Da Ji
StarCirsium japonicum Fisch. ex DC.
Traditionally used for
- Nose & throat
- Menstrual & women's health
- Skin
Cautions & contraindications
- Bleeding disorders
- Toxic — professional use only
☯ TCM Properties
Cools the Blood and Stops Bleeding; Invigorates Blood and Reduces Swelling; Clears Heat and Resolves Toxicity
Traditional Chinese Uses
Da Ji (Japanese thistle herb) is a cool herb used in Chinese medicine primarily to cool the Blood and stop bleeding caused by Heat patterns — including nosebleeds, hemoptysis, and heavy uterine bleeding. It reduces swellings, carbuncles, and abscesses from Heat toxin accumulation, and is applied topically for traumatic wounds. It is one of the key herbs in the classical emergency bleeding formula Shi Hui San (Ten Charred Substances Powder).
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
Cirsium japonicum, the Japanese thistle, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Asteraceae, native to grasslands, roadsides, mountain meadows, and open hillsides of eastern China, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, where it grows from sea level to montane elevations. The plant produces a stout, fleshy, branched taproot and ascends 50-150 cm on erect, ribbed, sparingly branched stems clothed in fine cobwebby hairs. The alternate leaves are oblong-lanceolate to elliptic, 20-40 cm long at the base and smaller upward, pinnately lobed with spiny-toothed margins and a sessile, somewhat clasping base on the upper leaves. Solitary or few-clustered, erect to slightly nodding flower heads 3-5 cm across appear at the stem tips in summer, with numerous purple to reddish-purple tubular florets emerging from a globose to ovoid involucre of overlapping, narrow, spine-tipped bracts. The fruit is a brown achene crowned by a feathery pappus, dispersed by wind.
Active Constituents
Pectolinarin
Flavone O-glycosideConcentration: one of the two dominant flavone glycosides of the plant; purified to 97.4% from C. japonicum by macroporous resin enrichment followed by preparative HPLC
Pectolinarin is the characteristic flavonoid of Cirsium japonicum. It has an ORAC value of 4543 micromol TE/g, inhibits COX-2 by around 40% at 50 micrograms/mL, inhibits advanced glycation end-product formation, and reduced LPS-induced acute liver and kidney injury in mice. It is also the constituent behind the plant's anti-inflammatory rather than haemostatic reputation.
Linarin
Flavone O-glycosideConcentration: the second major flavone glycoside; purified to 96.7% from C. japonicum
Linarin is the weaker antioxidant of the pair, with an ORAC value of 1441 micromol TE/g, but it is the stronger COX-2 inhibitor of the two, at about 55% inhibition at 50 micrograms/mL.
Chlorogenic acid
Hydroxycinnamic acid ester (caffeoylquinic acid)Concentration: the dominant organic acid; organic acids made up 57 of 94 compounds identified by UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap MS
Chlorogenic acid dominates the organic-acid fraction of the drug. Organic acids, chlorogenic and caffeic acid in particular, are the fraction linked in the analytical literature to the haemostatic effect for which Da Ji is prescribed.
Caffeic acid
Hydroxycinnamic acidOne of the organic acids of C. japonicum with prior evidence of haemostatic activity, and part of the fraction that shortens clotting and bleeding times in animal work on the crude extract.
Cirsium japonicum polyphenol fraction
Mixed polyphenols (flavonoids and phenolic acids)Six polyphenol peaks characterised by HPLC-MS in an extract of the plant bound COX-2 and DPPH in ultrafiltration-LC screening and downregulated COX-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase in LPS-stimulated macrophages. This mixed fraction, not any one compound, is what a decoction of the herb delivers.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Euphorbia pekinensis root (Jing Da Ji), dispensed as Da Ji
Two entirely unrelated drugs are pronounced Da Ji in Mandarin and are distinguished only by the written character. Cirsium japonicum is Da Ji written with the thistle character, a cooling haemostatic given at ordinary doses. Euphorbia pekinensis Rupr. root is Da Ji written with the halberd character and is known in the trade as Jing Da Ji: a drastic water-expelling purgative whose active and toxic constituents are diterpenoids, triterpenoids and glycosphingolipids. Its mechanism has now been worked out: Euphorbia pekinensis glycosphingolipids, including a novel hexosylceramide, are direct agonists of the TRPA1 channel on intestinal enterochromaffin cells, triggering calcium influx and excessive serotonin release, which produces the violent diarrhoea. E. pekinensis is normally processed with vinegar, milk or Terminalia chebula decoction specifically to reduce this toxicity, and it is one of the drugs classically incompatible with Gan Cao (licorice) in the eighteen incompatibilities. Cirsium japonicum has no such restriction and no such toxicity.
