Coptis japonica
StarCoptis japonica
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
In Japanese kanpō medicine the dried rhizome of Coptis japonica, known as ōren (黄連), is one of the principal source crude drugs for huáng lián, listed in the Japanese Pharmacopoeia. It is taken as a bitter cold remedy for diarrhoea, gastroenteritis, mouth ulcers and conjunctivitis and is a component of classical formulas such as Ōren-gedoku-tō (黄連解毒湯) and Hangeshashin-tō; the berberine-rich rhizome is also used in modern Japanese pharmacy as an antimicrobial bitter (Japanese Pharmacopoeia, 17th ed.; Tsumura kampō materia medica).
Botanical Description
Coptis japonica (Ranunculaceae), known in Japan as ōren (オウレン) and in Chinese herbal practice as one of the accepted sources of huáng lián, is a small evergreen perennial herb of cool, humid mountain forests in Japan and adjacent East Asia. It grows 10–25 cm tall from a slender, branched yellow rhizome that is intensely bitter and produces a brilliant yellow dye when broken. The basal leaves are long-petiolate, ternately or biternately compound, leathery and glossy dark green, with sharply incised and toothed leaflets. In early spring, slender scapes bear one to several small white to greenish-white flowers with five to seven petaloid sepals and narrow nectariferous petals. The fruit is a whorl of stipitate follicles. The bright yellow colour of the rhizome reflects a high content of the alkaloid berberine, along with coptisine and palmatine.
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 Coptis japonica.
No notes yet.