Bai Jiang Cao
StarPatrinia scabiosaefolia Fisch. ex Link. / Patrinia villosa (Thunb.) Juss.
Traditionally used for
- Cough & breathing
- Menstrual & women's health
☯ TCM Properties
Clears Heat and Resolves Toxicity; Expels Pus and Reduces Swelling; Invigorates Blood and Dispels Stasis; Alleviates Pain
Traditional Chinese Uses
Bai Jiang Cao (patrinia herb) is a cold, bitter herb that clears Heat toxin and expels pus with particular efficacy for internal abscesses. It is a primary herb for intestinal abscesses with pus formation, Lung abscesses with purulent phlegm, and pelvic inflammatory conditions. Its Blood-moving properties complement its Heat-clearing action for conditions where both infection and Blood stagnation coexist. Taken as a tea, it has historical use for postpartum pain and recovery.
Pharmacological Effects
- Sedative: Oral ethanolic extract or essential oil of P. scabiosaefolia sedated mice and potentiated pentobarbital; oil-free extract and saponins inactive; patrinene and isopatrinene are the sedative principles.
- Antibacterial: Aqueous extract weakly inhibited S. aureus, S. albus and C. paradiphtheriae in vitro; inactive against several other bacteria.
- Other effects: Promoted liver-cell regeneration and prevented hepatocellular degeneration; hot-water root extract fully inhibited human cervical cancer cells while promoting multiplication of normal cells.
Source: Zhu YP. Chinese Materia Medica: Chemistry, Pharmacology and Applications. Harwood Academic, 1998, p. 211.
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Patrinia scabiosaefolia is an erect perennial herb of the family Caprifoliaceae (formerly Valerianaceae) native to grassy slopes and forest margins throughout China, Korea, Japan and the Russian Far East. From a short, fibrous-rooted rhizome that emits a distinctive fetid, sour odour when dried, it produces slender hollow stems 70-150 cm tall. The basal leaves are pinnatifid to pinnate with a large terminal lobe, while the opposite stem leaves are deeply lobed with toothed margins. Small bright yellow flowers, each 3-4 mm across with five spreading corolla lobes and four stamens, are borne in flat-topped, much-branched terminal corymbose cymes from late summer to autumn, ripening into small dry achenes. The whole flowering plant with root is harvested in summer.
Active Constituents
Villosol
IridoidAn iridoid characteristic of Patrinia villosa and the constituent behind most recent colorectal cancer work on that species. In cell lines and xenografts it suppressed CDKN2A and restored 5-fluorouracil sensitivity in resistant colorectal cancer cells through the CDKN2A-TP53-PI3K/Akt axis.
Patrinoside
Iridoid glycosideThe parent of a series of iridoid glycosides (patrinosides B to F) described from the whole plant of Patrinia scabiosaefolia. Iridoids are regarded as the structurally most distinctive class in the genus; one of the newly described patrinosides showed 73-102 percent inhibition of HL-60, SMMC-7721, MCF-7 and SW-480 cells in the reporting study.
Patriscabioin M
IridoidOne of three ring-rearranged iridoids first described from Patrinia scabiosaefolia, isolated together with a bis-iridoid glycoside (patriscabiobisin D), the first of its type reported from the species.
Giganteaside D
Oleanane triterpenoid saponinConcentration: isolated from the acetone extract of the roots and rhizomes of Patrinia scabiosaefolia
3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-2)-beta-D-xylopyranosyl oleanolic acid, reported from Patrinia for the first time in 1999. Oleanane saponins of this kind are the class most often credited with the antitumour and anti-inflammatory activity of Herba Patriniae in preclinical work.
12beta,30-dihydroxy-olean-28,13beta-olide glycosides
Oleanane triterpenoid saponinFour saponins built on an unusual 12beta,30-dihydroxy-olean-28,13beta-lactone aglycone were isolated from the methanol extract of the whole plant of Patrinia scabiosaefolia, together with six known compounds; the 12beta-hydroxy substituent is rare in this saponin class.