Clinical note: Never accept an unqualified Da Ji on a prescription or a supplier's invoice. Confirm which drug is meant: Cirsii Japonici Herba seu Radix (thistle) or Euphorbiae Pekinensis Radix (Jing Da Ji). If the patient develops profuse watery diarrhoea after a Da Ji-containing formula, suspect that Euphorbia was dispensed, stop the formula and rehydrate. Also note that a third drug, Knoxiae Radix, is traded as Hong Da Ji and shares the same name.
Cirsium setosum (Xiao Ji), substituted for or mixed with Cirsium japonicum
Cirsium japonicum and Cirsium setosum are the officinal Da Ji and Xiao Ji respectively, are strikingly similar morphologically, and are documented as susceptible to mutual adulteration in herbal markets, to the point that species-specific loop-mediated isothermal amplification assays targeting the ITS region have been developed for market authentication. The two are not interchangeable in use: comparative work found that C. japonicum is used mainly for inflammation while C. setosum favours haemostasis, and that the two combined act more strongly than either alone.
Clinical note: Less dangerous than the Euphorbia confusion but still a substitution. Where the indication is haemorrhage rather than sores and swellings, confirm which Cirsium was supplied; DNA-based authentication is available for disputed batches.
Warfarin, direct oral anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents
Da Ji is a haemostatic, and the direction of the interaction is the reverse of most blood-moving herbs in this category. Extracts of Cirsium japonicum, alone and combined with C. setosum, significantly shortened in vitro clotting time and rabbit trauma bleeding time compared with control. No human study exists, and the constituents responsible are the organic acids rather than a specific coagulation-factor effect.
Clinical note: In an anticoagulated patient, treat unexplained INR drift downwards after starting Da Ji as possibly herb-related. Do not rely on Da Ji to reverse anticoagulation.
Insulin, sulfonylureas and other hypoglycaemic drugs
Extract of Cirsium japonicum var. maackii, a variety of this species rather than the type material used in Chinese pharmacy, reduced body weight and fat mass, lowered blood glucose and improved insulin sensitivity over six weeks in db/db diabetic mice. The finding belongs to that variety and to a Korean research line; it has not been reproduced for the Chinese officinal drug or in humans.
Clinical note: No action needed on present evidence. If a diabetic patient takes a Cirsium product long term, ordinary glucose monitoring suffices.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 9–15 g | Daily | — | — | 中国药典 2020 【用法与用量】9~15g。 【性味与归经】甘、苦，凉。归心、肝经。 — Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020, quoted verbatim; route and cautions preserved. Replaces a cleared category-filler value. |
Evidence Tier
Moderate evidence · 5 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
5
3 verified · 2 unverified
Show 5 studies
- Study on the Compositional Analysis, Extraction Process, and Hemostatic and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Cirsium japonicum Fisch. ex DC.–Cirsium setosum (Willd.) MB Extracts
- Purification Process and In Vitro and In Vivo Bioactivity Evaluation of Pectolinarin and Linarin from Cirsium japonicum
- Cirsium japonicum leaf extract attenuated lipopolysaccharide-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome in mice via suppression of the NLRP3 and HIF1α pathways
- Effects of Cirsium japonicum var. maackii on avelliation of metabolic disease by improving insulin resistance
- Species-specific isothermal nucleic acid amplification assay targeting Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) for rapid authentication of the medicinal crop Cirsium japonicum and Cirsium setosum in herbal markets
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
Study on the Compositional Analysis, Extraction Process, and Hemostatic and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Cirsium japonicum Fisch. ex DC.–Cirsium setosum (Willd.) MB Extracts
Analysed the constituents of C. japonicum and C. setosum extracts by UHPLC-MS, optimised extraction by response surface methodology, then tested haemostasis and inflammation in rabbits. The C. japonicum, C. setosum and combined extracts all significantly shortened coagulation and bleeding time versus blank, and the combination acted synergistically. The paper also states the practical division between the two drugs: C. japonicum is used mainly for inflammation, C. setosum favours haemostasis.
