Natural Herb Library

All-Grass Manchurian Wildginger

Chinese
细辛
Pinyin
Xi Xin
Latin
Herba Asari
Botanical illustration of All-Grass Manchurian Wildginger, Asarum heterotropoides var. mandshuricum, showing habit, leaves, flowers, fruit, seed, root, and diagnostic plant details.
Botanical plate by Kodi . View print →

Known in TCM as Xi Xin (细辛), this acrid, warm herb enters the Lung, Kidney, and Heart. Traditionally, it disperses Wind-Cold and relieves pain, most often applied for headache, sinusitis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Modern research has identified Methyleugenol among its active constituents.

Part used: Whole herb

Also Known As

Asari

Latin: Herba Asari | Pinyin: Xi Xin | Chinese: 细辛

TCM Properties

Taste
acrid
Temperature
warm
Channels
Lung, Kidney, Heart

Traditional Use

Primary Actions

  • Disperses Wind-Cold and relieves pain … used for headaches, toothache, facial pain, and rheumatic pain from wind-cold invasion or cold obstructing the channels
  • Opens the nasal orifices … used for nasal congestion, sinus headache, rhinitis, and sinusitis from wind-cold or Lung Qi blockage
  • Warms the Lung and dissolves fluid accumulation … used for cough with watery phlegm, wheezing, and fluid retention in the Lung from cold-fluid obstruction

Secondary Actions

  • Disperses cold and relieves Bi syndrome … addresses cold-type joint pain and arthritis
  • Assists Yang Qi in driving out deep-lodged cold … used in combination formulas for Shao Yin-level cold patterns

Classic Formulas

  • Ma Huang Fu Zi Xi Xin Tang (麻黄附子细辛汤) … Ephedra, Prepared Aconite, and Asarum Decoction; treats Shao Yin cold pattern with both exterior and interior cold; simultaneous exterior release and interior warming
  • Xiao Qing Long Tang (小青龙汤) … Minor Blue-Green Dragon Decoction; treats wind-cold exterior pattern with underlying cold-fluid accumulation causing cough and wheezing

Classical References

  • Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (Divine Farmer's Classic of Materia Medica, c. 200 CE) … listed as upper-class herb; documents actions for wind-cold headache, nasal obstruction, and toothache

Modern Research

Active Compounds

  • Methyleugenol … primary phenylpropanoid in volatile oil; analgesic and local anesthetic activity; also a potential carcinogen under prolonged exposure
  • Safrole … phenylpropanoid in volatile oil; DEA List I chemical (US); potential carcinogen at high doses; largely destroyed by decoction
  • Asarinin … major lignan; potent anti-inflammatory via COX-2 and PAF inhibition
  • Sesamin … lignan isomer of asarinin; anti-inflammatory and antioxidant
  • Alkamides (DDA, N-isobutyl-dodecatetraenamide) … analgesic and anti-inflammatory; inhibit PGE2 and TNF-α
  • Asarones (alpha and beta) … volatile oil constituents with bronchodilatory properties

Studied Effects

  • Analgesic … alkamide-rich extracts significantly reduce acetic acid-induced writhing and increase thermal pain threshold in rodents; DDA shows high oral bioavailability (PMID 35868550)
  • Anti-inflammatory … lignan fraction (asarinin, sesamin) inhibits COX-2 activation, PAF-induced inflammation, and LPS-activated NO production with 27.9–72.6% inhibition at pharmacological doses (PMID 28098805)
  • Nine novel lignans isolated (neoasarinin A-C) alongside 37 known compounds; lignan-rich CHCl3 extract identified as primary active anti-inflammatory fraction (PMID 28098805)

PubMed References

Safety & Interactions

Contraindications

  • Pregnancy … acrid, warm, strongly moving herb; traditional contraindication throughout pregnancy
  • Yin deficiency with heat signs … warm acrid nature worsens heat patterns; contraindicated without cold-type presentation
  • Qi deficiency or sweating disorders … strongly dispersing action depletes Qi and Wei energy

Cautions

  • Dose limit: 1–3 g/day in decoction; 0.5–1 g/day in powder per Chinese Pharmacopoeia … do not exceed
  • Contains safrole (DEA List I chemical, US) in volatile oil … largely destroyed by standard decoction but present in raw powder; avoid prolonged powder use
  • Contains methyleugenol (potential carcinogen at high chronic doses) … decoction form preferred over extended powder or tincture use
  • Contains minute aristolochic acid analogs (0.009–0.042 mg/g, far below toxic threshold) … controlled dose and duration are safe per PMID 34899315
  • Banned or restricted in UK, EU, and other jurisdictions for some preparations … verify local regulations before prescribing
  • MSK page not found … drug interaction data not available from Memorial Sloan Kettering integrative medicine database

Conditions

Frequently Asked Questions

What is All-Grass Manchurian Wildginger used for?

All-Grass Manchurian Wildginger is traditionally used to Disperses Wind-Cold and relieves pain … used for headaches, toothache, facial pain, and rheumatic pain from wind-cold invasion or cold obstructing the channels, Opens the nasal orifices … used for nasal congestion, sinus headache, rhinitis, and sinusitis from wind-cold or Lung Qi blockage, Warms the Lung and dissolves fluid accumulation … used for cough with watery phlegm, wheezing, and fluid retention in the Lung from cold-fluid obstruction. Research has investigated its effects on: Analgesic … alkamide-rich extracts significantly reduce acetic acid-induced writhing and increase thermal pain threshold in rodents; DDA shows high oral bioavailability (PMID 35868550); Anti-inflammatory … lignan fraction (asarinin, sesamin) inhibits COX-2 activation, PAF-induced inflammation, and LPS-activated NO production with 27.9–72.6% inhibition at pharmacological doses (PMID 28098805).

What are other names for All-Grass Manchurian Wildginger?

All-Grass Manchurian Wildginger is also known as Asari. In TCM: 细辛 (Xi Xin); Herba Asari.

Is All-Grass Manchurian Wildginger safe during pregnancy?

All-Grass Manchurian Wildginger is not recommended during pregnancy.

What are the contraindications for All-Grass Manchurian Wildginger?

All-Grass Manchurian Wildginger should not be used in: Pregnancy … acrid, warm, strongly moving herb; traditional contraindication throughout pregnancy; Yin deficiency with heat signs … warm acrid nature worsens heat patterns; contraindicated without cold-type presentation; Qi deficiency or sweating disorders … strongly dispersing action depletes Qi and Wei energy. Consult a qualified practitioner before use.