TCM Properties
- Taste
- bitter
- Temperature
- cold
- Channels
- Liver, Stomach
Traditional Use
Primary Actions
- Clears heat and relieves toxicity — used for inflammatory infections, toxic heat patterns, carbuncles, and swellings
- Reduces swelling and dissipates masses — used for tumors, nodules, and phlegm-heat accumulations
Secondary Actions
- Cools the blood and stops bleeding — used for heat-induced hemorrhage
- Lowers blood pressure and reduces blood lipids — modern clinical applications for hypertension and hyperlipidemia
Modern Research
Active Compounds
- Luteolin — primary flavonol; potent anti-inflammatory and antitumor
- Apigenin — flavone; anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiproliferative
- Luteolin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside and apigenin-7-O-glucoside — glycoside forms with enhanced bioavailability
- Guaiane-type sesquiterpene lactones (chinensiolides A, B, C) — characteristic bitter constituents; antitumor activity
- Ixerochinolide and lactucin — sesquiterpene lactones with anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties
- β-Sitosterol — phytosterol with cholesterol-lowering and anti-inflammatory effects
Studied Effects
- Antitumor — flavonoids and sesquiterpene lactones demonstrate antiproliferative activity against multiple cancer cell lines in vitro; regulates immune microenvironment (PMID 23705357)
- Anti-inflammatory — luteolin and apigenin suppress NF-κB and pro-inflammatory cytokine pathways
- Cardiovascular — β-sitosterol and flavonoids contribute to cholesterol-lowering and antihypertensive effects in clinical applications
PubMed References
Safety & Interactions
Contraindications
- Spleen-Stomach deficiency-cold — cold bitter nature contraindicated in cold-type digestive weakness
Cautions
- MSK page not found — drug interaction data not available from Memorial Sloan Kettering integrative medicine database