Purification Process and In Vitro and In Vivo Bioactivity Evaluation of Pectolinarin and Linarin from Cirsium japonicum
Purified pectolinarin and linarin from C. japonicum to 97.39% and 96.65%. Pectolinarin had an ORAC value of 4543 and linarin 1441 micromol TE/g; inhibition of BSA-MGO-derived advanced glycation end-products was 63.58% and 19.31% at 2 mg/mL; COX-2 inhibition at 50 micrograms/mL was 55.35% for linarin and 40.40% for pectolinarin. In mice, pectolinarin alleviated LPS-induced acute liver and kidney injury on histology, transaminases, creatinine and TNF-alpha.
Cirsium japonicum leaf extract attenuated lipopolysaccharide-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome in mice via suppression of the NLRP3 and HIF1α pathways
Leaf extract of C. japonicum reduced alveolar wall thickening, inflammatory-cell infiltration, proteinaceous debris and hyaline membranes in LPS-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome in mice, with suppression of alveolar macrophage activation and of NLRP3 and HIF1-alpha signalling. Note the plant part: this used leaf, whereas the Chinese drug is the whole aerial herb or the root.
Effects of Cirsium japonicum var. maackii on avelliation of metabolic disease by improving insulin resistance
Six weeks of C. japonicum var. maackii extract in db/db type 2 diabetic mice reduced body weight and fat mass, lowered blood glucose, improved insulin sensitivity, raised HDL and lowered LDL, and reduced histological liver and kidney damage. The material is the maackii variety, not the type species dispensed as Da Ji in Chinese pharmacy.
Species-specific isothermal nucleic acid amplification assay targeting Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) for rapid authentication of the medicinal crop Cirsium japonicum and Cirsium setosum in herbal markets
Developed species-specific loop-mediated isothermal amplification primer sets against the ITS barcode to tell Cirsium japonicum from Cirsium setosum, with a limit of detection of 100 pg. The paper's premise is the documented market problem: the two are so alike morphologically that they are readily adulterated for one another. A corrigendum to this article was published in the same journal in 2026.
⚠ Rule-Based Cautions
These entries come from the deterministic rule tables that gate Verscienta's formula tools — classical pair prohibitions, pregnancy and lactation contraindications, and dose ceilings.
Incompatibilities (十八反 / 十九畏)
- 十八反: Gan Cao × Da Ji — avoid combining with Gan Cao / Glycyrrhiza / Licorice
Pregnancy
Avoid toxic purgative
Historical Texts
Ming Yi Bie Lu
Southern and Northern dynasties, circa 500 CEBen Cao Jing Ji Zhu
Southern dynasties, Tao HongjingXin Xiu Ben Cao
Tang dynasty, 659References
- Zhu X, Li Y, Wang Y, Gu Y. Cirsium japonicum Fisch. ex DC.: A review of ethnomedicine, botany, phytochemistry, pharmacology and pharmacokinetics . Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2026) [DOI]
- Kim HH, Jeong SH, Park MY, Bhosale PB, Abusaliya A, Kim HW, Seong JK, Kim DI, Lee SJ, Park KI, Kim GS. Potential Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Polyphenolic Compounds from Cirsium japonicum Extract . International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2024) [DOI]
- Wang JY, Zou YF, Li KL, Chen YF, Liu L, Wu SS, Li H. Comprehensive and Rapid Chemical Profiling of Cirsium japonicum DC Utilizing UHPLC‐Q‐Orbitrap MS With Parallel Reaction Monitoring . Journal of Analytical Methods in Chemistry (2026) [DOI]
- Liang Q, Hu JX, Liang ZS, Xiao LL, Xu WH. Euphorbia pekinensis Rupr. roots: a comprehensive review of botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, quality control, and toxicology . Natural Product Research (2024) [DOI]
- Cao J, Liu B, Li S, Cheng Z, Zhang K, Xu Y, Gu Y, Zeng M, Shen C, Li X, Yu R, Cui X, Bian H, Zhang X, Wu H, Wang X, Yu H. Euphorbia pekinensis glycosphingolipids disrupt gut motility and fluid balance via TRPA1 activation in enterochromaffin cells . British Journal of Pharmacology (2025) [DOI]
- Jiang EC, Yu HL, Zhang SR, Liu BB, Wang XZ, Wu H. [Common detoxification mechanisms in processing of toxic medicinal herbs of the same genus: a case study of Euphorbia pekinensis, E. ebracteolata, and E. fischeriana]. . China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica (2025) [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.
📝 Notes
Public notes from the community and your own private notes on Da Ji.
No notes yet.