Ban Xia
StarPinellia ternata (Thunb.) Breit.
Traditionally used for
- Cough & breathing
- Digestion
Cautions & contraindications
- Pregnancy
- Toxic — professional use only
☯ TCM Properties
Dries Dampness and Transforms Phlegm; Directs Rebellious Qi Downward and Stops Vomiting; Eliminates Focal Distention; Reduces Swelling and Alleviates Pain
Traditional Chinese Uses
Ban Xia (pinellia rhizome) is a warm, drying herb considered one of the most important Phlegm-transforming substances in Chinese medicine. It descends rebellious Stomach Qi to control nausea and vomiting, dries and dissolves Damp-Phlegm from the Spleen and Stomach, and redirects Lung Qi downward to address cough with copious phlegm. Because it is toxic in its raw state, it is always used in a processed form. It is contraindicated in pregnancy and in Yin deficiency with dry throat.
Used In Formulas (69)
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Pinellia ternata is a small herbaceous perennial in the Araceae, native to China, Korea, Japan and parts of the Russian Far East, where it grows in moist, shaded ground in woodlands, on cultivated land, in damp grassy places and as a common weed of crop fields. Plants grow 15-30 cm tall from a small, globose to depressed-globose underground tuber 1-2 cm across, pale buff outside and white inside. Each tuber produces one to three long-petiolate leaves; the petiole is often marked with brown spots and bears small bulbils near the base and at the junction with the leaflets. The blade is divided into three elliptic to lanceolate leaflets 3-10 cm long. The spadix bears small unisexual flowers, the lower females and the upper males, surrounded by a green, narrow spathe whose appendage is long and erect, projecting well above the spathe. The raw tuber is acrid and irritating and is processed before medicinal use.
Active Constituents
Calcium oxalate raphides
Insoluble crystal / needle-shaped raphidesConcentration: Abundant in the raw tuber
Needle-like calcium oxalate crystals are the principal irritant/toxic component of raw Pinellia, causing intense throat and mucosal irritation, swelling and numbness. Their removal or inactivation by processing (with ginger juice, alum or lime) is essential before internal use, distinguishing raw (Sheng Ban Xia) from processed forms.
Pinellic acid
Trihydroxy fatty acidConcentration: Minor constituent
A trihydroxy-octadecenoic fatty acid reported to have antiemetic and mucosal-adjuvant activity, contributing to Pinellia's traditional action of directing rebellious qi downward and stopping vomiting.
Alkaloids (e.g., ephedrine-type and pinellia alkaloids)
AlkaloidsConcentration: Minor constituents
Considered among the principal antiemetic components; pharmacological studies attribute part of the antiemetic effect of Pinellia to alkaloids acting on 5-HT3 and NK1 receptor pathways.
Homogentisic acid and its glucoside
Phenolic acid / glycosideConcentration: Minor; associated with the irritant fraction
A phenolic acid linked to the mucosal-irritant and possibly toxic activity of the raw tuber; contributes to the need for processing.
3,4-Dihydroxybenzaldehyde (protocatechualdehyde)
Phenolic aldehydeConcentration: Minor constituent
A phenolic aldehyde with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity present in the rhizome.
Pinellia lectin (agglutinin)
Protein (lectin)Concentration: Protein fraction of the tuber
A mannose-binding lectin (Pinellia ternata agglutinin) with reported immunomodulatory, antiproliferative and insecticidal activity in laboratory studies.
Cerebrosides / glucocerebrosides
SphingolipidsConcentration: Minor constituents
Sphingolipid glycosides reported to contribute anti-inflammatory and antihepatotoxic activity.
Beta-sitosterol
PhytosterolConcentration: Trace
A plant sterol with mild anti-inflammatory activity that forms part of the lipophilic fraction of the rhizome.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Aconite (Chuan Wu, Cao Wu, Fu Zi)
Pinellia (Ban Xia) is one of the herbs listed as antagonistic to aconite-type drugs in the traditional 'eighteen incompatibilities' (shi ba fan); their combination is proscribed in classical prescribing on safety grounds.
Clinical note: Traditional prohibition; the combination is avoided in standard formulas, and modern practitioners generally observe this restriction.
5-HT3 receptor antagonists (e.g., ondansetron, granisetron)
Pinellia alkaloids act partly through 5-HT3 and NK1 receptor blockade; Pinellia-containing formulas combined with 5-HT3 antagonists show additive antiemetic benefit for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in clinical meta-analyses.
