Burningbush
StarDictamnus albus
Synonyms: Dictamnus fraxinella var. albus, Dictamnus fraxinella var. albiflos, Dictamnus albus var. gynodynamicus, Dictamnus caucasicus, Dictamnus albus var. bucharicus, Dictamnus fraxinella var. obtusiflorus, Dictamnus albus var. caucasicus, Dictamnus albus var. angustifolius, Dictamnus albus subsp. turkestanicus, Dictamnus fraxinella, Dictamnus fraxinella var. macrophylla, Fraxinella dictamnus, Dictamnus albus subsp. gymnostylis, Dictamnus gymnostylis, Dictamnus albus var. europaeus, Dictamnus fraxinella var. europaeus, Dictamnus dasycarpus f. velutinus, Dictamnus fraxinella var. grandiflorus, Dictamnus macedonicus, Dictamnus microphyllus, Dictamnus levistylus, Dictamnus angustifolius, Dictamnus tadshikorum, Dictamnus albus var. leucopetalus, Dictamnus odorus, Dictamnus albus var. purpureus, Dictamnus solitarius, Dictamnus caucasicus var. grandidentatus, Dictamnus albus subvar. purpureus, Dictamnus albus var. albiflos, Dictamnus major, Dictamnus albus subsp. caucasicus, Dictamnus albus var. obtusiflorus, Dictamnus fraxinella var. caucasicus, Dictamnus himalayensis, Dictamnus albus subvar. angustifolius, Dictamnus fraxinella var. microphylla, Fraxinella alba, Dictamnus albus var. macedonicus, Dictamnus generalis, Dictamnus fraxinella var. purpureus, Dictamnus albus var. himalayensis, Dictamnus dasycarpus var. velutinus, Dictamnus obtusiflorus, Dictamnus longifrons var. leucopetalus, Dictamnus albus var. lanceolatus, Dictamnus caucasicus var. angustifolius, Dictamnus altaicus, Dictamnus albus subvar. latifolius, Dictamnus sessilis, Dictamnus suffultus, Dictamnus davuricus
Traditionally used for
- Energy & fatigue
Cautions & contraindications
- Pregnancy
- Breastfeeding
- Liver conditions
- Allergy risk
Western Herbalism Properties
Gallery
Botanical Description
Dictamnus albus, commonly known as burning bush, gas plant, dittany or fraxinella, is a striking herbaceous perennial of the Rutaceae family native to warm, open woodlands and rocky slopes of southern Europe, North Africa and across Asia to northern China. It grows 40 to 100 centimetres tall from a stout woody rhizome, with erect, glandular-hairy stems clothed in alternate, pinnately compound leaves whose three to six pairs of dark green, leathery, ovate-lanceolate leaflets and odd terminal leaflet superficially resemble those of an ash tree. In early summer the stems are crowned by a loose pyramidal spike or raceme of conspicuous pale purple, pink or white five-petalled flowers, each 2 to 3 centimetres across, bearing long exserted curving stamens. The fruit is a five-lobed capsule covered, like the upper plant, with prominent dark glands that secrete a strongly aromatic, citrus-scented volatile oil so flammable that on still hot days the air around the inflorescence can briefly ignite — giving the plant its 'burning bush' name. The plant is significantly phototoxic: contact between the sap and skin, followed by sun exposure, causes severe phytophotodermatitis through furocoumarins.
Active Constituents
Dictamnine
Furoquinoline alkaloidConcentration: The principal alkaloid of the root bark; one of three markers isolated by supercritical fluid extraction
The main alkaloid of the drug and the constituent most implicated in its liver toxicity. Its furan ring is bioactivated, primarily by CYP3A4, to a reactive epoxide metabolite; cytotoxicity in primary human hepatocytes and in liver cell lines tracks CYP3A4 expression, rising in CYP3A4-overexpressing cells and falling when the enzyme is inhibited. Furoquinolines of the Rutaceae as a class are also phototoxic.
