Ze Qi

Ze Qi is the whole above-ground herb of Euphorbia helioscopia L. (and in some regional sources E. lunulata; Euphorbiaceae), the sun spurge, a winter annual or biennial herb 10–40 cm tall of cultivated fields, waste places, and roadsides throughout China, Europe, and temperate Asia. The erect, hairless to sparsely hairy stem exudes a copious milky white latex when broken. Cauline leaves are alternate, obovate to spatulate, finely serrate above the middle, 1–3 cm long. The inflorescence is a characteristic five-rayed umbel subtended by a whorl of five broadly obovate leaf-like bracts; each ray bears a tiny cyathium with crescent-shaped yellow-green glands and small unisexual flowers. The fruit is a three-lobed, smooth capsule splitting into three single-seeded mericarps. Whole plants are harvested at flowering, dried in shade, and used in TCM to disperse phlegm, promote urination, and dispel stasis. The latex is irritant and TOXIC, causing dermatitis and severe gastric upset; cautious internal dosing only, contraindicated in pregnancy and deficiency.