Yun Shi
StarCaesalpinia decapetala (Roth) Alston
Synonyms: Caesalpinia sepiaria Roxb., Biancaea decapetala (Roth) O.Deg.
Also known as: Yün Shih · Wade–Giles
Easily confused with
- Yun Zhi 云芝 — pinyin one letter apart. Yun Shi: clearing heat, warm; Yun Zhi: tonifying, neutral.
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
- Cough & breathing
- Colds & fever
- Bowel health
- Pain & joints
☯ TCM Properties
Clears Heat, eliminates Dampness and kills parasites
Traditional Chinese Uses
Yun Shi (云实) is the seed of Caesalpinia decapetala (Fabaceae), Semen Caesalpiniae — a leguminous seed, decisively not the arsenical mineral 礜石 (arsenopyrite). Pungent and bitter with a warm nature, it enters the Lung and Large Intestine channels, where it clears Heat, eliminates Dampness and kills parasites.
Its chief traditional indications are chronic dysentery and diarrhea, recurrent malarial-type disorders, intestinal worms, and childhood malnutrition (gan ji). The astringent, anthelmintic and antipyretic qualities of the seed underlie these uses, and the wider plant is used in folk medicine for colds, fever and rheumatic pain. It is taken as a decoction or powder. Because it is warm and drying, it is used with care in patterns of Heat from Yin deficiency or where fluids are depleted.
Western Herbalism Properties
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Botanical Description
Yun Shi (云实) is the ripe seed of Caesalpinia decapetala (Roth) Alston (Fabaceae; syn. Biancaea decapetala), a vigorous, prickly scrambling shrub or woody climber widespread south of the Yangtze and across tropical Asia. Stems and rachises bear stout, recurved prickles; the bipinnate leaves carry many small oblong leaflets, and showy racemes of five-petalled yellow flowers open in spring. The flat, woody, oblong pod, 6-12 cm long, splits at maturity to release several hard, smooth, dark brown to black seeds about 8-12 mm across. The seeds are gathered in autumn, sun-dried, and decocted in Chinese materia medica to clear heat, dispel dampness and expel intestinal parasites.
Thickets, forest margins, roadsides, hillsides and stream banks at low to middle elevations; a vigorous liana of warm-temperate to subtropical Asia.
Active Constituents
Cassane-type furanoditerpenoids (caesaldecan, caesaljapin, caesalmin C, 14(17)-dehydrocaesalpin F)
Cassane-type diterpenoidCassane diterpenoids are the characteristic skeleton of the genus Caesalpinia and are concentrated in the seeds, roots and leaves rather than the stem. Thirteen diterpenoids isolated from C. decapetala, three of them new, showed antiviral activity against tobacco mosaic virus in a plant-pathogen screen; several cassanes from the seeds are also antiproliferative in cell culture. None of this work has been taken into a mammalian, let alone a human, setting.
Quercetin
FlavonolIsolated from C. decapetala for the first time in the 2013 Molecules study, where it was among the strongest DPPH radical scavengers in the extract, outperforming ascorbic acid in that assay.
Rutin
Flavonol glycoside (quercetin 3-O-rutinoside)Reported from the plant for the first time in 2013; one of four constituents that showed stronger DPPH radical scavenging than ascorbic acid.
Baicalein
FlavoneShowed both antitumour activity against the MGC-803 human gastric carcinoma line in an MTT assay and strong DPPH radical scavenging. Its presence here is notable because baicalein is normally associated with Scutellaria baicalensis.
Apigenin
FlavoneOne of three compounds from the plant with measurable antitumour activity against MGC-803 gastric carcinoma cells in vitro.
Emodin
AnthraquinoneCytotoxic to MGC-803 gastric carcinoma cells in the 2013 screen. Emodin is a stimulant-laxative anthraquinone in other drugs, so its presence is worth knowing when the herb is given internally.
Bergenin
Isocoumarin C-glycosideReported from C. decapetala for the first time in 2013. Bergenin is a widely distributed hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory C-glycoside; no activity specific to this plant has been demonstrated.
