Japanese cryptotaenia
StarCryptotaenia japonica
Synonyms: Deringa dissecta, Deringa japonica, Cryptotaenia canadensis var. japonica, Cryptotaenia japonica f. dissecta, Cryptotaenia canadensis subsp. japonica, Cryptotaenia japonica var. dissecta, Cryptotaenia canadensis f. warabiana, Cryptotaenia japonica var. warabiana, Cryptotaenia japonica var. atropurpurea, Cryptotaenia japonica f. warabiana, Cryptotaenia canadensis f. atropurpurea, Cryptotaenia canadensis f. dissecta, Cryptotaenia japonica f. pinnatisecta
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
Western Herbalism Properties
Gallery
Botanical Description
A perennial herb of the carrot family native to temperate East Asia, from Vietnam and China through Korea and Japan to Sakhalin, where it grows in moist, shaded woodland and along streamsides. It forms clumps of slender, branching stems 30 to 90 cm tall arising from a short rootstock. The leaves are bright green and divided into three broad, ovate, pointed and toothed leaflets, giving rise to the Japanese name mitsuba ("three leaves"). The small white flowers are borne in loose, sparse compound umbels with unequal rays, a delicate and open inflorescence typical of the genus. The fruit is a narrow, ribbed, oblong schizocarp. The whole plant is aromatic, with a fresh, parsley-like scent, and the tender leaves, stalks and stems are widely cultivated and gathered as a culinary herb. It thrives in cool, humid, shaded conditions on rich, moist soils.
Active Constituents
Luteolin
FlavoneConcentration: Reported at 106806.1 micrograms per gram dry weight in leaf and stem material by UPLC-ESI-MS/MS
The dominant phenolic of the leaf and stem by a wide margin. It carries most of the radical-scavenging and cytokine-suppressing activity of the ethyl acetate fraction, which had the highest total phenolic and flavonoid content of the fractions tested.
Apigenin
FlavoneConcentration: Reported at 13780.8 micrograms per gram dry weight in leaf and stem material
The second most abundant flavone of the aerial parts, contributing to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity attributed to the phenolic fraction.
p-Coumaric acid
Hydroxycinnamic acidConcentration: Reported at 8004.8 micrograms per gram dry weight in leaf and stem material
The principal phenolic acid identified in the aerial parts, one of six phenolic acid compounds characterised in the leaf and stem.
Kaempferol-7-O-glucuronide
Flavonol glucuronideConcentration: Isolated constituent of the herb
Inhibited alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone induced melanin production in B16 melanoma cells in a dose-dependent way, downregulating microphthalmia-associated transcription factor, tyrosinase and TRP1 and reducing CREB phosphorylation.
Tilianin
Flavone glycoside (acacetin-7-O-glucoside)Concentration: Isolated constituent of the herb
Acts with kaempferol-7-O-glucuronide to suppress melanogenesis through the same CREB and MAPK-associated route, raising ERK phosphorylation while lowering JNK phosphorylation in pigment cells.
alpha-Selinene
Sesquiterpene hydrocarbon (essential oil)Concentration: 39.1% of the essential oil of kirimitsuba and 38.4% of nemitsuba, but only 13.2% of itomitsuba
The main sesquiterpene of the two thicker-stemmed Japanese culinary forms of the plant, and the compound that most defines their aroma. The wide spread across cultivated forms means essential oil composition cannot be assumed constant between sources.
Germacrene D
Sesquiterpene hydrocarbon (essential oil)Concentration: 24.1% of the oil of itomitsuba, 12.1% of kirimitsuba, 7.2% of nemitsuba
The dominant sesquiterpene of the thin-stemmed itomitsuba form, where it displaces alpha-selinene as the principal component of the volatile oil.
beta-Selinene
Sesquiterpene hydrocarbon (essential oil)Concentration: 15.5%, 15.2% and 4.8% of the oil of kirimitsuba, nemitsuba and itomitsuba respectively
A consistent companion of alpha-selinene in the volatile oil of the aerial parts, tracking the same pattern across the cultivated forms.
trans-Farnesene
Sesquiterpene hydrocarbon (essential oil)Concentration: 6.0% to 11.1% of the essential oil depending on cultivated form
One of six sesquiterpenoids that together account for most of the volatile oil, which is roughly 95% terpenoid across 53 identified components.
beta-Myrcene
Monoterpene hydrocarbon (essential oil)Concentration: 3.5% to 6.7% of the essential oil
The most abundant monoterpene of the aerial-part oil, ahead of beta-pinene. Monoterpenes are a minor share of this oil compared with the sesquiterpenes.
⚠ Drug Interactions
CYP-metabolised drugs
The aerial parts are exceptionally rich in luteolin and apigenin, flavones that inhibit several cytochrome P450 enzymes in vitro. No pharmacokinetic or interaction study has been done with this plant in animals or people, so whether ordinary culinary or decoction doses reach concentrations that matter is unknown. The species is eaten routinely as the Japanese vegetable mitsuba without a recognised interaction signal, which is reassuring for food-level intake but says nothing about concentrated extracts.
Clinical note: No action is needed for culinary amounts. If a concentrated extract is used long-term alongside a narrow-therapeutic-index drug, monitor the drug's effect or level as you would for any high-flavonoid supplement.
