Fang Feng
StarSaposhnikovia divaricata (Turcz.) Schischk.
Traditionally used for
- Headaches
- Colds & fever
- Bowel health
- Pain & joints
- Skin
☯ TCM Properties
Releases the Exterior and Disperses Wind-Cold; Overcomes Dampness and stops pain; Extinguishes Wind and Stops Spasms; Stops Diarrhea; Relieves Itching
Traditional Chinese Uses
Fang Feng (siler root) is a mild, warm herb considered the primary Wind-dispersing herb in Chinese medicine — sometimes called "the herb that guards against Wind." It releases Wind-Cold from the Exterior for headache and chills, dispels Wind-Cold-Damp from the channels for joint and muscle pain, and stops Wind-induced itching and skin conditions. Unlike many acrid-warm herbs, it is gentle enough for use in those with underlying Yin or Blood deficiency when appropriately combined.
Pharmacological Effects
- Antipyretic: 10 ml/kg of 20% decoction or extract p.o. produced a modest antipyretic effect within 0.5 h lasting over 2.5 h in rabbits with vaccine-induced fever; decoction stronger than extract.
- Antimicrobial: Decoction inhibited several bacteria, fungi and a virus in vitro.
- Antiinflammatory and analgesic: Aqueous or ethanolic extract (10 g/kg p.o.) suppressed rat paw edema; ethanolic extract weakly analgesic in mice (21.18 g/kg p.o. or 42.36 g/kg s.c.); sec-O-glucosylhamaudol and the oil are analgesic actives.
- Anticonvulsant and hypotensive: 0.5 ml of 50% decoction twice daily for 6 days protected 60% of mice against electroshock; cimifugin, hamaudol and 5-O-methylvisamminol were somewhat hypotensive.
Source: Zhu YP. Chinese Materia Medica: Chemistry, Pharmacology and Applications. Harwood Academic, 1998, p. 62.
Used In Formulas (98)
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Saposhnikovia divaricata is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Apiaceae and the sole species of its genus, native to grasslands, dry sandy slopes, and rocky steppes of northern China, Mongolia, Korea, and southeastern Siberia. The plant grows 30-80 cm tall from a stout, fleshy taproot crowned by fibrous remains of old leaf bases. The basal leaves are long-petioled and 2-3 times pinnately divided into narrow, linear-lanceolate segments, giving a finely dissected appearance, while stem leaves are progressively smaller and more sheathing. Numerous compound umbels of small white flowers appear in summer on much-branched, slightly ribbed stems, followed by ovoid schizocarp fruits about 4-5 mm long. The species prefers dry, well-drained sandy or gravelly soils in full sun and tolerates cold continental winters. The root, harvested in spring or autumn, is the medicinal part.
Active Constituents
Prim-O-glucosylcimifugin
Furochromone glycosideConcentration: the most abundant single chromone of the root; a quality study of 55 commercial batches proposed that qualified material should carry more than 3 mg/g of the six chromones taken together
One of the two chromone glycosides the Chinese Pharmacopoeia assays to judge the identity and quality of Fang Feng. It behaves as a prodrug: it is hydrolysed in the gut to cimifugin, which is the species that reaches the circulation. In collagen-induced arthritis it suppresses fibroblast-like synoviocyte proliferation and the P2X7R/NLRP3 pyroptosis axis, with guanylate-binding protein 5 identified as a direct target.
4'-O-beta-D-glucosyl-5-O-methylvisamminol (5-O-methylvisamminoside)
Furochromone glycosideConcentration: the second most abundant chromone; assayed together with prim-O-glucosylcimifugin as the Chinese Pharmacopoeia identity marker pair
Together with prim-O-glucosylcimifugin this is the chemical basis on which authentic Saposhnikovia is separated from its market substitutes, since the substituting Apiaceae do not reproduce the chromone pattern. Like its partner it is deglycosylated before absorption, to 5-O-methylvisamminol.
Cimifugin
Furochromone aglyconeThe circulating aglycone of prim-O-glucosylcimifugin and a principal anti-inflammatory constituent. Its intestinal handling is CYP3A-dependent, which is the main pharmacokinetic reason to think about co-medication with this herb.
Sec-O-glucosylhamaudol and hamaudol
Chromone glycoside and aglyconePart of the six-chromone panel used for quality grading. Sec-O-glucosylhamaudol carries much of the analgesic activity reported for the root.
