Chinese giant-hyssop
StarAgastache rugosa
Synonyms: Cedronella japonica, Agastache rugosa f. hypoleuca, Agastache rugosa var. hypoleuca, Elsholtzia monostachys, Lophanthus rugosus var. hypoleucus, Agastache rugosa f. alba, Agastache rugosa f. albiflora, Agastache formosana, Lophanthus formosanus, Lophanthus rugosus
Safety at a glance
No rule in our tables for this herb: pregnancy, breastfeeding, incompatible pairs (十八反 / 十九畏), herb–drug, dose ceiling. This is not a safety clearance.
Not graded — No toxicity grade is recorded. Most herbs in the catalogue carry none.
Traditionally used for
- Digestion
Western Herbalism Properties
Used In Formulas (17)
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Gallery
Botanical Description
Agastache rugosa, the Korean mint or Chinese giant hyssop, is an erect aromatic perennial herb of the mint family native to East Asia, growing roughly fifty centimetres to one and a half metres tall. The square, branching stems bear opposite, ovate to lance-shaped leaves with coarsely toothed margins, pointed tips, and a wrinkled (rugose) upper surface; when crushed the foliage releases a strong anise- or licorice-scented aroma. The small two-lipped flowers are densely crowded into cylindrical terminal spikes several centimetres long; they range from pale purple and violet to occasionally white, each with a tubular calyx and protruding stamens, and are highly attractive to bees and other pollinators. Flowering occurs through summer into autumn, followed by small dry nutlets. Widely distributed in China, Korea, Japan, and the Russian Far East, it grows on hillsides, roadsides, and forest margins and is also cultivated as a culinary herb and ornamental.
Active Constituents
Estragole (methyl chavicol)
Phenylpropanoid (allylbenzene)Concentration: Strongly chemotype-dependent: 89.5 percent of the aerial-part essential oil in Korean-grown material, but only about 8.6 percent in Xinjiang-grown flower and leaf oil
The dominant volatile of most Korean and Japanese Agastache rugosa, and the reason the crude drug smells of anise rather than of the patchouli-alcohol note of true Guang Huo Xiang. Estragole is bioactivated by cytochrome P450 to 1'-hydroxyestragole and then sulfonated to a DNA-reactive ester; it is a rodent hepatocarcinogen, and its presence in herbal medicinal products is an active European regulatory concern rather than a settled safety question.
Methyleugenol
Phenylpropanoid (allylbenzene)Concentration: Up to about 50.5 percent of the essential oil in Xinjiang-grown flower and leaf material
In some Chinese chemotypes methyleugenol, not estragole, is the principal volatile. It shares estragole's bioactivation route to a genotoxic sulfooxy ester and is classified as a rodent carcinogen, so a methyleugenol-rich batch carries the same exposure concern as an estragole-rich one.
Pulegone
Monoterpene ketoneConcentration: About 1.9 to 2.6 percent of the essential oil
A minor but toxicologically notable volatile. Pulegone is the hepatotoxic principle of pennyroyal oil, depleting glutathione through its menthofuran metabolite; at the low percentages found in Agastache rugosa oil it is unlikely to matter in decoction, but it argues against using the concentrated essential oil internally.
D-Limonene
Monoterpene hydrocarbonConcentration: About 2.5 to 3.4 percent of the essential oil
Contributes the light citrus top note of the fresh herb and has mild carminative and antimicrobial activity in vitro.
Tilianin (acacetin 7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside)
Flavone glycosideConcentration: Principal non-volatile flavonoid of the aerial part; used with acacetin as an HPLC quality marker
The main flavone glycoside of the aerial part and one of the compounds routinely quantified for quality control. In cell models it suppresses adipogenesis and lipogenesis, and it is the glycosidic reservoir that supplies acacetin after intestinal hydrolysis.
Acacetin
Flavone aglyconeConcentration: Present in the aerial part and generated from tilianin by hydrolysis
A potent xanthine oxidase inhibitor in vitro, making it the constituent behind the herb's measured urate-lowering activity in enzyme assays. It also contributes to the anti-inflammatory profile of the aerial part.
