Qian Shi (Euryale Seeds)

Chinese Herb Actions

Chinese Herb Dosage

• What is the typical dosage of Qian Shi?

  9–15 g in decoction (roughly 3–5 qian in the owner’s notes). It is a bland, food-grade seed and is commonly cooked into congee or dessert as well as decocted.

  Source: owner’s Five Branches notes (3–5 qian); standard materia medica ranges. Reference only — not a prescription.

Chinese Herb Contraindications & Cautions

• Are there cautions or contraindications for Qian Shi?

  Qian Shi is regarded as very mild and is generally well tolerated. Because it is astringent and binding, it should be used with care where there is excess, constipation, or difficult urination, and it is not appropriate for damp-heat leukorrhea (yellow discharge) unless combined with heat-clearing, damp-drying herbs.

  Source: owner’s Five Branches notes (“None noted; very mild”); general astringent-herb cautions.

Chinese Herb Toxicity & Overdose

• Low. Qian Shi is a food-grade seed classified as “medicine food homology” in China and has been eaten as food for some 2,000 years; no significant toxicity is reported at normal therapeutic or culinary doses.

  Source: Molecules 2023;28(11):4399 review (Euryale ferox, a Chinese medicine food homology; PMID 37298878, PMC 10254204). No toxicity signal in the reviewed research.

Herb-Drug Interactions

• No well-established clinical herb–drug interactions are documented for Qian Shi. The available research is preclinical and food-focused, and reports no interaction signal. (Absence of documented interactions is not proof of safety — 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 Qian Shi (Euryale ferox)?

  Yes, but it is largely preclinical and food-science oriented. The seeds are rich in polysaccharides, polyphenols, sesquineolignans, tocopherols and triterpenoids, and laboratory studies report antioxidant, hypoglycemic and renal-protective activity. A seed extract showed strong DPPH radical-scavenging (IC50 5.6 µg/mL) and raised superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione-peroxidase activity in cultured cells; other studies report antidiabetic and antihyperlipidemic effects in diabetic rats. Human clinical evidence remains limited.

  Sources: Molecules 2023;28(11):4399 review (PMID 37298878, PMC 10254204); Exp Mol Med 2002;34(2):100-6 antioxidant study (PMID 12085984); antidiabetic/antihyperlipidemic rat study (PMID 26155454). Research context, not a therapeutic claim.

Chinese Herb Notes

• How is Qian Shi different from Lian Zi (lotus seed)?

  Qian Shi and Lian Zi are close relatives that both tonify the Spleen, stop diarrhea, and stabilize the essence — but Qian Shi is the more astringent and binding of the two, while Lian Zi is more tonifying and additionally calms the spirit. Choose Qian Shi when leakage and dampness dominate; choose Lian Zi when there is also Spleen-Heart deficiency with restlessness.

  How it compares with its neighbors:

  • vs Lian Zi — both stabilize essence and stop diarrhea; Qian Shi astringes more strongly and resolves dampness, Lian Zi tonifies more and calms the Shen.
  • vs Shan Yao — Shan Yao is more tonifying and less astringent and also tonifies the Lung; Qian Shi only tonifies the Spleen and Kidney but binds more firmly.

  Common combinations: paired with Jin Ying Zi (the Shui Lu Er Xian Dan pair) to secure essence and treat spermatorrhea; combined with Lian Zi, Lian Xu and other astringents in Jin Suo Gu Jing Wan (Metal Lock Pill) to stabilize the essence; grouped with Sang Piao Xiao and Fu Pen Zi for urinary frequency and incontinence.

  Source: owner’s Five Branches notes (differentiation set & combinations); standard formula references for Jin Suo Gu Jing Wan.