Clinical note: Interaction is generally favorable (enhanced nausea control) rather than harmful; used adjunctively with standard antiemetics.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 3–9 g | — | — | — | ChP 2025. 内服一般炮制后使用 — internal use only after processing. NOT combined with Chuan Wu, Zhi Chuan Wu, Cao Wu, Zhi Cao Wu or Fu Zi (eighteen incompatibilities). Raw internal use is hazardous. Corrected from a generic 6-15g decoction filler value generated from tcm_category. |
| topical | Appropriate amount | — | — | — | ChP 2025. 外用适量，磨汁涂或研末以酒调敷患处。 |
Preparation Methods
Raw Pinellia (Sheng Ban Xia) - external/restricted use
Parts: raw dried tuber
The unprocessed tuber is toxic and strongly irritant (calcium oxalate raphides) and is largely restricted to external application or specialist use. It must be processed before ordinary internal administration.
Ginger-processed Pinellia (Jiang Ban Xia)
Parts: tuber, fresh ginger juice, alum
Tubers soaked and cooked with fresh ginger and alum to inactivate the irritant crystals. This form best directs rebellious qi downward and stops vomiting; decocted at 3-10 g.
Lime/licorice-processed Pinellia (Fa Ban Xia) and alum-processed (Qing Ban Xia)
Parts: tuber, lime (and licorice) or alum
Fa Ban Xia (processed with lime and licorice) is used mainly to dry dampness and harmonize the stomach; Qing Ban Xia (alum-processed) emphasizes transforming phlegm. Both are decocted at 3-10 g after processing removes the raw-herb toxicity.
Dui Yao — Herb Pairs
The classical two-herb combinations this herb appears in, each with an action neither herb has alone.
Drying damp and transforming phlegm combined with regulating qi, so that phlegm resolves as qi moves and the spleen is no longer burdened by dampness.
Foundation pairing for damp-phlegm cough with copious white sputum, chest oppression and nausea.
Core pair of a classical formula — Er Chen Tang, Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang
Dries and transforms phlegm while draining the dampness that generates it, harmonizing the stomach.
Damp-phlegm cough with copious white sputum, nausea.
Core pair of a classical formula — Er Chen Tang, Taiping Huimin Hejiju Fang
Clears and transforms hot phlegm while drying phlegm and dispersing clumping, resolving phlegm-heat binding in the chest and epigastrium.
Minor chest bind: epigastric fullness painful on pressure, slippery pulse. Also paired in Gua Lou Xie Bai Ban Xia Tang.
Core pair of a classical formula — Xiao Xian Xiong Tang, Shang Han Lun (Zhang Zhongjing)
Transforms phlegm and descends counterflow while moving qi and dispersing constraint, dissolving the phlegm-qi knot in the throat.
Plum-pit qi: sensation of something stuck in the throat that cannot be swallowed or coughed up.
Core pair of a classical formula — Ban Xia Hou Po Tang, Jin Gui Yao Lue (Zhang Zhongjing)
An acrid-opening, bitter-descending combination: one disperses phlegm and knotted qi while the other clears and drains heat, relieving epigastric focal distention from intermingled heat and phlegm.
Epigastric focal distention from mixed cold and heat. Ban Xia is used processed; the raw herb is toxic.
Core pair of a classical formula — Ban Xia Xie Xin Tang, Shang Han Lun (Zhang Zhongjing)
Warming Kidney yang combined with directing turbid qi downward, the pair moves the bowels in constipation from yang deficiency with interior cold.
Cold-type constipation in the elderly. Internal use is only of processed (purified) sulfur in pill form, short-term; contraindicated in pregnancy and yin deficiency with heat.
Core pair of a classical formula — Ban Liu Wan, Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang
Lung and stomach yin are moistened while rebellious qi is directed down, the dry herb kept from injuring fluids by the moist one.
Cough and counterflow from Lung and Stomach yin deficiency. Ban Xia is used processed; the raw herb is toxic.
Core pair of a classical formula — Mai Men Dong Tang, Jin Gui Yao Lue (Zhang Zhongjing)
Together they strongly direct stomach qi downward to stop vomiting, while the ginger moderates the toxicity of the pinellia.
Classic for vomiting from fluid and phlegm retained in the stomach.
Core pair of a classical formula — Xiao Ban Xia Tang, Jin Gui Yao Lue (Zhang Zhongjing)
Transforms phlegm and harmonizes the stomach while nourishing the stomach, so that yang can enter yin and sleep returns.
