Cheng Liu
StarTamarix chinensis Lour.
Traditionally used for
- Cough & breathing
- Colds & fever
- Digestion
- Urinary & fluids
- Mood & calm
- Pain & joints
- Skin
☯ TCM Properties
Releases the Exterior and Vents Rashes; Dispels Wind-Dampness; Promotes Urination; Resolves Toxicity
Traditional Chinese Uses
Cheng Liu (柽柳) is the tender twig and leafy tip of Tamarix chinensis Lour. (Tamaricaceae), Cacumen Tamaricis, the Chinese tamarisk. It is acrid, sweet and salty and neutral, entering the Lung, Stomach and Heart channels. It releases the Exterior and vents rashes, dispels Wind-Dampness, promotes urination, and resolves toxicity.
Its classical indication is measles that will not come out — a rash that is slow to erupt, or that has receded inward with continuing fever and restlessness — where its light, acrid, outward-moving quality lifts the eruption to the surface. It is taken internally and also used as a steam or wash for the same purpose. Beyond this it is used for Wind-Damp painful obstruction with aching joints, and for oedema with difficult urination.
It is not used once a measles rash has fully erupted, and it is avoided where the exterior is already open with profuse sweating.
Western Herbalism Properties
Relationships
Full-screen graph →Click a node for details · double-click to expand it · Ctrl/⌘ + scroll or two fingers to zoom and pan.
Botanical Description
Tamarix chinensis (Chinese tamarisk, saltcedar) is a deciduous, much-branched shrub or small tree in the Tamaricaceae family, 3-7 m tall, native to saline soils, riverbanks, and coastal areas of China and Mongolia. The slender, drooping, reddish-brown to purplish-brown branchlets are clothed with tiny, scale-like, sessile, alternate, lanceolate-acuminate, slightly fleshy leaves 1-3 mm long, giving a feathery juniper-like appearance. The small bisexual flowers, 1-2 mm across, have five pink to rose-pink petals and five stamens; they are crowded in slender, densely flowered terminal racemes 3-6 cm long that combine into large, plumose, branching panicles. The fruit is a small, pyramidal capsule releasing minute, plumed seeds. Cheng Liu uses the young leafy twigs (POWO; Wikipedia).
Active Constituents
Kaempferol
FlavonolOne of nine compounds isolated and identified from Tamarix chinensis in a dedicated phytochemical study of the species. Flavonoids, phenolic acids and tannins are the main phytochemical classes across the genus.
4'-Methylkaempferol
Methylated flavonolA methylated kaempferol derivative isolated from Tamarix chinensis; the pattern of O-methylation is characteristic of the genus.
4',7-Dimethylkaempferol
Methylated flavonolA second methylated kaempferol reported from Tamarix chinensis alongside kaempferol and its 4'-monomethyl ether.
Ferulic acid
Hydroxycinnamic acidA phenolic acid isolated from Tamarix chinensis, consistent with the phenolic-acid-rich profile described for the genus.
Matairesinol
Dibenzylbutyrolactone lignanReported from Tamarix chinensis. Its presence is worth noting only because it is also a lignan of Arctium lappa, so lignan detection alone does not confirm the identity of either drug.
Hexacosyl-3-caffeate
Long-chain alkyl caffeate esterA long-chain caffeic acid ester isolated from Tamarix chinensis; no pharmacological characterisation of this compound in the species has been published.
Flavonol-substituted polysaccharides
Polysaccharide-flavonoid conjugatesThe most distinctive chemistry so far reported for this species: polysaccharides carrying covalently attached flavonol substituents, structurally characterised from Tamarix chinensis and shown to inhibit the complement system in vitro and to reduce influenza A virus-induced acute lung injury in mice. This is the only constituent class of Cheng Liu with a defined mechanism attached.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Immunosuppressants and complement-directed therapy (eculizumab, ciclosporin, corticosteroids)
Flavonol-substituted polysaccharides from Tamarix chinensis inhibit complement activation in vitro and reduce complement-driven lung injury in H1N1-infected mice. No human pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic data exist for this species in any context, so this is a mechanistic caution and nothing stronger.
Clinical note: There is no clinical evidence to act on. Note the mechanism if a patient on complement-directed or immunosuppressive therapy is taking Cheng Liu, and do not present the herb as having any established immune effect in humans.
Evidence Tier
Moderate evidence · 3 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
3
1 verified · 2 unverified
Show 3 studies
- Flavonoid substituted polysaccharides from Tamarix chinensis Lour. alleviate H1N1-induced acute lung injury via inhibiting complement system
- Two Natural Flavonoid Substituted Polysaccharides from Tamarix chinensis: Structural Characterization and Anticomplement Activities
- Anti-Complement, Anti-Oxidative, and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of the Ethanol Extract of Tamarix chinensis Lour.
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
Flavonoid substituted polysaccharides from Tamarix chinensis Lour. alleviate H1N1-induced acute lung injury via inhibiting complement system
Flavonoid-substituted polysaccharides from Tamarix chinensis reduced influenza A virus-induced acute lung injury in mice, with the effect attributed to inhibition of excessive complement activation and consequent reduction of inflammation. The species used is Tamarix chinensis specifically, not another Tamarix.
Two Natural Flavonoid Substituted Polysaccharides from Tamarix chinensis: Structural Characterization and Anticomplement Activities
Structural characterisation of two polysaccharides bearing flavonoid substituents isolated from Tamarix chinensis, with anticomplement activity demonstrated in vitro. This is the chemistry underlying the later animal work on acute lung injury.
Anti-Complement, Anti-Oxidative, and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of the Ethanol Extract of Tamarix chinensis Lour.
An ethanol extract of Tamarix chinensis showed anticomplement, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, consistent with the traditional use of the twigs and leaves for inflammatory disorders. Extract-level in vitro work only, with no human data.
Historical Texts
Kai Bao Ben Cao
Song dynasty, 973 CEReferences
- Li F, Xie W, Ding X, Xu K, Fu X. Phytochemical and pharmacological properties of the genus Tamarix: a comprehensive review . Archives of Pharmacal Research (2024) [DOI]
- Zhao L, Peng XJ, Xia PF, Duan WD. [Chemical constituents of Tamarix chinensis] . Zhong Yao Cai (Journal of Chinese Medicinal Materials) (2014)
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.
📝 Notes
Public notes from the community and your own private notes on Cheng Liu.
No notes yet.