Photosensitising drugs (amiodarone, tetracyclines, thiazides)
Several Apiaceae accumulate furanocoumarins that cause phototoxicity, so the family membership raises the question. No published assay reports furanocoumarins in this species, and its volatile oil has been characterised as roughly 95% terpenoid with no coumarin fraction described. Absence of an assay is not the same as absence of the compounds, so this remains untested rather than excluded.
Clinical note: There is no evidence of a phototoxic risk with this plant and no reason to avoid it on those grounds. Mention sun exposure only if a patient develops an unexplained rash in light-exposed skin while taking a concentrated preparation.
Dosage Calculator
⚖ Dosage Calculator
A weight-based mathematical estimate for Japanese cryptotaenia. Not a prescription.
Evidence Tier
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
0
Other clinical trial
0
Observational / case report
0
In vitro / animal
6
2 verified · 4 unverified
Show 6 studies
- Phenolic composition, antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities of leaf and stem extracts from Cryptotaenia japonica Hassk
- Protective effect of the methanol extract from Cryptotaenia japonica Hassk. against lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation in vitro and in vivo
- Constituents of Cryptotaenia japonica Inhibit Melanogenesis via CREB- and MAPK-Associated Signaling Pathways in Murine B16 Melanoma Cells
- Hypolipidemic and Antioxidant Activity of Mountain Celery (Cryptotaenia japonica Hassk) Seed Essential Oils
- Comparison of Essential Oils from Three Kinds of Cryptotaenia japonica Hassk (Kirimitsuba, Nemitsuba, and Itomitsuba) used in Japanese Food
- Cryptotaenia japonica extract attenuates glucocorticoid-induced muscle atrophy via regulation of the AKT/mTOR–FOXO/E3 ubiquitin ligase axis
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
Phenolic composition, antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities of leaf and stem extracts from Cryptotaenia japonica Hassk
Leaf and stem extracts prepared by four methods and three solvents were compared. The ethyl acetate fraction had the highest total phenolic and flavonoid content and the strongest DPPH and ABTS scavenging, reducing power and activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and beta-haemolytic streptococcus, and it most reduced inflammatory cytokine secretion. Six phenolic acids were identified, with luteolin, apigenin and p-coumaric acid the main compounds. Laboratory assays only.
Protective effect of the methanol extract from Cryptotaenia japonica Hassk. against lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation in vitro and in vivo
A methanol extract of the aerial part reduced nitric oxide release by inhibiting inducible nitric oxide synthase in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated mouse peritoneal macrophages, and lowered tumour necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-6 and interleukin-12. It blocked phosphorylation of STAT1, p38, JNK and ERK1/2 and IkappaB alpha degradation. Oral dosing then lowered serum tumour necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-6 in lipopolysaccharide-injected mice. Mouse and cell work; the paper also records the folk indications for the aerial part.
Constituents of Cryptotaenia japonica Inhibit Melanogenesis via CREB- and MAPK-Associated Signaling Pathways in Murine B16 Melanoma Cells
Kaempferol-7-O-glucuronide and tilianin, both isolated from this plant, dose-dependently suppressed alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone induced melanin production in B16 cells by lowering microphthalmia-associated transcription factor, tyrosinase and TRP1 and reducing CREB phosphorylation. Melanoma cell culture only, with no skin or human testing.
Hypolipidemic and Antioxidant Activity of Mountain Celery (Cryptotaenia japonica Hassk) Seed Essential Oils
Seed essential oil contained 109 compounds, mostly mono- and sesquiterpenoids. Fed as part of the diet, several fractions lowered lipids and raised HDL cholesterol, while radical-scavenging activity varied by fraction, and none altered hepatic phospholipids. This is a rodent feeding study of the seed oil, a different plant part from the leaf and stem used as the medicinal and culinary herb.
Comparison of Essential Oils from Three Kinds of Cryptotaenia japonica Hassk (Kirimitsuba, Nemitsuba, and Itomitsuba) used in Japanese Food
Capillary GC and GC-MS of the three Japanese cultivated forms found 53 volatile components, about 95% terpenoid. Alpha-selinene dominated kirimitsuba and nemitsuba while germacrene D dominated itomitsuba, so the volatile profile differs substantially between forms of the same species. Analytical chemistry only.
Cryptotaenia japonica extract attenuates glucocorticoid-induced muscle atrophy via regulation of the AKT/mTOR–FOXO/E3 ubiquitin ligase axis
An extract of the plant limited glucocorticoid-induced muscle wasting through the AKT/mTOR and FOXO E3 ubiquitin ligase pathways. A recent preclinical report; it has not been followed by any human study.
Historical Texts
East Asian folk medicine, aerial part of the plant
Traditional folk use, pre-modern to presentJapanese culinary tradition as mitsuba
Edo period to presentReferences
- Liu H; Zhang JQ; Zhang RR; Zhao QZ; Su LY; Xu ZS; Cheng ZM; Tan GF; Xiong AS. The high-quality genome of Cryptotaenia japonica and comparative genomics analysis reveals anthocyanin biosynthesis in Apiaceae . The Plant Journal (2024) [DOI]
- Okuno Y; Marumoto S; Miyazawa M. Comparison of Essential Oils from Three Kinds of Cryptotaenia japonica Hassk (Kirimitsuba, Nemitsuba, and Itomitsuba) used in Japanese Food . Journal of Oleo Science (2017) [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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