Rosmarinic acid
Caffeic acid ester (phenolic acid)Concentration: Major water-soluble phenolic of the aerial part; accumulation is developmentally regulated
The dominant polar antioxidant of the herb and the constituent most likely to survive into a water decoction. It scavenges reactive oxygen species and inhibits pro-inflammatory signalling in cell models.
Agastachoside
Flavone glycosideConcentration: Minor constituent of the aerial part
One of the genus-characteristic flavone glycosides of Agastache rugosa, reported alongside tilianin and linarin. It is chiefly of chemotaxonomic value; no distinct pharmacology has been established for it.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Pogostemon cablin (Guang Huo Xiang)
Agastache rugosa is Tu Huo Xiang, the country or native Huo Xiang; only Pogostemon cablin is accepted as Guang Huo Xiang in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, and the two are routinely traded under the shared name Huo Xiang. They are chemically unrelated: Pogostemon cablin oil is dominated by patchouli alcohol and pogostone, Agastache rugosa oil by estragole or methyleugenol. The confusion is real enough that real-time PCR DNA markers and near-infrared spectroscopic models have been developed specifically to tell the two apart in the trade.
Clinical note: Confirm which drug you have before dispensing. A prescription written for Guang Huo Xiang, or a study conducted on Pogostemon cablin, should not be filled or interpreted with Agastache rugosa, and vice versa; the aromatic damp-transforming action attributed to Guang Huo Xiang in the classical texts belongs to the Pogostemon drug.
Ketoconazole and other azole antifungals
Agastache rugosa essential oil showed synergism with ketoconazole against Candida and dermatophyte strains in checkerboard testing, lowering the azole concentration needed for inhibition. This is an in vitro observation on the essential oil, not on a decoction, and has not been reproduced in patients.
Clinical note: No dose change is warranted on this evidence. Worth knowing if a patient is using an Agastache-containing topical alongside an azole cream, where the effect would if anything be helpful.
Allopurinol and febuxostat
Acacetin and related constituents of Agastache rugosa are potent xanthine oxidase inhibitors in cell-free enzyme assays, the same target as allopurinol and febuxostat. Whether enough acacetin reaches the enzyme after oral dosing of the crude herb has not been measured, so this remains an extrapolation from in vitro potency.
Clinical note: No action needed for ordinary culinary or decoction use. If a gout patient on urate-lowering therapy takes concentrated Agastache extract, check serum urate rather than assuming either an additive effect or none.
Fennel, star anise, basil and other estragole-rich or methyleugenol-rich herbal products
Estragole and methyleugenol are both bioactivated to DNA-reactive sulfooxy esters and both are rodent hepatocarcinogens; regulatory exposure assessments treat them as a combined burden across all sources rather than product by product. Agastache rugosa aerial part can be a very concentrated source, with estragole reported at nearly 90 percent of its essential oil.
Clinical note: Avoid prolonged high-dose use of the concentrated essential oil, and avoid stacking it with fennel-seed teas, star anise preparations and basil oil in the same regimen. Short courses of the decocted herb in a formula are the ordinary use and are not the concern here.
Dosage Calculator
⚖ Dosage Calculator
A weight-based mathematical estimate for Chinese giant-hyssop. Not a prescription.
Evidence Tier
4 studies on recordRecorded studies by study design, strongest design at the top. This is a study-design tier only, not a GRADE rating: it does not weigh risk of bias, consistency or precision.