3'-O-Angeloylhamaudol
Chromone esterA lipophilic chromone concentrated in the root cortex rather than the woody core, which is why peeled or over-woody drug assays low.
Psoralen, bergapten, imperatorin and phellopterin
Linear furanocoumarinThe safety-relevant fraction of this herb. Linear furanocoumarins intercalate DNA and cross-link it under UVA, the mechanism behind PUVA therapy and behind Apiaceae phytophotodermatitis. As a compound class they are also mechanism-based inhibitors of CYP3A4 and CYP1A2. They are present in Fang Feng in far smaller amounts than in Angelica or Heracleum drugs, but they are present.
Nodakenin
Coumarin glycosideA dihydrofuranocoumarin glycoside, not a photoactive linear furanocoumarin. It contributes to the sedative and analgesic profile reported in rodent work.
Falcarindiol and panaxynol (falcarinol)
C17 polyacetyleneTypical Apiaceae polyacetylenes, cytotoxic in vitro at low micromolar concentrations and contributing to the antiproliferative activity of crude extracts. They are also common contact sensitisers in this plant family.
SP-3 acidic heteropolysaccharide
Acidic heteropolysaccharideThe immunologically active water-soluble fraction. It is immunostimulant rather than immunosuppressive, acting on gut targets and the microbiota, and it also protects the chromone glycosides from premature intestinal decomposition, which is one reason whole decoctions behave differently from purified chromones.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Substitute Apiaceae sold as Fang Feng: Seseli mairei (Zhu Ye Fang Feng), Ligusticopsis brachyloba (Chuan Fang Feng), and material traded as Shi Fang Feng
Species confusion under the name Fangfeng is centuries old and remains a live market problem. A 2020 microscopy study authenticated Saposhnikovia divaricata against two adulterants traded as Chou Tai Fang Feng and Shi Fang Feng, and a 2025 distribution study treats Saposhnikovia divaricata, Seseli mairei and Ligusticopsis brachyloba together as the three commercially circulating Fangfeng species. None of the substitutes reproduce the chromone pair the Pharmacopoeia assays, so a substituted batch fails the identity test even though it passes as Fang Feng by eye.
Clinical note: Buy on a chromone assay or a DNA/microscopy certificate, not on appearance. If a patient responds unexpectedly to a formula containing Fang Feng, suspect the raw material before adjusting the prescription.
Bolted (premature-flowering) Saposhnikovia root sold as Fang Feng
This is not an adulteration by another plant but by the wrong developmental stage of the right one. A 2025 anatomical and transcriptomic comparison found bolted roots have fragmented secondary xylem with lignified parenchyma and significantly lower chromone concentrations, particularly in the secondary phloem where the chromones are concentrated, than unbolted roots.
Clinical note: Bolted root is woody and light. Reject visibly woody, hollow or fibrous material; the chromones sit in the cortex, so heavily peeled or de-corticated drug is also depleted.
Photosensitising drugs and UV/PUVA phototherapy (amiodarone, doxycycline, voriconazole, thiazides, methoxsalen)
Fang Feng contains psoralen, bergapten, imperatorin and phellopterin. Linear furanocoumarins are the archetypal plant phototoxins: they intercalate DNA and form cyclobutane adducts on UVA exposure, and Apiaceae is one of the three plant families that account for most phytophotodermatitis. The compound-level mechanism is established; no case of phototoxicity from oral Fang Feng at decoction dose has been published, so the risk is inferred from composition rather than demonstrated for this drug.
Clinical note: Relevant mainly to topical, bathing and compress use, and to patients already on a phototoxic drug or in phototherapy. Advise sun protection on treated skin; oral decoction doses are unlikely to be a problem on their own.
CYP3A4 substrates with a narrow therapeutic index (ciclosporin, tacrolimus, midazolam, some statins)
Two independent routes point the same way. The furanocoumarins in the drug belong to the compound class responsible for the grapefruit-juice effect on intestinal CYP3A4, and cimifugin, the main circulating chromone, is itself handled in a CYP3A-activity-dependent manner across the intestinal wall. Neither a clinical nor a whole-extract inhibition study of Saposhnikovia divaricata against a probe substrate has been published, so this remains inference from constituents.
Clinical note: Worth a note in transplant and antiretroviral patients, especially with concentrated extracts rather than decoctions. Do not present it as a documented interaction.
