Bupleurum, Chai Hu, 柴胡

Hare’s Ear, Chinese Thoroughwax
Chai Hu (TCM)
Bod skyes zi ra ser po  བོད་སྐྱེས་ཟི་ར་སེར་པོ་ (B. falcatum, Tibetan Medicine)
Picture B. falcatum
Illustration by James Sowerby (Wikimedia)

Picture Bupleurum scorzonerifolium
(Photo by Лобачев Владимир) (Wikimedia)

 Picture Buleurum aureum
(Photo by Convallaria majalis) (Wikimedia)
Picture Cut Bupleurum Chai Hu (Adam 2023)

Botanical name:


Bupleurum spp.
A number of species supply the market:
  1. B. chinense (Chai Hu)
  2. B. scorzonerifolium (Hong Chai Hu)
  3. B. angustissimum (Xian Ye Chai Hu)
  4. B. aureum (Jin Huang Chai Hu)
  5. B. falcatum (in Tibet, Japan and Korea)
  6. B. smithii (Hei Chai Hu)
  7. B. longiradiatum (Da Ye Chai Hu)
  8. B. marginatum (Zhu Ye Chai Hu)
  9. B. chaishoui (Chai Shou)
  10. B. wenchuanense (Wen Chuan Chai Hu)
  11. B. sibiricum (Xing An Chai Hu)
  12. B. yinchowense (Yin Zhou Chai Hu)
The European Thoroughwax B. rotundifolium was known, but rarely used in Europe.

Parts used:


Root is the official drug; the herb (above-ground parts) are used similarly, and the whole herb with root, collected in Spring, is also used.

Temperature & Taste:


Cool, dry. Bitter, pungent

Classifications:


A. Clear Exterior Wind-Heat

Uses:


1. Clears Wind-Heat, Reduces Fever, Clears Toxin:
-‘Lesser Yang’ disorders in TCM: chills and fever, bitter taste, flank pain, irritability
-Wind-Heat attack with Fever; Malarial Fevers
-adjunct herb for Deficient Heat
-Boils, Carbuncles, Furuncles
-heat conditions of the Eyes or Ears; Blurry vision, acute Deafness or Tinnitus
-Influenza, epidemic heat diseases, whole body pain from heat (Tibetan Medicine)
-‘ante- and post-partum Fever’ (Zhang Yuan Su)

2. Moves Liver Qi, Opens Obstructions:
-Emotional instability
-Menstrual disorders with Qi stagnation
-Chest and Flank distention; Hypochondriac distention
-Dizziness, Vertigo
-imbalance between Liver and Spleen: abdominal fullness and bloating, flank pain, nausea, indigestion
-‘pain in the back and shoulders due to invasion of pathogenic Heat’. (Zhen Quan)
-‘Long-term taking of the drug makes the person happy’ (Shen Nong Ben Cao)

3. Raises Yang Qi:
-dragging feeling in the lower abdomen
-Prolapses of the Uterus or Anus from sinking Qi
-raises the ‘clear Yang’ to the head


Dose:


Powder: 1–3 grams
Decoction: 3–9 grams

Preparation:


1. Dry-fried root: root is stir-fried until browned. This is less cooling, but better to raise Yang Qi.
2. Vinegar Stir-fried root: the root is sprinkled with Vinegar, then dry fried until dry. This leads the activity to the Liver, opens obstructions and stops Pain.

Comment:


1. Despite Bupleurum Chai Hu being given several important functions in modern TCM, its primary indication both in the Shang Han Lun and by later writers such as Su Song was for Chills and Fever: ‘Later doctors all take Bupleurum Chai Hu as a very important drug for the treatment of diseases with chills and fever’.
2. The European ThoroughWax (B. rotunifolium) was known as a medicine in Europe, but was rarely used. Its principle use was for Hernia, as well as Bruises, Wounds and chronic Ulcers. As can be seen from the illustration at the top of the page, both B. rotundifolium and B. falcatum are native to Europe, the latter being used in some areas for Bupleurum Chai Hu in TCM.

