Fang Ji
StarStephania tetrandra S. Moore
Traditionally used for
- Urinary & fluids
- Pain & joints
Cautions & contraindications
- Kidney conditions
☯ TCM Properties
Dispels Wind-Dampness and Alleviates Pain; Promotes Urination and Reduces Edema; Clears Heat from the Lower Jiao; Drains Dampness
Traditional Chinese Uses
Fang Ji (stephania root) is a bitter, cold herb particularly effective at clearing Damp-Heat from the lower body and draining excess water. It relieves joint swelling, pain, and heaviness caused by Wind-Damp or Damp-Heat obstruction, and its strong diuretic action addresses edema, difficult urination, and swelling of the lower limbs. Its cold nature makes it best suited for heat-type bi obstruction, distinguishing it from warming herbs used for cold-type joint pain.
Western Herbalism Properties
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Stephania tetrandra (Fang Ji, fourstamen stephania) is a perennial herbaceous to slightly woody climber in the Menispermaceae family, twining up to several meters through surrounding vegetation. The slender, pale green to grayish stems arise from a stout tuberous root, the medicinal material, which is cylindrical to irregularly shaped, often curved, 5 to 10 centimeters long and 1 to 5 centimeters thick, externally pale grayish-brown with deep transverse furrows and shallow longitudinal grooves, internally pale yellowish-white with radial striations on cross section. The alternate leaves are long-petioled, peltate, and broadly ovate to triangular-ovate, 4 to 7 centimeters across, with entire to slightly undulate margins and a pale grayish-green underside. Inconspicuous dioecious greenish-yellow flowers are borne in small axillary umbel-like cymes in summer. The fruits are small, fleshy, reddish drupes containing curved, horseshoe-shaped seeds. Native to central, eastern, and southern China and Taiwan, growing on hillsides, in scrub, and at woodland margins.
⚠ Drug Interactions
United Kingdom medicines law (Medicines (Aristolochia and Mu Tong etc.) (Prohibition) Order 2001, SI 2001/1841)
This is a legal restriction rather than a pharmacodynamic or pharmacokinetic interaction, and it is the one thing about this drug that is easy to miss. Article 2 of the Order prohibits the sale, supply and importation of any medicinal product consisting of or containing a plant of the genus Aristolochia or of eight named species, and Stephania tetrandra is one of the eight named species. Akebia quinata, Akebia trifoliata, Clematis armandii, Clematis montana, Cocculus laurifolius, Cocculus orbiculatus and Cocculus trilobus are the others.
Article 3 goes further and prohibits any medicinal product whose label or accompanying documentation states, in any language, that it contains Mu Tong or Fangji or any term derived from either of those terms. A product labelled simply Fang Ji is therefore caught by Article 3 whatever species is actually inside it. Article 4 exempts products holding a product licence, marketing authorisation or homoeopathic certificate of registration, and exempts supply to food analysts, food examiners and enforcement officers.
The Order came into force on 1 July 2001 and revoked the Medicines (Aristolochia and Mu Tong etc.) (Temporary Prohibition) Order 2000, SI 2000/1368. It was made in response to the Belgian aristolochic acid nephropathy outbreak, in which Aristolochia fangchi had been dispensed in place of Stephania tetrandra. The drafting swept in the innocent species along with the guilty genus, so the prohibition on Stephania tetrandra is not a finding that this species is nephrotoxic.
Clinical note: Do not dispense Stephania tetrandra, or anything labelled Fang Ji or Fangji, as a medicinal product in the United Kingdom outside the Article 4 exemptions. Practitioners elsewhere should check their own jurisdiction rather than assume the UK position generalises. The legal status and the toxicological status differ here and should not be conflated when counselling a patient who has taken the herb abroad.
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】苦，寒。归膀胱、肺经。 — Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020, quoted verbatim; route and cautions preserved. Replaces a cleared category-filler value. |
References
- Secretary of State for Health, National Assembly for Wales, Scottish Ministers, Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety. The Medicines (Aristolochia and Mu Tong etc.) (Prohibition) Order 2001 . United Kingdom Statutory Instruments 2001 No. 1841 (2001)
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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