Immunosuppressants (ciclosporin, azathioprine, biologic DMARDs)
The SP-3 polysaccharide fraction of Saposhnikovia divaricata is an immune-enhancing agent that acts on intestinal targets and gut microbiota, and the herb as a whole is a component of the classical immune-tonifying formula Yu Ping Feng San. Any immunostimulant fraction is in principle at cross-purposes with deliberate immunosuppression. No clinical report of graft dysfunction or disease flare attributable to Fang Feng exists.
Clinical note: Reasonable to mention to transplant recipients. Note the opposite pull in inflammatory arthritis, where the chromone fraction is anti-inflammatory rather than immunostimulant.
Urate-lowering drugs (allopurinol, febuxostat)
A water extract of Saposhnikoviae Radix lowered urinary uric acid in potassium-oxonate-challenged mice through xanthine oxidase inhibition, the same enzyme allopurinol and febuxostat target. The effect was demonstrated in rodents only and no additive dosing study has been done.
Clinical note: No action needed, but if a gout patient's urate falls faster than expected on a Fang Feng-containing formula, this is a plausible contributor rather than a coincidence.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 5–10 g | Daily | — | — | 中国药典 2020 【用法与用量】5~10g。 【性味与归经】辛、甘，微温。归膀胱、肝、脾经。 — Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020, quoted verbatim; route and cautions preserved. Replaces a cleared category-filler value. |
Dui Yao — Herb Pairs
The classical two-herb combinations this herb appears in, each with an action neither herb has alone.
Tonification of defensive qi is combined with gentle dispersal of wind, securing the exterior without trapping pathogens.
Spontaneous sweating and frequent colds from exterior deficiency.
Core pair of a classical formula — Yu Ping Feng San, Jiu Yuan Fang (recorded in Yi Fang Lei Ju)
Both expel wind; together they release the exterior and relieve itching with a mild, non-drying action suitable for either wind-cold or, with cooling herbs, wind-heat.
Exterior wind conditions and itchy skin rashes.
Named pairing — Lü Jingshan, Shi Jinmo Dui Yao; used together in Jing Fang Bai Du San
The pair expels wind-cold-dampness from the exterior and channels, relieving headache and generalized body aches.
Core pair of a classical formula — Jiu Wei Qiang Huo Tang, Ci Shi Nan Zhi (Wang Haogu, after Zhang Yuansu)
Evidence Tier
Strong 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
1
1 verified · 0 unverified
Randomized controlled trial
0
Other clinical trial
0
Observational / case report
0
In vitro / animal
4
1 verified · 3 unverified
Show 4 studies
- Toxicological Evaluation of Saposhnikoviae Radix Water Extract and its Antihyperuricemic Potential
- Prim-O-glucosylcimifugin ameliorates rheumatoid arthritis by targeting GBP5 to suppress pyroptosis and inhibit synovial cell proliferation
- Chromones from Saposhnikovia divaricata modulate m6A RNA methylation-mediated macrophage polarization by targeting CBLL1 to ameliorate RA
- Anti-Inflammatory Pharmacological Mechanism Mediated by the Conversion of Glycosides to Aglycones in Fangfeng (Saposhnikoviae Radix) in Rheumatoid Arthritis Models Based on Serum Metabolomics, Network Pharmacology, and Molecular Docking
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
Efficacy of Yupingfeng powder in the treatment of bronchial asthma in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis
A PROSPERO-registered meta-analysis of randomised trials comparing Yupingfeng powder added to conventional therapy against conventional therapy alone in adult bronchial asthma, with Cochrane ROB 2.0 risk-of-bias assessment and subgroup and meta-regression analysis of heterogeneity. Saposhnikovia divaricata is one of three herbs in the formula, alongside Astragalus membranaceus and Atractylodes macrocephala, so this supports the formula and not the single herb; the authors themselves flag small samples and inconsistent syndrome differentiation in the underlying trials.
Toxicological Evaluation of Saposhnikoviae Radix Water Extract and its Antihyperuricemic Potential
Acute and 13-week subchronic oral toxicity testing of a Saposhnikoviae Radix water extract at 500 to 5000 mg/kg in male and female Crl:CD(SD) rats found no significant effect on mortality, clinical signs, body or organ weight, haematology, clinical chemistry, urinalysis or histopathology, giving a NOAEL of 5000 mg/kg/day. In a separate mouse model the same extract lowered urinary uric acid through xanthine oxidase inhibition and reduced potassium-oxonate-induced rises in serum creatinine.
