Crepidiastrum sonchifolium
StarCrepidiastrum sonchifolium
Synonyms: Paraixeris sonchifolia, Ixeris denticulata subsp. sonchifolia, Lactuca denticulata var. sonchifolia, Ixeridium sonchifolium, Ixeris sonchifolia, Youngia sonchifolia
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
- Headaches
- Teeth & mouth
- Digestion
- Urinary & fluids
- Pain & joints
- Heart & circulation
- Liver & jaundice
Cautions & contraindications
- Allergy risk
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
In China Crepidiastrum sonchifolium (Ixeris sonchifolia) is described in classical herbals as cold and bitter, used to clear heat and toxins, dispel pus and carbuncles, promote blood circulation and dispel stasis, cool the blood and stop bleeding, protect the liver and gallbladder, and promote diuresis; it has been used for stomachache, hepatitis, infections, inflammation, headaches, rheumatism and toothache. In Korea the bitter young leaves are eaten as a wild vegetable and made into kimchi (Chinese materia medica; Korean ethnobotany).
Botanical Description
Crepidiastrum sonchifolium (synonym Ixeris sonchifolia), the sowthistle-leaf crepidiastrum, is an annual or biennial herb of the family Asteraceae native to eastern Asia, including China, Korea and Mongolia, where it grows on grassy slopes, roadsides, field margins and other open, disturbed ground, and is also cultivated in Korea as a leaf vegetable. It forms a basal rosette of bluish-green leaves that are oblong to spoon-shaped with clasping, ear-like (auriculate) bases and toothed or lobed margins, exuding a bitter milky latex when cut. The erect flowering stem bears smaller clasping leaves and branches into a loose cluster of flower heads. Each small head is composed entirely of yellow ligulate florets and is subtended by narrow involucral bracts. After flowering the florets develop into slender, beaked achenes carrying a pappus of fine white hairs for wind dispersal. The whole plant has the characteristic bitter, cooling quality used in both food and medicine.
Active Constituents
Luteolin-7-O-glucuronide
Flavone glucuronideConcentration: One of ten principal ingredients of the extract injection
A major flavone of the whole plant and of the injectable extract. It was identified by Mas-related G protein-coupled receptor X2 cell membrane chromatography as one of four potential anaphylactoid components of Kudiezi injection, and it triggered concentration-dependent beta-hexosaminidase and histamine release from LAD2 mast cells.
Apigenin-7-O-glucuronide
Flavone glucuronideConcentration: One of ten principal ingredients of the extract injection
A principal flavone glucuronide of the preparation and, like luteolin-7-O-glucuronide, an identified anaphylactoid component that bound MRGPRX2 and released beta-hexosaminidase and histamine from mast cells in vitro. It is cleared rapidly from rat plasma after intravenous dosing.
Luteolin-7-O-glucoside
Flavone glycosideConcentration: One of ten principal ingredients of the extract injection
Also called luteoloside or cynaroside, this is one of the main flavone glycosides of the plant and of the injection. It was among the four constituents flagged as anaphylactoid mediators acting through MRGPRX2.
Luteolin-7-O-gentiobioside
Flavone glycosideConcentration: One of ten principal ingredients of the extract injection
A disaccharide flavone glycoside characteristic of the preparation. Pharmacokinetic work in rats showed it, like the other flavone glycosides, is eliminated quickly after a single intravenous dose.
Luteolin
Flavone aglyconeConcentration: Present as the aglycone and released from its glycosides
The free aglycone underlying the plant's main flavone glycosides. It was the fourth of the constituents identified as an anaphylactoid component of the injection through MRGPRX2 binding and mast cell degranulation.
Chlorogenic acid
Caffeoylquinic acid (phenylpropanoid)Concentration: Identified as 3-caffeoylquinic acid, one of ten principal ingredients of the injection
The plant and its injectable extract carry all three mono-caffeoylquinic acid isomers, 3-, 4- and 5-caffeoylquinic acid. These phenolic acids are the main antioxidant contributors in fingerprint-efficacy models of the injectable and are used as quality-control markers.
Caffeic acid
Hydroxycinnamic acidConcentration: One of ten principal ingredients of the extract injection
A simple phenolic acid of the preparation, contributing to its measured radical-scavenging activity.
Chicoric acid
Dicaffeoyltartaric acidConcentration: One of ten principal ingredients of the extract injection
A dicaffeoyl tartaric acid ester identified in the injectable extract by HPLC-Q-TOF-MS and predicted to contribute to the preparation's cardiovascular targets.
Caftaric acid
Caffeoyltartaric acidConcentration: One of ten principal ingredients of the extract injection
A monocaffeoyl tartaric acid ester of the injectable extract, identified alongside chicoric acid in the constituent survey of the preparation.
