Chelidonium asiaticum
StarChelidonium asiaticum
Synonyms: Chelidonium majus subsp. asiaticum, Chelidonium majus var. asiaticum, Chelidonium majus var. hirsutum
Western Herbalism Properties
Botanical Description
Chelidonium asiaticum is a herbaceous perennial of the Papaveraceae closely related to the European greater celandine (C. majus), distinguished mainly by leaf and capsule details and now treated as a distinct species native to eastern Asia, including parts of China, the Russian Far East, Korea, and Japan. It grows to 30-80 cm tall from a short, stout rhizome and yellow taproot, producing erect, sparsely hairy, hollow stems that exude a bright orange-yellow latex when broken. The pinnately or deeply lobed alternate leaves are glaucous below and have rounded, crenate lobes. Bright yellow four-petaled flowers about 1.5-2 cm across are borne in long-pedicelled umbel-like cymes in spring and summer, followed by slender, linear capsules 3-5 cm long that split from the base to release small black seeds bearing a white elaiosome that promotes ant dispersal.
Active Constituents
Chelidonine
Benzophenanthridine (isoquinoline) alkaloidConcentration: Major alkaloid of the aerial parts and roots, as in the closely related C. majus
Chelidonine is the principal spasmolytic and antimitotic alkaloid of Chelidonium. It relaxes smooth muscle and disrupts microtubule assembly, giving antiproliferative activity in cell studies, but its metabolites are implicated in the plant's hepatotoxicity.
Sanguinarine
Benzophenanthridine (quaternary) alkaloidConcentration: Present in aerial parts and the bright orange latex; higher in roots
Sanguinarine is a strongly bioactive quaternary alkaloid with antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic properties. It is also the most toxic of the group (blocks hERG cardiac channels, damages DNA), so it is a key contributor to the plant's overall toxicity.
Chelerythrine
Benzophenanthridine (quaternary) alkaloidConcentration: Minor to moderate constituent of aerial parts and latex
Chelerythrine is a protein kinase C inhibitor with antimicrobial and pro-apoptotic activity; like sanguinarine it contributes to cytotoxic and cardiotoxic potential.
Coptisine
Protoberberine alkaloidConcentration: One of the more abundant protoberberine alkaloids in Chelidonium
Coptisine has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and choleretic (bile-stimulating) activity, supporting the traditional use of the herb for liver and gallbladder complaints.
Berberine
Protoberberine alkaloidConcentration: Minor constituent
Berberine contributes antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and metabolic (antidiabetic, hypolipidaemic) activity documented across berberine-containing plants.
Protopine
Protopine-type isoquinoline alkaloidConcentration: Minor constituent of aerial parts
Protopine has mild spasmolytic, analgesic and sedative activity and adds to the smooth-muscle-relaxant profile of Chelidonium extracts.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Hepatotoxic drugs (e.g. paracetamol/acetaminophen, isoniazid, methotrexate, statins)
Chelidonium alkaloids (notably chelidonine metabolites) can cause idiosyncratic herb-induced liver injury by forming reactive quinone species and depleting hepatic glutathione. Combining the herb with other hepatotoxic agents compounds this risk.
Clinical note: Avoid combining Chelidonium preparations with hepatotoxic medications; monitor liver enzymes if the herb is used at all, and discontinue at any sign of liver injury.
QT-prolonging / antiarrhythmic drugs
Sanguinarine and chelerythrine block hERG potassium channels and can prolong cardiac action-potential duration in experimental models, which could add to the effect of QT-prolonging drugs.
Clinical note: Use caution in patients taking antiarrhythmics or other QT-prolonging medications.
CYP-metabolized drugs
Isoquinoline alkaloids such as berberine and coptisine can inhibit cytochrome-P450 enzymes and drug transporters, potentially raising levels of co-administered substrates.
Clinical note: Consider the possibility of altered plasma levels of narrow-therapeutic-index drugs.
Preparation Methods
Fresh latex, topical (traditional)
Parts: fresh stem, latex
The bright orange latex from a broken stem has traditionally been dabbed directly onto warts and corns. This is a folk use only: the latex is caustic and irritant, should never be applied near the eyes or mucous membranes, and should not be ingested.
Dilute decoction / tincture (traditional, restricted)
Parts: aerial parts
In East Asian and European folk practice small, carefully controlled doses of a dilute decoction or standardized tincture were used as an antispasmodic and choleretic for biliary and cramping complaints. Because the whole plant contains toxic isoquinoline alkaloids and has caused serious liver injury, internal use is unsafe without professional supervision and is contraindicated in pregnancy, lactation, liver disease and for children.
Historical Texts
East Asian materia medica (bai qu cai, 白屈菜)
Traditional; formalized in later Chinese and Korean/Japanese pharmacopoeial literatureEuropean herbals on greater celandine (Dioscorides, Culpeper) — applied to the genus
Antiquity to 17th centuryReferences
- Li XL, Sun YP, Wang M, Wang ZB, Kuang HX. Alkaloids in Chelidonium majus L: a review of its phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology . Frontiers in Pharmacology (2024) [DOI]
- Zielińska S, Jezierska-Domaradzka A, Wójciak-Kosior M, Sowa I, Junka A, Matkowski AM. Greater Celandine's Ups and Downs—21 Centuries of Medicinal Uses of Chelidonium majus from the Viewpoint of Today's Pharmacology . Frontiers in Pharmacology (2018) [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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