Prim-O-glucosylcimifugin ameliorates rheumatoid arthritis by targeting GBP5 to suppress pyroptosis and inhibit synovial cell proliferation
Prim-O-glucosylcimifugin suppressed proliferation of TNF-alpha-activated rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes and reduced paw swelling and arthritis scores in collagen-induced arthritis mice. It lowered IL-1beta and IL-18, inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activity and downregulated the P2X7R/NLRP3 pyroptosis axis, with guanylate-binding protein 5 confirmed as a direct binding target by docking, CETSA, cycloheximide chase and DARTS.
Chromones from Saposhnikovia divaricata modulate m6A RNA methylation-mediated macrophage polarization by targeting CBLL1 to ameliorate RA
The chromone fraction of Saposhnikovia divaricata reduced paw swelling and joint damage on micro-CT and histology in collagen-induced arthritis mice and repressed M1 macrophage polarisation. Target work using dot blot, GEO data and CBLL1 sgRNA identified CBLL1-dependent m6A RNA methylation as the mechanism, confirmed in a co-culture of MH7A synoviocytes with polarised THP-1 cells.
Anti-Inflammatory Pharmacological Mechanism Mediated by the Conversion of Glycosides to Aglycones in Fangfeng (Saposhnikoviae Radix) in Rheumatoid Arthritis Models Based on Serum Metabolomics, Network Pharmacology, and Molecular Docking
Twelve chromones and thirteen coumarins were profiled in an alcohol extract of Saposhnikoviae Radix by UPLC-MS/MS. In LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells and a mouse rheumatoid arthritis model the extract was anti-inflammatory, and serum metabolomics showed the glycosides are converted to aglycones in vivo before acting. This is the direct evidence that the Pharmacopoeia marker glycosides are prodrugs rather than the active species.
⚠ Safety & Contraindications
Contraindications
For its property is partial to warm, it is not suitable for patients with yin-blood (blood and body fluids) depletion or exuberant heat stirring wind.
Source: Xi S, Gong Y. Essentials of Chinese Materia Medica and Medical Formulas. Academic Press/Elsevier, 2017, pp. 15–23.
Historical Texts
Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing
Han dynastyReferences
- Zhang H; Liu Y; Zhang J; Zhou X; Jia Z; Deng C; Xin P. Saposhnikovia divaricata (Turcz.) Schischk.: A review of botany, ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, toxicology, and quality control . Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2027) [DOI]
- Chang F; Yu D; Wang H; Qu S; Wang D; Liu X; Pan Y. Authentication of Saposhnikovia divaricata (Trucz.) Schischk and its two adulterants based on their macroscopic morphology and microscopic characteristics . Microscopy Research and Technique (2020) [DOI]
- Tian Q; Gu X; Wang Q; Zhang D; Ma D; Xue Z; Lu Z; Kong Y; Zheng Y; Zheng K. Ecological Niche Modeling of Three Fangfeng Species Under Present and Future Climate Scenarios . Ecology and Evolution (2025) [DOI]
- Liu X; Cui X; Bi X; Cui Y; Wang Y; Lin H; Sun Z; Cheng L; Yang L; Han Z; Zhang J. Comparative analysis of root anatomy, phytochemicals and gene expression in bolted and unbolted Saposhnikovia divaricata . Plant Physiology and Biochemistry (2025) [DOI]
- Zhang J; Chen L; Qiu J; Zhang Y; Wang L; Jiang L; Jiang Y; Liu B. Simultaneous Determination of Six Chromones in Saposhnikoviae Radix via Quantitative Analysis of Multicomponents by Single Marker . Journal of Analytical Methods in Chemistry (2020) [DOI]
- Lyu L; Li X; Zang E; Yan Y; Yang M; Wang W; Zhang C; Li M. Specification and grade of Saposhnikoviae Radix (Saposhnikovia divaricata) . Chinese Herbal Medicines (2022) [DOI]
- Grosu (Dumitrescu) C; Jîjie AR; Manea H; Moacă EA; Iftode A; Minda D; Chioibaş R; Dehelean CA; Vlad C. New Insights Concerning Phytophotodermatitis Induced by Phototoxic Plants . Life (2024) [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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