Ixerin Z
Guaianolide sesquiterpene lactone glycosideConcentration: Characteristic sesquiterpene lactone glycoside of the herb
A marker sesquiterpene lactone glycoside of this species whose metabolic fate has been mapped in rats by high-resolution mass spectrometry. Sesquiterpene lactones are the class most associated with the bitter taste and the anti-inflammatory reputation of the herb.
Sonchifoliasolides A, B and C
Sesquiterpene lactonesConcentration: Minor constituents isolated from the roots
Three sesquiterpene lactones first described from the roots of this species, together with 11-epi-8-desoxyartelin. They are root constituents and should not be assumed present in whole-plant or injectable preparations at the same levels.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Intravenous drugs co-infused with Kudiezi injection, including other traditional Chinese medicine injections
The injectable extract of this plant has been associated with a high rate of adverse effects including anaphylactoid reactions. Two-dimensional MRGPRX2 cell membrane chromatography identified luteolin-7-O-glucuronide, apigenin-7-O-glucuronide, luteoloside and luteolin as the responsible components, and these released beta-hexosaminidase and histamine from LAD2 mast cells in a concentration-dependent way, with molecular docking supporting direct MRGPRX2 binding. This is receptor-mediated pseudo-allergy, so it can occur on first exposure with no prior sensitisation. A nested case-control study drawing on hospital information system records from 18 Chinese hospitals found that the choice of solvent was significantly associated with suspected allergic reactions, that giving any of eight other injections at the same time as this one was a risk factor, and that co-administration with mannitol or fructose increased the risk.
Clinical note: This risk belongs to the injectable hospital preparation, not to the dried herb. Give it alone rather than alongside other injections, avoid mannitol and fructose as co-administered solutions, never mix it in the same line or container with another product, observe the patient closely for the first 30 minutes, and stop the infusion at the first sign of flushing, urticaria, dyspnoea or hypotension.
Other MRGPRX2-activating drugs (vancomycin, fluoroquinolones, neuromuscular blocking agents, morphine)
Four flavones of this preparation act on MRGPRX2, the same mast cell receptor through which vancomycin, fluoroquinolones, neuromuscular blockers and opioids produce non-IgE pseudo-allergic reactions. Additive degranulation is a reasonable inference from that shared mechanism, but no clinical study has tested the combination and no case series has been published.
Clinical note: Treat as a reason for caution rather than a known event. Where a patient is receiving another recognised MRGPRX2 agonist, separate the administrations in time and monitor for flushing, urticaria and hypotension.
Antiplatelet and anticoagulant drugs
The herb is used traditionally to move blood and disperse stasis, and the injection is given for coronary and cerebral ischaemia on that rationale. In the registered stroke trial it was added on top of routine care, which in acute ischaemic stroke includes antiplatelet therapy, and no excess bleeding was reported; that trial was not designed or powered to detect a bleeding signal. No pharmacological antiplatelet mechanism has been demonstrated for the herb itself.
Clinical note: There is no established bleeding interaction, but the combination is plausible enough to warrant checking for bruising or bleeding when the herb is used with warfarin, direct oral anticoagulants or dual antiplatelet therapy.
Dosage Calculator
⚖ Dosage Calculator
A weight-based mathematical estimate for Crepidiastrum sonchifolium. Not a prescription.
Evidence Tier
1 RCT · 6 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
1
1 verified · 0 unverified
Other clinical trial
0
Observational / case report
0
In vitro / animal
5
1 verified · 4 unverified
Show 5 studies
- A high expression Mas-related G protein coupled receptor X2 cell membrane chromatography coupled with liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry method for screening potential anaphylactoid components in kudiezi injection
- Potential mechanism of action of Ixeris sonchifolia extract injection against cardiovascular diseases revealed by combination of HPLC-Q-TOF-MS, virtual screening and systems pharmacology approach
- Simultaneous Determination of Five Phenolic Acids and Four Flavonoid Glycosides in Rat Plasma Using HPLC-MS/MS and Its Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study after a Single Intravenous Administration of Kudiezi Injection
- Sesquiterpene lactones from Ixeris sonchifolia (Bge.) Hance
- Holistic Evaluation of Quality Consistency of Ixeris sonchifolia (Bunge) Hance Injectables by Quantitative Fingerprinting in Combination with Antioxidant Activity and Chemometric Methods
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
Effects of Kudiezi Injection on Serum Inflammatory Biomarkers in Patients with Acute Cerebral Infarction
Patients presenting within 48 hours of acute cerebral infarction at three Chinese hospitals were randomised to routine treatment alone or routine treatment plus Kudiezi injection, and followed with NIH Stroke Scale scores and serum cytokines to day 14. Stroke scores were lower in the Kudiezi arm on days 5 and 7. Compared with controls the Kudiezi group had lower interleukin-6 and interleukin-18 on day 5, and lower interleukin-18, matrix metalloproteinase-9 and S100 calcium-binding protein B by day 14, with higher interleukin-10 early. This is the principal human trial of the drug, it is registered as NCT01636154, and it tests the intravenous extract rather than the dried herb.