Substitute:


1. Similar to Forsythia Lian Qiao. (Wang Haogu)
2. Cyperus Xiang Fu (to move Liver Qi).

Main Combinations:


Fever, Infection
1. Wind-Cold Cold or Flu:
i. Bupleurum Chai Hu with Schizonepeta Jing Jie, Saposhnikovia Fang Feng, Angelica Du Huo
ii, Bupleurum Chai Hu with Scutellaria Huang Qin, Cinnamon twig (Gui Zhi), Ginger
2. Lesser Yang disorders with Chills and Fever, fullness in the chest and hyponchondria; and acute Phlegm-Heat disorders, Bupleurum Chai Hu with Scutellaria Huang Qin, Pinella Ban Xia.
3. Chills and fever in cases of febrile diseases caused by Cold, with fullness in the epigastrium and restlessness, Bupleurum Chai Hu with Poria Fu Ling, Platycodon Jie Geng, Rhubarb (Da Huang), Gypsum (Shi Gao), Cannabis seed (Ma Ren), Licorice, Cinnamon. (Xu Zhi Cai)
4. Alternating Fever and Chills, Bupleurum Chai Hu with Scutellaria Huang Qin
5. Malarial disorders, Bupleurum Chai Hu with Chinese Pulsatilla Bai Tou Weng, Scutellaria Huang Qin, Areca Bing Lang (Betel nut)
6. Chronic Malarial disorder, Bupleurum Chai Hu, Soft-shelled Turtle Shell (Bie Jia) with Wingless Cockroach (Tu Bie Chong)
7. Deficient Heat, Bupleurum Chai Hu with Lycium Di Gu Pi
8. Fever of Consumption, Bupleurum Chai Hu with Lycium Cortex Di Gu Pi, Ophiopogon Mai Men Dong (as in Di Gu Pi San from Sheng Ji Zong Lu [Complete Record of Holy Benevolence])

Qi Stagnation
9. Pain and distention of the hypochondria, Bupleurum Chai Hu with Curcuma Yu Jin
10. Constrained Q, Liver Qi Stagnationi:
i. Liver Qi obstruction, with Vertigo, Dizziness, Menstrual irregularity, Emotional disharmony, Bupleurum Chai Hu with Paeonia Bai Shao
ii. Bupleurum Chai Hu with Gardenia Zhi Zi with and Cyperus rotundus Xiang Fu
iii. Bupleurum Chai Hu with Mint (Bo He), Paeonia Bai Shao (TCM)
11. Breast Lumps, Nodes, Hyperplasia, Bupleurum Chai Hu with Spatholobus Ji Xue Teng, Cyperus rotundus Xiang Fu (vinegar-prepared), Laminaria Kun Bu
12. Hard Lumps and Masses, Bupleurum Chai Hu with Zedoary (E Zhu), Sparganium San Leng, Croton (Ba Dou) (from Wang Hao Gu)
13. Emotional disharmony, Depression, Bupleurum Chai Hu with Peppermint and Paeonia Bai Shao
14. Menstrual irregularities, Bupleurum Chai Hu with Dang Gui, Paeonia Bai Shao, Ligusticum Chuan Xiong

Diseases of the Head
15. Headache from Trauma or Wind-Cold, Bupleurum Chai Hu with Asarum Xi Xin. (TCM)
16. Blurry vision, Bupleurum Chai Hu with Cassia seed (Jue Ming Zi)
17. Tinnitus, Bupleurum Chai Hu with Ligusticum Chuan Xiong and Cyperus rotundus (Xiang Fu)

Other
18. Liver heat, Bupleurum Chai Hu with Gentiana Long Dan Cao and Gardenia Zhi Zi.
19. To raise the Clear Yang, Bupleurum Chai Hu with Astragalus Huang Qi
20. Prolapse of the Rectum or Uterus, Bupleurum Chai Hu with Cimicifuga Sheng Ma and Astragalus Huang Qi