Obacunone
Limonoid triterpenoidConcentration: One of three principal markers isolated from the root bark
A major limonoid of the root bark, selected alongside dictamnine and fraxinellone for hepatotoxicity testing because of its abundance. It showed neuroprotective activity against glutamate toxicity in rat cortical cell cultures at 0.1 micromolar.
Fraxinellone
Degraded limonoid (nor-triterpenoid)Concentration: One of three principal markers isolated from the root bark
A characteristic degraded limonoid of the root bark and one of the three constituents assessed for hepatocyte toxicity in the subchronic toxicity study. It was among the compounds showing neuroprotection against glutamate-induced injury in cortical cultures.
Limonin
Limonoid triterpenoidConcentration: Known constituent of the root bark
One of eight known limonoids recovered from a methanol extract of the root bark, and one of the six compounds in that study with significant neuroprotective activity against glutamate-induced neurotoxicity.
Rutaevin
Limonoid triterpenoidConcentration: Known constituent of the root bark
A limonoid isolated from the methanol extract of the root bark during a survey of its degraded and intact limonoid content.
Calodendrolide
Degraded limonoidConcentration: Known constituent of the root bark
A degraded limonoid of the root bark that showed significant protection of rat cortical neurons against glutamate-induced toxicity at 0.1 micromolar.
Fraxinellonone
Degraded limonoidConcentration: Known constituent of the root bark
An oxidised relative of fraxinellone recovered from the root bark alongside 9-beta-hydroxyfraxinellone and the dictamdiols.
Dictamnusine
Degraded limonoidConcentration: Minor constituent; first described from this root bark
One of four new degraded limonoids described from the root bark, and among the compounds with significant neuroprotective activity in the same study.
Dictamdiol A and dictamdiol B
Degraded limonoidsConcentration: Minor constituents; first described from this root bark
Two new degraded limonoids characterised from a methanol extract of the root bark; dictamdiol A was among those protecting cortical neurons from glutamate toxicity.
9-alpha-Hydroxyfraxinellone-9-O-glucoside
Degraded limonoid glycosideConcentration: Minor constituent; first described from this root bark
A glycosylated degraded limonoid isolated from the root bark, illustrating that the limonoid fraction occurs partly in glycoside form.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Strong CYP3A4 inducers (rifampicin, carbamazepine, phenytoin, dexamethasone, St John's wort)
This interaction runs the opposite way to the usual expectation, because the toxicity comes from a reactive metabolite rather than from the parent compound. Dictamnine, the main alkaloid of the root bark, is bioactivated through its furan ring largely by CYP3A4. Half-maximal toxic concentrations in primary human hepatocytes, L02, HepG2 and NIH3T3 cells correlated with how much CYP3A4 each expressed; inducing CYP3A4 in primary human hepatocytes with rifampicin increased toxicity, and CYP3A4-overexpressing cells were more susceptible. In mice, pretreatment with dexamethasone worsened the liver injury, whereas ketoconazole reduced alanine and aspartate transaminase activities and raised the AUC and Cmax of serum dictamnine. Inducing the enzyme therefore increases harm even though it lowers exposure to the parent alkaloid.
Clinical note: Do not combine this herb with a strong CYP3A4 inducer. Do not reason that an inducer makes the herb safer by clearing it faster, since the reverse holds. If a patient starts rifampicin, carbamazepine, phenytoin, a corticosteroid course or St John's wort, stop the herb.
Hepatotoxic drugs (paracetamol, methotrexate, isoniazid, azole antifungals) and pre-existing liver disease
The root bark drug has been reported in clinical practice to be associated with acute hepatitis and produces a selective subchronic hepatotoxicity in rodents. In a 28-day mouse study, aqueous and ethanol extracts dosed up to 9.2 g/kg/day significantly raised alanine and aspartate transaminase at the high dose, increased absolute and relative liver weight and the liver to brain ratio, and produced hepatocellular enlargement and nuclear shrinkage on histology, with dictamnine, obacunone and fraxinellone all cytotoxic to HepG2 cells. Adding another hepatotoxin, or dosing a patient whose liver reserve is already reduced, compounds a hazard the herb carries on its own.
