Catclaw Buttercup Root

Traditional Use

Primary Actions

• Transforms Phlegm and dissipates nodules - Mao Zhua Cao is best known for softening and dispersing chronic Phlegm-type lumps such as scrofula, swollen lymph nodes, breast lumps, and thyroid nodules, especially in the neck and upper-body pathways of the Liver and Lung channels.
• Resolves toxicity and reduces swelling - it is traditionally used for abscesses, boils, and toxic swellings when constrained Phlegm and toxin combine into painful localized masses.
• Disperses accumulations and chronic concretions - beyond superficial swellings, it is applied to deeper longstanding masses and tumor-like lesions in folk and regional oncology-oriented practice, usually as part of a larger phlegm-resolving and toxin-clearing strategy.
• Supports treatment of scrofula and tuberculosis-type nodular disease - older regional usage emphasizes its role when hard neck lumps, chronic glandular swelling, and lingering toxic-phlegm obstruction are the dominant presentation.

Secondary Actions

• Mao Zhua Cao is a comparatively late-entering Chinese medicinal rather than one of the great early classics, but it became important in regional practice because of its strong affinity for stubborn nodules.
• The herb's name comes from its clustered spindle-shaped tubers, which resemble a cat's paw; this distinctive morphology is also important for correct identification and avoiding substitution with related Ranunculus species.

Classic Formulas

• Mao Zhua Cao with Xia Ku Cao (猫爪草配夏枯草) - classic modern pairing for thyroid nodules, scrofula, and hot-phlegm masses, combining warm phlegm-dissolving movement with cold softening of hardness.
• Mao Zhua Cao with Jiang Can (猫爪草配僵蚕) - nodular-mass pairing that strengthens Phlegm transformation and collateral penetration for chronic neck lumps and glandular swellings.
• High-dose single-herb Mao Zhua Cao decoction with rice wine - regional clinical protocol used historically for scrofula and chronic cervical nodules under close supervision.

Classical References

• Me and Qi describes Mao Zhao Cao / Mao Zhua Cao as warm, sweet, and acrid, entering the Liver and Lung channels and chiefly transforming Phlegm, dissipating nodules, resolving toxicity, and reducing swelling.
• The herb does not appear as a major named entry in the oldest materia medica canons; later regional handbooks instead emphasize its practical use for neck scrofula and nodular disease.
• IDENTITY NOTE: the pinyin appears as both Mao Zhua Cao and Mao Zhao Cao in modern sources; this record keeps the more literal claw-based reading while preserving the same herb identity.