Insomnia from stomach disharmony ('when the stomach is not harmonious, sleep is not peaceful').
Core pair of a classical formula — Ban Xia Shu Mi Tang, Ling Shu (Huang Di Nei Jing)
The pair transforms phlegm and extinguishes wind together, treating dizziness and headache caused by wind-phlegm rising.
Vertigo with nausea, heavy head and a greasy tongue coating.
Core pair of a classical formula — Ban Xia Bai Zhu Tian Ma Tang, Yi Xue Xin Wu (Cheng Guopeng)
Xia Ku Cao withers as yang peaks at midsummer while Ban Xia grows as yin begins; the pairing draws on this to harmonize yin and yang and restore sleep, while clearing Liver heat and transforming phlegm.
Insomnia from phlegm-heat or yin and yang failing to communicate.
Named pairing — Lü Jingshan, Shi Jinmo Dui Yao; the pair is recorded in Leng Lu Yi Hua citing Yi Xue Mi Zhi
Dries damp phlegm and descends counterflow while clearing heat from phlegm and calming the stomach, for gallbladder-stomach disharmony with phlegm-heat.
Irritability, insomnia, palpitations easily startled, nausea or vomiting.
Core pair of a classical formula — Wen Dan Tang, San Yin Ji Yi Bing Zheng Fang Lun (Chen Yan, 1174)
Evidence Tier
Strong evidence · 2 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
1
1 verified · 0 unverified
Randomized controlled trial
0
Other clinical trial
0
Observational / case report
0
In vitro / animal
0
Other / unclassified
1
1 verified · 0 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
The efficacy and safety of Xiao-Ban-Xia-Tang in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Meta-analysis of randomized trials of Xiao-Ban-Xia-Tang, a classical Pinellia-and-ginger antiemetic decoction, reporting improved control of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting when used adjunctively, with an acceptable safety profile.
A review of the research progress on Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Breit.: Botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicity and quality control
Comprehensive review summarizing over 200 constituents of Pinellia ternata (alkaloids, organic acids, cerebrosides, lectins, volatile oils), its antiemetic, antitussive and anti-inflammatory pharmacology, the calcium-oxalate-related toxicity of the raw herb, and the processing methods used to reduce that toxicity.
⚠ Safety & Contraindications
- Pregnancy
- Toxic — professional use only
Contraindications
Use with caution in pregnancy. Not for use where there is bleeding, or in dryness of the Lung with a dry cough.
Safety Warnings
- Raw Ban Xia is not taken internally; only the processed forms (Fa Ban Xia, Jiang Ban Xia, Qing Ban Xia) are used.
- Incompatible with Chuan Wu and Cao Wu under the classical eighteen incompatibilities.
⚠ Rule-Based Cautions
These entries come from the deterministic rule tables that gate Verscienta's formula tools — classical pair prohibitions, pregnancy and lactation contraindications, and dose ceilings.
Incompatibilities (十八反 / 十九畏)
- 十八反: Wu Tou × Ban Xia — avoid combining with Fu Zi / Aconite / Aconitum / Chuan Wu / Cao Wu / Wu Tou / Shu Fu / Hei Shun Pian / Fu Pian / Guan Bai Fu / Xue Shang Yi Zhi Hao / Aconitum brachypodum (pair accepted when both members are processed)
Pregnancy
Caution use processed form only, with caution
Dose Ceiling
≤12g — processed Pinellia typically 3–9(–12)g
⚠ Toxicity Information
Raw Ban Xia burns and swells the mouth, tongue and throat, with hoarseness, salivation and — in severe cases — airway compromise. Processing largely removes this.
Historical Texts
Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (Divine Husbandman's Classic of the Materia Medica)
Han dynasty (c. 200 CE)Shang Han Lun / Jin Gui Yao Lue by Zhang Zhongjing
Eastern Han dynasty (c. 200 CE)Lei Gong Pao Zhi Lun (Master Lei's Treatise on Preparing Drugs)
Southern and Northern Dynasties (c. 5th century CE)References
- Zou T, Wang J, Wu X, Yang K, Dang M, Zhang Q, Zhao C. A review of the research progress on Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Breit.: Botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicity and quality control . Heliyon (2023) [DOI]
- Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission. Pinelliae Rhizoma (Ban Xia) monograph . Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China, 2020 Edition, Vol. I (2020) [DOI]
- Bensky D, Clavey S, Stoger E. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd Edition (Ban Xia entry) . Eastland Press, Seattle (2004) [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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