Major Formulas:


Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang
Chai Hu Gui Zhi Tang
Chai Hu Gui Zhi Gan Jiang Tang
Chai Hu Qing Gan Tang
Chai Hu Shu Gan San
Chai Hu Jia Long Gu Mu Li Tang
Da Chai Hu Tang
Dan Zhi Xiao Yan San (Jia Wei Xiao Yao San)
Hei Xiao Yao San
Long Dan Xie Gan Tang
Ming Mu Di Huang Wan
Si Ni San
Si Wu Xiao Feng Yin
Xiao Chai Hu Tang
Xiao Yao San
Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang

Cautions:


1. Not used in Yin deficiency
2. Not used in rising Liver Yang
3. ‘If there is no fever, do not add this drug’. (Li Gao)

Main Preparations used:



  • Extra Info
  • Research
GENERAL / REVIEW
–Radix Bupleuri: A Review of Traditional Uses, Botany, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, and Toxicology.
–Botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, analytical methods, processing, pharmacology and pharmacokinetics of Bupleuri Radix: A systematic review.

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY:
–Inhibition of inflammatory injure by polysaccharides from Bupleurum chinense through antagonizing P-selectin.

ANTI-ALLERGY:
–Bupleurum chinense extract ameliorates an OVA-induced murine allergic asthma through the reduction of the Th2 and Th17 cytokines production by inactivation of NFκB pathway

ANTI-OXIDANT:
–Radical scavenging activity of sulfated Bupleurum chinense polysaccharides and their effects against oxidative stress-induced senescence.
–Antioxidant and cytotoxic lignans from the roots of Bupleurum chinense.
–Antioxidant, anticancer and apoptotic effects of the Bupleurum chinense root extract in HO-8910 ovarian cancer cells.
–Antioxidant activity and hepatoprotective effect of a polysaccharide from Bei Chaihu (Bupleurum chinense DC).

IMMUNOSTIMULATORY:
–Polysaccharides extracted from the roots of Bupleurum chinense DC modulates macrophage functions.
–Polysaccharides from Bupleurum Induce Immune Reversal in Late Sepsis
–Anti-tumor and immunomodulatory activities induced by an alkali-extracted polysaccharide BCAP-1 from Bupleurum chinense via NF-κB signaling pathway.

HEPATOPROTECTIVE:
–Antioxidant activity and hepatoprotective effect of a polysaccharide from Bei Chaihu (Bupleurum chinense DC).
 NEUROPROTECTIVE:
–Neuroprotective oleanane triterpenes from the roots of Bupleurum chinense.

PULMO-PROTECTIVE:
–Bupleurum chinense DC polysaccharides attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury in mice.

CYTOTOXIC:
–Antioxidant and cytotoxic lignans from the roots of Bupleurum chinense.
–Cytotoxic triterpenoid glycosides (saikosaponins) from the roots of Bupleurum chinense.

ANTI-TUMOR:
–Anti-tumor and immunomodulatory activities induced by an alkali-extracted polysaccharide BCAP-1 from Bupleurum chinense via NF-κB signaling pathway.

ANTI-CANCER:
MELANOMA
–Bupleurum chinense polysaccharide inhibit adhesion of human melanoma cells via blocking β1 integrin function.
–Anti-melanoma activity of Bupleurum chinense, Bupleurum kaoi and nanoparticle formulation of their major bioactive compound saikosaponin-d.
OVARIAN:
–Antioxidant, anticancer and apoptotic effects of the Bupleurum chinense root extract in HO-8910 ovarian cancer cells.

AUTOPHAGIC:
–Autophagic effects of Chaihu (dried roots of Bupleurum Chinense DC or Bupleurum scorzoneraefolium WILD).