Bupleurum chinense
Encyclopedia
Bupleurum chinense is a plant of the Apiaceae
Apiaceae
The Apiaceae , commonly known as carrot or parsley family, is a group of mostly aromatic plants with hollow stems. The family is large, with more than 3,700 species spread across 434 genera, it is the sixteenth largest family of flowering plants...

 family.

Ethnomedical uses

Bupleurum (Thorowax) is a medicinal root found natively in East Asia. The Chinese name is Chai Hu (柴胡). The leaves of the plant are long and thin and resemble fennel
Fennel
Fennel is a plant species in the genus Foeniculum . It is a member of the family Apiaceae . It is a hardy, perennial, umbelliferous herb, with yellow flowers and feathery leaves...

.
  • Traditionally used to relieve infections with fever, hemorrhoids and indigestion.

  • Also used to treat liver stagnation (Qi
    Qi
    In traditional Chinese culture, qì is an active principle forming part of any living thing. Qi is frequently translated as life energy, lifeforce, or energy flow. Qi is the central underlying principle in traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts...

    ), irritability, and liver disease.


Bupleurum is a primary ingredient an ancient Chinese medicinal formula known as Xiao Chai Hu Tang, first recorded in the Treatise on Cold Induced Febrile Disease (Shang Han Lun) circa 280 AD. The ingredients are:
  • Bupleurum (root)16%
  • Paeonia lactiflora
    Paeonia lactiflora
    Paeonia lactiflora, also Chinese Peony , and common garden peony is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Paeoniaceae, native to central and eastern Asia from eastern Tibet across northern China to eastern Siberia...

     (peony root) 16%
  • Pinellia ternata
    Pinellia ternata
    Pinellia ternata , crow-dipper, is a plant native to China, but also grows as an invasive weed in parts of North America. The leaves are trifoliate, while the flowers are of the spathe and spadix form typical of plants in Araceae.-Characteristics:The plant spreads by rhizomes, and there are also...

     (a rhizome) 14%
  • Zingiber officinale (ginger rhizome) 11%
  • Zizyphus jujuba var. inermis (jujube fruit) 11%
  • Panax ginseng (Asian ginseng root) 8%
  • Scutellaria baicalensis
    Scutellaria baicalensis
    Scutellaria baicalensis is a species of flowering plant in the Lamiaceae family.-Medicinal uses:...

     (Chinese skullcap root) 8%
  • Glycyrrhiza uralensis
    Glycyrrhiza uralensis
    Glycyrrhiza uralensis, also known as Chinese liquorice, is a flowering plant native to Asia, which is used in traditional Chinese medicine.- Medicinal uses :...

     (licorice) 5%


Another example of how Bupleurum is used in Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine is in a formula called Xiao Yao San which was was first seen in the Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Feng (Imperial Grace Formulary of the Tai Ping Era) 1078-85. In this formula traditional practitioners use this combination of herbs with emphasis on Bupleurum to soothe irritability.
  • Bupleurum (root) - Chai Hu - 14%
  • Angelica Sinensis
    Angelica sinensis
    Angelica sinensis, commonly known as "dong quai" or "female ginseng" is a herb from the family Apiaceae, indigenous to China.-Chinese:...

     - Dang Gui - 14%
  • Peonia lactiflora (root) - Bai Shao - 14%
  • Atractylodes Macrocephalae (Rhizome) - Bai Zhu - 14%
  • Poria
    Poria
    -Places:* Poria - Kfar Avoda, formerly Poria, a village in northern Israel* Poria - Neve Oved, a village in northern Israel* Poria Illit, a village in northern Israel-Biology:* Poria , a defunct fungal genus subsumed into Perenniporia...

     (whole herb) - Fu Ling - 14%
  • Glycyrrhiza uralensis
    Glycyrrhiza uralensis
    Glycyrrhiza uralensis, also known as Chinese liquorice, is a flowering plant native to Asia, which is used in traditional Chinese medicine.- Medicinal uses :...

     (root honey-fried) - 8%
  • Herba Mentha (leaf) - Bo He - 8%
  • Zingiber officinale (Fresh rhizome) - Sheng Jiang - 14%


It is possible that Bupleurum, or Xiao Chai Hu Tang may reduce the symptoms of various types of hepatitis
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is a medical condition defined by the inflammation of the liver and characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from the Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation"...

 and HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...

though it may also increase the risk of liver damage .

This formula should not be taken without a prescription from a licensed practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine and should not be taken for prolonged periods of time and could cause headache, dizziness and bleeding of the gums. Chaihu might slightly reduce white blood count.
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