Clinical note: Avoid in known liver disease, in hepatitis B or C carriers and in heavy alcohol use. Check liver enzymes before starting and again at two to four weeks, keep courses short, and stop immediately for jaundice, dark urine, pale stools, unexplained nausea or right upper quadrant pain.
Photosensitising drugs and ultraviolet exposure, including PUVA therapy
Furoquinoline alkaloids of the Rutaceae, the class to which the drug's main alkaloid dictamnine belongs, are documented phototoxins, and the Rutaceae is among the plant families most often responsible for phytophotodermatitis. Dictamnus albus itself is the European garden plant known as gas plant or burning bush and has a long-recorded ability to cause dermatitis on contact, described in the clinical literature as early as 1937. The risk is greatest from handling fresh plant material in sunlight, and it is a non-immunological phototoxic reaction rather than an allergy, so it does not require prior sensitisation.
Clinical note: Warn patients handling the fresh plant to cover skin and wash after contact. Take particular care in anyone already on a photosensitising drug or receiving phototherapy, and advise sun protection if a concentrated preparation is used.
Dictamnus angustifolius supplied as substituted Cortex Dictamni
The root bark of Dictamnus angustifolius is used regionally in Xinjiang as a substitute for the official drug. A plant metabolomics comparison of the two root barks found chemical and biological differences between them, with furoquinoline alkaloids identified as the markers likely to account for the difference in activity. Since the furoquinolines are the class that carries both the hepatotoxic and the phototoxic liability, a species substitution changes the safety profile and not only the efficacy.
Clinical note: Require the species on the certificate of analysis rather than accepting the drug name alone, and reject material identified only as Cortex Dictamni.
Pregnancy
Standard Chinese materia medica practice contraindicates this drug in pregnancy. There is a mechanistic reason to respect that: the main alkaloid is metabolically activated to a reactive epoxide, a class of metabolite capable of binding DNA and protein, and no reproductive toxicity study of the drug has been published. This is a precaution grounded in a known bioactivation pathway rather than an observed human harm.
Clinical note: Do not use in pregnancy or when pregnancy is being attempted, and avoid during breastfeeding in the absence of any safety data.
Evidence Tier
Moderate evidence · 7 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
7
2 verified · 5 unverified
Show 7 studies
- The Modulatory Role of CYP3A4 in Dictamnine-Induced Hepatotoxicity
- Subchronic Toxicity Studies of Cortex Dictamni Extracts in Mice and Its Potential Hepatotoxicity Mechanisms in Vitro
- Neuroprotective Limonoids of Root Bark of Dictamnus dasycarpus
- Plant metabolomics driven chemical and biological comparison of the root bark of Dictamnus dasycarpus and Dictamnus angustifolius
- In vitro and in vivo antioxidative and hepatoprotective activity of aqueous extract of Cortex Dictamni
- Antifungal alkaloids and limonoid derivatives from Dictamnus dasycarpus
- Extraction and isolation of dictamnine, obacunone and fraxinellone from Dictamnus dasycarpus Turcz. by supercritical fluid extraction and high-speed counter-current chromatography
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
The Modulatory Role of CYP3A4 in Dictamnine-Induced Hepatotoxicity
Dictamnine toxicity was measured across primary human hepatocytes and three cell lines and tracked their CYP3A4 expression. Inducing CYP3A4 with rifampicin, or overexpressing it, increased toxicity; inhibiting it with ketoconazole reduced toxicity. In mice, ketoconazole lowered transaminases and raised serum dictamnine exposure while dexamethasone worsened injury. This is cell and mouse work, but it gives a clear, directional and clinically usable interaction: CYP3A4 induction increases the liver risk of this herb.