Systematic review / meta-analysis
0
Randomized controlled trial
0
Other clinical trial
0
Observational / case report
0
In vitro / animal
3
0 verified · 3 unverified
Show 3 studies
- Potent Xanthine Oxidase Inhibitory Activity of Constituents of Agastache rugosa (Fisch. and C.A.Mey.) Kuntze
- Potent xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity of acacetin from Agastache rugosa (Fisch. & C.A.Mey.) Kuntze in vitro and molecular docking studies
- Antifungal activity of the essential oil of Agastache rugosa Kuntze and its synergism with ketoconazole
Other / unclassified
1
0 verified · 1 unverified
Verified: design read from PubMed for a DOI that resolves to the cited paper Unverified: taken from the study's recorded description
Clinical Studies
Changes in Human Electroencephalographic Activity in Response to Agastache rugosa Essential Oil Exposure
Thirty-eight healthy volunteers aged 20 to 30 were recorded on 29-channel EEG for 60 seconds of odourless air and then 60 seconds of air carrying Agastache rugosa essential oil. Absolute and relative theta power fell while relative alpha, relative slow alpha and spectral edge frequency indices rose, which the authors read as a shift toward an alert, freshened state. The essential oil used was 89.49 percent estragole. This is the only human data located for the species, and its weaknesses are substantial: no placebo odour, no randomisation, one very short exposure, and outcomes that are electrophysiological rather than clinical.
Potent Xanthine Oxidase Inhibitory Activity of Constituents of Agastache rugosa (Fisch. and C.A.Mey.) Kuntze
Constituents isolated from the aerial part were screened against xanthine oxidase, the target of allopurinol. Several flavones, acacetin foremost, inhibited the enzyme potently in the cell-free assay. The work identifies a plausible mechanism for anti-hyperuricaemic use but says nothing about serum urate in an animal or a person.
Potent xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity of acacetin from Agastache rugosa (Fisch. & C.A.Mey.) Kuntze in vitro and molecular docking studies
A follow-up that isolates acacetin as the principal xanthine oxidase inhibitor in the herb and models its binding to the enzyme. It confirms the earlier screening result at the level of a single compound and remains entirely preclinical.
Antifungal activity of the essential oil of Agastache rugosa Kuntze and its synergism with ketoconazole
The essential oil inhibited a panel of yeasts and dermatophytes and acted synergistically with ketoconazole in checkerboard assays, reducing the azole concentration required. The result concerns the volatile oil, not the decocted herb, and has no clinical follow-up.
Historical Texts
Ming Yi Bie Lu (Miscellaneous Records of Famous Physicians)
Southern and Northern Dynasties, around 500 CEDian Nan Ben Cao (Southern Yunnan Materia Medica), attributed to Lan Mao
Ming dynastyBen Cao Cheng Ya Ban Jie
Late Ming to early Qing, 1647Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China
1977 to presentReferences
- Lin E, Zhang N, Wang Y, Liang J, Li H, Chen L. Chemical constituents, health benefits, and applications of Agastache rugosa : A review . Food Science and Human Wellness (2025) [DOI]
- Uh YR, Jang CS. Establishing DNA markers to differentiate Agastache rugosa and Pogostemon cablin, which are confusedly used as medicinal herbs, using real-time PCR . Food Science and Biotechnology (2022) [DOI]
- Lan S, Cai J, Zhao H, Wang D, Ji S. Near infrared spectroscopy discrimination and pattern recognition of Chinese Pogostemon cablin and Agastache rugosa . Journal of Holistic Integrative Pharmacy (2023) [DOI]
- Jerng UM, Oh YT, Kim JH. Review of Experimental Researches on Gastrointestinal Activity of Agastache rugosa (Fisch. & C. A. Mey.) Kuntze and Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth . Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine (2017) [DOI]
- Liu C, Li D, Dang J, Shu J, Smit SJ, Wu Q, Lichman BR. Haplotype-resolved genome of Agastache rugosa (Huo Xiang) provides insight into monoterpenoid biosynthesis and gene cluster evolution . Horticulture Research (2025) [DOI]
- Li H, Liu Q, Liu Z, Du S, Deng Z. Chemical Composition and Nematicidal Activity of Essential Oil of Agastache rugosa against Meloidogyne incognita . Molecules (2013) [DOI]
- Wei J, Cao P, Wang J, Kang W. Analysis of tilianin and acacetin in Agastache rugosa by high-performance liquid chromatography with ionic liquids-ultrasound based extraction . Chemistry Central Journal (2016) [DOI]
- Sievers H. Estragole in Herbal Medicinal Products – time for action? . Zeitschrift für Phytotherapie (2023) [DOI]
- United States Pharmacopeial Convention. Agastache rugosa Aerial Parts Dry Extract . USP-NF [DOI]
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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