Betulin
Lupane-type pentacyclic triterpeneIsolated from the plant for the first time in 2013; no bioactivity was attributed to it in that screen.
Polydatin
Stilbene glycoside (resveratrol 3-O-beta-D-glucoside)Reported from C. decapetala for the first time in 2013; the glucoside of resveratrol.
Epicatechin
Flavan-3-olAmong the constituents showing stronger DPPH radical scavenging than ascorbic acid in the 2013 study; consistent with the strong antioxidant activity reported for methanol extracts of the wood and pericarp.
⚠ Drug Interactions
NSAIDs and other antipyretic analgesics (e.g. aspirin, paracetamol, diclofenac)
A 70% aqueous-methanol extract of C. decapetala leaves and branches at 100 mg/kg reduced acetic-acid writhing, formalin paw-licking and hot-plate latency, carrageenan paw oedema and yeast-induced pyrexia in mice, i.e. the same endpoints an NSAID is measured on. Whether that reflects a shared prostaglandin mechanism was not tested, so any additivity in people is inference, not observation.
Clinical note: There is no clinical pharmacology for this herb in humans. Treat the animal antipyretic effect as a reason to watch for a masked fever rather than as a reason to reduce a patient's analgesic.
Stimulant laxatives and other anthraquinone-containing herbs (e.g. Da Huang, senna)
Emodin, a stimulant-laxative anthraquinone, was isolated from C. decapetala and characterised in the 2013 Molecules study. The amount present was not quantified, so the size of the contribution is unknown, but the constituent is genuinely there.
Clinical note: Relevant only for prolonged internal use, and mainly as a reason to look for diarrhoea and electrolyte loss if the herb is combined with other anthraquinone drugs.
Dosage Calculator
⚖ Dosage Calculator
A weight-based mathematical estimate for Yun Shi. Not a prescription.
Evidence Tier
2 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
2
0 verified · 2 unverified
Other / unclassified
0
Verified: design read from PubMed for a DOI that resolves to the cited paper Unverified: taken from the study's recorded description
Clinical Studies
Analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-pyretic activities of Caesalpinia decapetala.
70% aqueous-methanolic and n-hexane extracts of C. decapetala leaves and branches were given to Swiss albino mice at 100 mg/kg. The aqueous-methanolic extract was consistently the more active of the two across acetic-acid writhing, formalin paw-licking and hot-plate tests, and reduced carrageenan-induced paw oedema and yeast-induced pyrexia. No acute toxicity was seen up to 2000 mg/kg. This is a rodent screening study, not evidence of clinical efficacy.
Characterization of diterpenoids from Caesalpinia decapetala and their anti-TMV activities
Thirteen diterpenoids, three of them previously undescribed, were isolated from C. decapetala and their absolute configurations established by NMR and TDDFT calculation. Most possessed activity against tobacco mosaic virus. The work was aimed at agricultural antiviral agents, so it says nothing about antiviral activity in humans or animals.
Historical Texts
Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing
Han dynastyBen Cao Gang Mu
Ming dynastyReferences
- Xiao-Hua Wei; Sheng-Jie Yang; Na Liang; De-Yu Hu; Lin-Hong Jin; Wei Xue; Song Yang. Chemical Constituents of Caesalpinia decapetala (Roth) Alston . Molecules (2013) [DOI]
- Guo-Xu Ma; Ping Chen; Zhong-Hao Sun; Nai-Liang Zhu; Peng-Fei Li; Jun-Shan Yang; De-Li Chen; Hua Wei. Novel cassane diterpenes from the seeds of Caesalpinia decapetala and their antiproliferative activity . Phytochemistry Letters (2016) [DOI]
- C.R. Pawar; S.J. Surana. Antioxidant Properties of the Methanol Extract of the Wood and Pericarp of Caesalpinia decapetala . Journal of Young Pharmacists (2010) [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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