A high expression Mas-related G protein coupled receptor X2 cell membrane chromatography coupled with liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry method for screening potential anaphylactoid components in kudiezi injection
A two-dimensional MRGPRX2 cell membrane chromatography system coupled to mass spectrometry was used to find which constituents of the injection drive its anaphylactoid reactions. Luteolin-7-O-glucuronide, apigenin-7-O-glucuronide, luteoloside and luteolin were identified, and each increased beta-hexosaminidase and histamine release from LAD2 mast cells with rising concentration. Cell and chromatography work, but it supplies the mechanism for a recognised clinical adverse effect.
Potential mechanism of action of Ixeris sonchifolia extract injection against cardiovascular diseases revealed by combination of HPLC-Q-TOF-MS, virtual screening and systems pharmacology approach
HPLC-Q-TOF-MS resolved the injectable extract into ten main ingredients: the three mono-caffeoylquinic acids, caffeic acid, chicoric acid, caftaric acid, apigenin-7-O-glucuronide and three luteolin glycosides. Target prediction and docking then proposed 39 protein targets and nine pathways relevant to cardiovascular disease, including EGFR, MAPK10 and SRC. The pharmacology here is computational, so the targets are predictions rather than measured effects; the value of the paper is the constituent inventory.
Simultaneous Determination of Five Phenolic Acids and Four Flavonoid Glycosides in Rat Plasma Using HPLC-MS/MS and Its Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study after a Single Intravenous Administration of Kudiezi Injection
Nine markers were measured in rat plasma after a single intravenous dose of the injection. Luteolin-7-O-gentiobioside, luteolin-7-O-glucuronide, luteolin-7-O-glucoside and apigenin-7-O-glucuronide were all cleared rapidly, with half-lives under about six hours. A rat pharmacokinetic study; no human pharmacokinetic data exist for the preparation.
Sesquiterpene lactones from Ixeris sonchifolia (Bge.) Hance
Four sesquiterpene lactones were isolated from the roots of this species and their structures established spectroscopically: 11-epi-8-desoxyartelin and sonchifoliasolides A, B and C. A phytochemical isolation study on root material, with no pharmacological testing.
Holistic Evaluation of Quality Consistency of Ixeris sonchifolia (Bunge) Hance Injectables by Quantitative Fingerprinting in Combination with Antioxidant Activity and Chemometric Methods
Twenty-three batches of the injectable were fingerprinted at five wavelengths and assessed against seven marker compounds, then linked to radical-scavenging activity by partial least squares modelling. The work documents measurable batch-to-batch variation in this preparation and identifies which phenolic components carry the antioxidant activity. Analytical and in vitro only.
Historical Texts
Folk and ethnomedical use in northern China (Shandong, Hebei, Inner Mongolia and the northeast)
Traditional folk use, pre-modern to presentKudiezi injection, a manufactured extract preparation of the whole plant
Modern Chinese hospital practice, from the late twentieth centuryReferences
- Li KW; Liang YY; Xie SM; Niu FJ; Guo LY; Liu ZH; Zhou CZ; Wang LZ. Ixeris sonchifolia: a review of its traditional uses, chemical constituents, pharmacology and modern applications . Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy (2020) [DOI]
- Shi P; Zhang Y; Qu H; Fan X. Systematic characterisation of secondary metabolites from Ixeris sonchifolia by the combined use of HPLC-TOFMS and HPLC-ITMS . Phytochemical Analysis (2010) [DOI]
- Cai W; Zhang JY; Dong LY; Yin PH; Wang CG; Lu JQ; Zhang HG. Identification of the metabolites of Ixerin Z from Ixeris sonchifolia Hance in rats by HPLC–LTQ-Orbitrap mass spectrometry . Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis (2015) [DOI]
- Ma JY; Wang ZT; Xu LS. Sesquiterpene lactones from Ixeris sonchifolia . Phytochemistry (1998) [DOI]
- Liao X; Zeng XB; Xie YM; Yang W; Ai QH. Analysis of questionable allergic factors to Kudiezi injection——nested case control study using hospital information system data . China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica (2014) [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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