Oleanolic acid
Pentacyclic triterpene acidThe aglycone of the principal Patrinia saponins and itself present in the drug. More than 210 constituents have been characterised across the genus, with triterpenoids and saponins, iridoids, flavonoids and lignans as the major classes.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Sedatives and CNS depressants (benzodiazepines, barbiturates, sedating antihistamines, z-drugs)
The rhizome and root of Patrinia scabiosaefolia have a documented sedative-hypnotic action, reported in a 1986 combined clinical and pharmacological study, and the genus sits in the Valerianaceae alongside Valeriana. Western clinical references for Bai Jiang Cao list interactions with sedatives, barbiturates, antihistamines and benzodiazepines on this basis. The active principle has not been isolated and no human pharmacokinetic study exists, so this is a plausible additive pharmacodynamic effect rather than a quantified one.
Clinical note: Warn patients about drowsiness, particularly with the root and rhizome rather than the aerial herb, and about driving. Excessive doses of the herb have been reported to cause nausea and dizziness.
5-Fluorouracil and capecitabine
Villosol, an iridoid of Patrinia villosa, reversed 5-fluorouracil resistance in colorectal cancer cell lines and xenografts by inhibiting CDKN2A and the downstream TP53-PI3K/Akt axis. This is a tumour-cell pharmacodynamic finding in mice and cell culture. No human data exist on whether the crude herb changes 5-fluorouracil exposure, efficacy or toxicity.
Clinical note: Do not present the herb to a patient as something that will make fluoropyrimidine chemotherapy work better. Disclose any use to the oncology team.
Thlaspi arvense (Xi Ming) and composite herbs sold as Bai Jiang Cao
Bai Jiang Cao is officially the whole plant of Patrinia scabiosaefolia or Patrinia villosa, but Western herb references list Herba Thlaspi (Thlaspi arvense, penny-cress) as an alternative Latin name for the same pinyin, and in parts of northern China unrelated composites are traded under the name. Thlaspi is a Brassicaceae with glucosinolates and no Patrinia iridoids or saponins, so none of the published Patrinia pharmacology applies to it. The two official Patrinia species also differ chemically from each other - villosol work is on Patrinia villosa, the iridoid and saponin chemistry summarised here largely on Patrinia scabiosaefolia.
Clinical note: Confirm with the supplier which species is being supplied, and specify the Patrinia species you intend when the indication rests on published data for one of them.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 6–15 g | Daily | — | — | Standard oral dose per Xi S, Gong Y. Essentials of Chinese Materia Medica and Medical Formulas. Academic Press/Elsevier, 2017, pp. 53–72. Exact wording: Normally, 6–15 g is decocted with water as an oral |
Dui Yao — Herb Pairs
The classical two-herb combinations this herb appears in, each with an action neither herb has alone.
Together they clear heat toxin, invigorate blood and disperse stagnation, strengthening the treatment of intestinal abscess.
Classic indication: intestinal abscess with abdominal pain.
Named pairing — Zhong Yao Xue, national textbook (pei wu section for Da Xue Teng)
Together they clear heat, drain damp, expel pus and disperse abscess, especially in the intestines.
Classic indication: intestinal abscess after pus has formed.
Core pair of a classical formula — Yi Yi Fu Zi Bai Jiang San, Jin Gui Yao Lue (Zhang Zhongjing)
Evidence Tier
Moderate evidence · 5 studiesRecorded 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
4
0 verified · 4 unverified
Show 4 studies
- Villosol reverses 5-FU resistance in colorectal cancer by inhibiting the CDKN2A gene regulated TP53-PI3K/Akt signaling axis
- Effects of saponins of patrinia villosa against invasion and metastasis in colorectal cancer cell through NF-κB signaling pathway and EMT
- Nine Unique Iridoids and Iridoid Glycosides From Patrinia scabiosaefolia
- New triterpenoid saponins from Patrinia scabiosaefolia
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
Clinical observation and pharmacological investigation of the sedative and hypnotic effects of the Chinese drug rhizome and root of Patrinia Scabiosaefolia Fisch.