Subchronic Toxicity Studies of Cortex Dictamni Extracts in Mice and Its Potential Hepatotoxicity Mechanisms in Vitro
Mice received aqueous or ethanol extracts of the root bark at 2.3, 4.6 or 9.2 g/kg/day for 28 days. General clinical signs were unchanged, but alanine and aspartate transaminase rose significantly in the high-dose groups, liver weights and the liver to brain ratio increased, and histology showed hepatocellular enlargement and nuclear shrinkage. Dictamnine, obacunone and fraxinellone were then confirmed cytotoxic in HepG2 cells. A rodent toxicology study; it establishes a dose-related liver signal for the whole extract, not only the isolated alkaloid.
Neuroprotective Limonoids of Root Bark of Dictamnus dasycarpus
A methanol extract of the root bark yielded four new degraded limonoids together with eight known compounds including fraxinellone, obacunone, limonin and rutaevin. Six of them protected primary rat cortical cells against glutamate-induced neurotoxicity at 0.1 micromolar. Primary cell culture only, and no animal or human follow-up has been published.
Plant metabolomics driven chemical and biological comparison of the root bark of Dictamnus dasycarpus and Dictamnus angustifolius
The root barks of the official species and of the regionally substituted Dictamnus angustifolius were compared by metabolomics. The two differ chemically and biologically, and furoquinoline alkaloids emerged as the markers most likely to account for the difference in activity. Analytical and in vitro work, relevant chiefly to authentication and substitution. A correction to this paper was published by the same journal in 2016.
In vitro and in vivo antioxidative and hepatoprotective activity of aqueous extract of Cortex Dictamni
An aqueous extract of the root bark showed antioxidative and liver-protective activity in cell and rodent models. It is worth recording alongside the toxicity data because the literature on this drug points both ways: protective at some doses in some models, and hepatotoxic at higher subchronic doses and through CYP3A4 bioactivation of dictamnine. The protective findings do not cancel the toxicity signal.
Antifungal alkaloids and limonoid derivatives from Dictamnus dasycarpus
Alkaloids and limonoid derivatives with antifungal activity were isolated from this species, giving a laboratory basis for the traditional use of the root bark against tinea and other fungal skin complaints. Isolation and antifungal assay work only.
Extraction and isolation of dictamnine, obacunone and fraxinellone from Dictamnus dasycarpus Turcz. by supercritical fluid extraction and high-speed counter-current chromatography
A preparative method for recovering the three principal markers of the root bark. It confirms dictamnine, obacunone and fraxinellone as the compounds used to characterise and standardise this drug. Analytical chemistry only.
Historical Texts
Chinese materia medica tradition, root bark dispensed as Bai Xian Pi
Classical Chinese materia medica through to the modern Chinese PharmacopoeiaTraditional cautions recorded in standard Chinese materia medica practice
Traditional practice to presentEuropean herbal and pharmaceutical tradition of Dictamnus albus (white dittany, gas plant, burning bush)
European use from classical antiquity to the nineteenth centuryReferences
- Qin Y; Quan HF; Zhou XR; Chen SJ; Xia WX; Li H; Huang HL; Fu XY; Dong L. The traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of Dictamnus dasycarpus: a review . Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology (2021) [DOI]
- Cummer CL. DERMATITIS CAUSED BY DICTAMNUS ALBUS (GAS PLANT) . Journal of the American Medical Association (1937) [DOI]
- Towers GH; Graham EA; Spenser ID; Abramowski Z. Phototoxic Furanoquinolines of the Rutaceae . Planta Medica (1981) [DOI]
- Grosu (Dumitrescu) C; Jîjie AR; Manea HC; Moacă EA; Iftode A; Minda D; Chioibaş R; Dehelean CA; Vlad CS. New Insights Concerning Phytophotodermatitis Induced by Phototoxic Plants . Life (2024) [DOI]
- Feng P; Hu X; Wu X; Dong J; Cai X. Characterization of an epoxide-derived metabolite of dictamnine using high-performance liquid chromatography with hybrid linear trap quadrupole orbitrap mass spectrometry . Journal of Separation Science (2016) [DOI]
- Frenzel C; Teschke R. Herbal Hepatotoxicity: Clinical Characteristics and Listing Compilation . International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2016) [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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