Artemisia capillaris
StarArtemisia capillaris
Synonyms: Absinthium mollissimum, Artemisia mollissima, Oligosporus capillaris, Artemisia hallaisanensis var. formosana, Artemisia capillaris var. acaulis, Artemisia capillaris f. glabra, Artemisia sachalinensis, Artemisia hallaisanensis var. philippinensis, Artemisia capillaris var. sachalinensis, Artemisia capillaris var. arbuscula, Artemisia hallaisanensis f. parvula, Artemisia hallaisanensis f. swatowiana, Artemisia japonica f. vestita, Artemisia hallaisanensis, Artemisia capillaris f. sericea, Draconia capillaris, Artemisia capillaris var. sericea
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
Capillary wormwood is one of the most important liver herbs of Traditional Chinese Medicine, where the young shoots are known as Yin Chen (Yin Chen Hao) and have been used for centuries as the classic remedy for jaundice and damp-heat affecting the liver and gallbladder (Bensky & Gamble, 2004). It is the principal herb in the formula Yin Chen Hao Tang. The herb is also used in Korean and Japanese (Kampo) traditional medicine for similar liver and gallbladder complaints (Chinese Pharmacopoeia). Modern pharmacological studies report choleretic, hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory activity, supporting the traditional use for hepatobiliary disorders (peer-reviewed pharmacology).
Botanical Description
Artemisia capillaris (capillary wormwood) is an aromatic perennial herb or subshrub in the daisy family, native to East Asia including China, Japan, Korea and the Russian Far East, where it grows on riverbanks, sandy slopes, roadsides and coastal areas. It has woody-based, much-branched stems and finely dissected, thread-like leaves; the young spring shoots are densely silky-hairy and silvery, becoming nearly hairless and feathery as they mature. From late summer it produces large, diffusely branched panicles of numerous tiny, nodding, greenish-yellow flower heads composed of small disc florets. The fruit is a minute achene. The whole plant is strongly aromatic and is harvested chiefly as young shoots, which are the source of the important traditional medicine and seasonal vegetable.
Active Constituents
Scoparone (6,7-dimethoxycoumarin)
Simple coumarinConcentration: One of the principal active markers of the herb
A major choleretic and hepatoprotective constituent. Scoparone promotes bile flow, has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and vasorelaxant activity, and is one of the compounds credited with the herb's anti-cholestatic and jaundice-relieving effects.
Capillarisin
Chromone (2-aryloxychromone flavonoid)Concentration: Characteristic marker constituent
A species-characteristic flavonoid with potent choleretic and hepatoprotective activity in vivo; considered, together with scoparone, one of the main bile-promoting substances of the drug.
6,7-Dimethylesculetin (scoparetin dimethyl ether)
CoumarinConcentration: Bioactive minor coumarin (marker of Yin Zhi Huang formulations)
Activates the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR), accelerating hepatic clearance of bilirubin—an important molecular mechanism behind the traditional use of the herb for jaundice.
Chlorogenic acid and 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid
Hydroxycinnamic acid (caffeoylquinic) derivativesConcentration: Major water-soluble phenolics
Antioxidant and hepatoprotective polyphenols abundant in the aqueous extract, contributing to reduction of oxidative liver injury.
Flavonoids (arcapillin, cirsimaritin, cirsilineol, quercetin, isorhamnetin, 4'-methylcapillarisin)
Methoxylated flavones and flavonolsConcentration: Diverse flavonoid fraction
Contribute antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and choleretic activities and are used alongside scoparone/capillarisin as quality markers.
Capillin, capillene and capillone (plus essential oil)
Polyacetylenes and aromatic ketones (volatile fraction)Concentration: Main components of the volatile oil of the young herb
Capillin is an antifungal polyacetylene; the volatile oil (including β-pinene and capillene) gives the fresh herb its aroma and contributes antimicrobial activity.
⚠ Drug Interactions
CYP/CAR-metabolised drugs (e.g. drugs cleared via CAR/PXR-inducible pathways, warfarin)
Constituents such as 6,7-dimethylesculetin activate the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR), and the herb has been shown to accelerate bilirubin and drug conjugation/clearance. Enzyme induction could theoretically lower plasma levels of co-administered drugs metabolised by these pathways.
Clinical note: Relevant mainly to concentrated extracts; monitor patients on narrow-therapeutic-index drugs (e.g. anticoagulants, immunosuppressants) who use Yin Chen preparations chronically.
Hepatically metabolised drugs in patients with cholestasis/liver disease
By increasing bile flow and modulating bile-acid and bilirubin transport, the herb may change the biliary excretion of drugs that undergo hepatobiliary elimination.
Clinical note: Use under professional supervision in patients with obstructive jaundice or on drugs with significant biliary excretion.
Preparation Methods
Decoction (traditional, chief herb of Yin Chen Hao Tang)
Parts: Dried young aerial parts / whole herb harvested in spring
In Chinese medicine the dried herb (typically 6-15 g) is decocted in water and is the principal herb of Yin Chen Hao Tang (with gardenia and rhubarb) for damp-heat jaundice. Because heat-sensitive coumarins are involved, Yin Chen is traditionally added toward the appropriate stage of decoction; it is used under professional guidance for jaundice and cholestatic liver conditions.
Standardised aqueous extract
Parts: Aerial parts
Modern extracts are standardised to markers such as scoparone, capillarisin and chlorogenic acid for hepatoprotective and choleretic use. Avoid in pregnancy without supervision and in patients with biliary obstruction requiring surgical management.
Clinical Studies
Yinchenhao decoction in the treatment of cholestasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Meta-analysis of Yinchenhao decoction—the classical formula in which Artemisia capillaris (Yin Chen) is the chief herb—found significant reductions in cholestasis markers (ALT, AST, total and direct bilirubin) over short and long treatment periods, with no serious adverse events. The evidence concerns the multi-herb formula rather than the isolated herb, but supports the traditional anti-cholestatic role of Yin Chen.
Historical Texts
Shennong Bencao Jing (Divine Farmer's Materia Medica)
Han dynasty (compiled c. 1st-2nd century CE)Shanghan Lun (Treatise on Cold Damage) by Zhang Zhongjing
Eastern Han dynasty (c. 200 CE)References
- Zhang A, Sun H, Wang X, et al.. The pharmacological effects and pharmacokinetics of active compounds of Artemisia capillaris . Biomolecules / Molecules (review) (2021) [DOI]
- Chen Z, Ma X, Zhao Y, et al.. Yinchenhao decoction in the treatment of cholestasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis . Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2015) [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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