A combined clinical and animal pharmacology report on the sedative and hypnotic action of the rhizome and root of Patrinia scabiosaefolia. No abstract is indexed with the PubMed record and the paper pre-dates DOIs, so the numerical results cannot be verified from the citation; it is included because it is the primary source usually cited for the sedative effect that underlies the CNS-depressant interaction warning for this herb.
Villosol reverses 5-FU resistance in colorectal cancer by inhibiting the CDKN2A gene regulated TP53-PI3K/Akt signaling axis
CDKN2A upregulation was associated with 5-fluorouracil resistance in colorectal cancer cells and animal samples; overexpression activated PI3K/Akt and reduced 5-FU sensitivity. Villosol, an active ingredient of Patrinia villosa, inhibited CDKN2A and restored 5-FU sensitivity in resistant cells, working through the CDKN2A-TP53-PI3K/Akt axis in cell lines and xenograft models. The species studied was Patrinia villosa, not Patrinia scabiosaefolia, and the work is entirely preclinical.
Effects of saponins of patrinia villosa against invasion and metastasis in colorectal cancer cell through NF-κB signaling pathway and EMT
In an epithelial-mesenchymal transition model induced by repeated TGF-beta1 stimulation of the human colorectal line SW480, saponins of Patrinia villosa inhibited proliferation concentration-dependently and suppressed migration in scratch and Transwell assays, with downregulation of NF-kappaB p65 by Western blot. Cell culture only, using Patrinia villosa.
Nine Unique Iridoids and Iridoid Glycosides From Patrinia scabiosaefolia
Three previously undescribed iridoids (patriscabioins M, N and O), five new iridoid glycosides (patrinosides B to F) and the first bis-iridoid glycoside reported from the species (patriscabiobisin D) were isolated from the whole plant of Patrinia scabiosaefolia. Only patrinoside B showed marked cytotoxicity, inhibiting HL-60, SMMC-7721, MCF-7 and SW-480 cells by 102.42, 95.13, 73.07 and 80.93 percent respectively.
New triterpenoid saponins from Patrinia scabiosaefolia
Four previously undescribed triterpenoid saponins were isolated from a methanol extract of the whole plant of Patrinia scabiosaefolia along with six known compounds. Three are built on a 12beta,30-dihydroxy-olean-28,13beta-lactone aglycone with a rarely encountered 12beta-hydroxy substituent; the fourth is an oleanolic acid bisdesmoside. Structural work only.
⚠ Safety & Contraindications
Contraindications
Its use is prohibited in patients with eating lessening and diarrhea due to weakness of the spleen and stomach.
Source: Xi S, Gong Y. Essentials of Chinese Materia Medica and Medical Formulas. Academic Press/Elsevier, 2017, pp. 53–72.
Side Effects
- A few patients develop xerostomia and gastric discomfort (P. scabiosaefolia)
Source: Zhu YP. Chinese Materia Medica: Chemistry, Pharmacology and Applications. Harwood Academic, 1998, p. 211.
Historical Texts
Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing
Han dynastyJin Gui Yao Lue
Han dynasty (Zhang Zhongjing, c. 200 CE)References
- Liu Y, Liu W, Wang J, Liu Y, Chen C, Xiang Z. Phytochemical and Pharmacological Review on Two Herbs of Baijiangcao: Patrinia scabiosaefolia Fisch. ex Trev. and Patrinia villosa (Thunb.) Juss . Mini-Reviews in Organic Chemistry (2020) [DOI]
- Yan B, Ding L, Shen D, Chen Y, Pei Y. [Isolation and identification of a saponine from Patrinia scabiosaefolia] . Zhong Yao Cai (1999)
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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