TCM materia medica consensus for the other lotus-derived herbs.