Use with caution. Review interactions and contraindications below.
TCM Properties
- Taste
- bitter
- Temperature
- cold
- Channels
- Heart, Lung, Large Intestine, Urinary Bladder
Traditional Use
Primary Actions
- Clears heat and relieves toxicity — used for acute respiratory infections (pharyngitis, tonsillitis, pneumonia), febrile diseases, dysentery, and inflammatory heat toxicity patterns
- Cools the blood and reduces swelling — used for skin infections, abscesses, furuncles, and snake bites from heat toxin in the blood level
Secondary Actions
- Dries dampness and clears heat in the Lower Jiao — used for urinary tract infections, damp-heat diarrhea, and dysuria
- Clears heat from Heart and Lung — used for mouth ulcers and wheezing from Lung heat
Classic Formulas
- Chuan Xin Lian Pian (穿心莲片) — single-herb patent tablet for acute respiratory infections and inflammatory heat toxicity conditions
Modern Research
Active Compounds
- Andrographolide — principal labdane diterpenoid (up to 4% in leaves); potent NF-κB inhibitor, antiviral, immunostimulatory, antipyretic, and antitumor
- Neoandrographolide and 14-deoxyandrographolide — diterpene derivatives with anti-inflammatory and antiviral activity
- 14-deoxy-11,12-didehydroandrographolide — potent NF-κB signaling inhibitor
- Andrographiside and andrographolactone — glycoside and lactone derivative forms
- Flavonoids (5-hydroxy-7,8-dimethoxyflavone, wogonin, amentoflavone) — anti-inflammatory and antioxidant secondary metabolites
Studied Effects
- Anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory — andrographolide suppresses NF-κB, COX-2, iNOS, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6; pharmacological review confirms anti-tumor, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anti-fibrosis, anti-obesity, and hypoglycemic activities (PMID 34430627)
- Upper respiratory tract infections — systematic review and meta-analysis: Andrographis paniculata significantly reduces severity and duration of uncomplicated ARTIs in adults and children; superior to placebo and comparable to standard comparators (PMID 28783743)
- Andrographolide pharmacology — comprehensive review of pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and clinical trials; multiple validated therapeutic targets across preclinical and clinical studies (PMID 34818697)
PubMed References
Safety & Interactions
Contraindications
- Pregnancy — animal studies demonstrate antifertility effects and uterine stimulant activity; absolute contraindication
- Spleen-Stomach deficiency-cold — extremely bitter-cold nature; contraindicated in Yang deficiency and cold-type conditions
- Wind-Cold type respiratory infections — cold nature will exacerbate Wind-Cold patterns; use only for Wind-Heat or toxic heat patterns
Cautions
- May elevate liver enzymes with high-dose or prolonged use — monitor liver function with extended courses
- Allergic reactions reported including anaphylaxis and lymphadenopathy at very high doses — discontinue if rash or hypersensitivity develops
Drug Interactions
- Anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs (warfarin, aspirin, clopidogrel) — andrographolide inhibits platelet aggregation; increased bleeding risk (MSK)
- Blood pressure medications (antihypertensives) — additive hypotensive effect reported; monitor blood pressure (MSK)
- Aminophylline — may increase risk of side effects from this drug (MSK)
- CYP450 substrate drugs — andrographolide modulates CYP450 enzymes; may alter drug metabolism and increase adverse effects; consult physician (MSK)
- UGT 2B7 substrate drugs — may increase side effect risk (MSK)
- Chemotherapy drugs — antioxidant effects could interfere with medication actions (MSK)