Hu Huang Lian
StarPicrorhiza scrophulariiflora Pennell
Traditionally used for
- Colds & fever
- Digestion
- Bowel health
☯ TCM Properties
Clears Deficiency Heat and Reduces Steaming Bone Disorder; Clears Childhood Nutritional Impairment Heat; Clears Damp-Heat; Cools the Blood
Traditional Chinese Uses
Hu Huang Lian (picrorhiza rhizome) is a strongly bitter, cold herb that clears deficiency heat from the bones — the steaming-type heat of chronic Yin deficiency — as well as damp heat from the intestines and digestive tract. It is used for childhood malnutrition with fever, chronic low-grade fever from Yin deficiency, and Damp-Heat digestive conditions including dysentery and hemorrhoids. Its potent bitter-cold nature requires cautious use in those with weak digestion.
Western Herbalism Properties
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora is a small alpine perennial herb of the family Plantaginaceae (formerly Scrophulariaceae) restricted to rocky meadows, screes and moist humus-rich slopes at 3500-4500 m in the eastern Himalaya, Sichuan, Yunnan and Tibet. From a stout, creeping, dark brown rhizome up to 15 cm long and 0.5-1 cm thick it produces a basal rosette of spathulate to obovate leaves 5-15 cm long with sharply serrate margins and prominent reticulate venation. A leafless erect scape 15-30 cm tall bears a dense terminal spike of small, five-lobed, purplish-blue to violet tubular flowers with exserted stamens, blooming in summer. The fruit is an ovoid two-valved capsule containing numerous small ridged seeds. The rhizome, harvested in autumn, is hard, fibrous, intensely bitter and yellow-brown in cross-section.
Active Constituents
Picroside I
Iridoid glycoside (cinnamoyl catalpol ester)Concentration: About 1.6 percent of the dried rhizome of Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora by HPTLC densitometry, against about 1.3 percent in Picrorhiza kurroa measured by the same method
One of the two iridoid glycosides that the Chinese Pharmacopoeia uses jointly as the assay marker for this drug. Picrosides are catalpol esterified with a phenolic acid and are essentially confined to this genus. They carry anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective and antimicrobial activity in preclinical work.
Picroside II
Iridoid glycoside (vanilloyl catalpol ester)Concentration: About 0.6 percent of the dried rhizome of Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora against about 0.5 percent in Picrorhiza kurroa in the same HPTLC comparison
The second Pharmacopoeia marker. In rodent models it reduced cholestatic liver injury through the AMPK-FXR pathway and suppressed neutrophilic lung inflammation via TGF-beta signalling. Notably the Chinese-sourced Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora is not the poorer relation chemically: it assayed slightly higher than Picrorhiza kurroa on both picrosides in the direct comparison.
Kutkoside
Iridoid glycosideConcentration: A component of the kutkin fraction reported across the genus; not separately quantified for this species in the sources reviewed
With picroside I, kutkoside makes up the mixture called kutkin, the basis of the standardised fraction picroliv. Almost all of the picroliv literature was generated on Picrorhiza kurroa, not on this species, and the two should not be assumed interchangeable in dose or effect.
Picrorosides A, B and C
Iridoid glycosidesConcentration: Minor iridoids isolated from the rhizome of this species
Species-specific iridoids described from the rhizome of Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora, of chemotaxonomic value in distinguishing it from Picrorhiza kurroa material.
Scrophoside A
Cucurbitacin glycoside (tetracyclic triterpenoid glycoside)Concentration: A minor rhizome constituent isolated from this species
Confirms that the rhizome of this species carries cucurbitacin-type triterpenoids in addition to its iridoids. Cucurbitacins are intensely bitter and, at higher exposures, gastrointestinally irritant and purgative, which is consistent with the drug's classical reputation as a very bitter, cold and draining medicinal that is not tolerated by Spleen-deficient patients.
Scrocaffeside A and other phenylethanoid and caffeoyl glycosides
Phenylethanoid and caffeoyl glycosidesConcentration: Minor constituents isolated from the roots of this species
A group of antioxidant caffeoyl and phenylethanoid glycosides described specifically from Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora roots. Scrocaffeside A altered immunocyte function in vitro, in keeping with the immunomodulatory activity reported for diethyl ether extracts of this species.
Apocynin and its glucoside androsin
Acetophenone (apocynin is acetovanillone) and its glucosideConcentration: Reported from the genus Picrorhiza; the antiasthmatic work was done on Picrorhiza kurroa material, and quantities in Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora were not established in the sources reviewed
Apocynin is the widely used NADPH oxidase inhibitor, and androsin is its glucoside. Androsin from Picrorhiza kurroa prevented allergen- and platelet-activating-factor-induced bronchial obstruction in guinea pigs, which is the origin of the antiasthmatic reputation of the genus. Since that work used Picrorhiza kurroa, it should not be carried over to Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora without qualification.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Picrorhiza kurroa (kutki), CITES Appendix II, traded interchangeably with this species
Picrorhiza kurrooa was listed in CITES Appendix II in September 1997 with an annotation covering whole and sliced roots and parts of roots but excluding manufactured derivatives such as powders, pills, extracts, tonics, teas and confectionery. The Appendix II entry is annotated to exclude Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora, so this species is not itself CITES-listed. The practical problem is that the two rhizomes are morphologically similar, are used for the same purposes, and are not distinguished in trade: material sold as kutki is routinely a mixture, and much of what is exported from Nepal and grown in China is in fact Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora rather than Picrorhiza kurrooa. The direction of substitution runs both ways, so a consignment labelled as one species may carry the other, with CITES documentation consequences for the listed species. Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora is not itself an unthreatened plant: it is a high-altitude Himalayan species assessed as vulnerable, with substantial harvesting pressure.
Clinical note: Ask suppliers which binomial they are selling and whether they can document it. Import of unmanufactured Picrorhiza kurrooa root requires CITES paperwork; import of Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora does not, but a mislabelled or mixed consignment can still be seized. Prefer cultivated or certified material, and do not treat the two species as one drug when reading the literature.
Coptis chinensis (Huang Lian) and other berberine-containing herbs confused with Hu Huang Lian by name
Hu Huang Lian and Huang Lian are distinct drugs whose Chinese names differ by one character. Hu Huang Lian is the rhizome of Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora, an iridoid-glycoside drug with no alkaloids of consequence. Huang Lian is the rhizome of Coptis chinensis and relatives, dominated by berberine, which displaces bilirubin from albumin and has been associated with kernicterus risk in neonates, causes haemolysis in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, inhibits CYP3A4 and CYP2D6 and raises ciclosporin levels. Dispensing errors between the two are a recognised hazard because they share a category, a bitter cold character and part of a name.
Clinical note: Write the binomial on the prescription, not only the pinyin. Hu Huang Lian carries none of the berberine cautions; if a patient on Hu Huang Lian develops jaundice, haemolysis or an unexpected rise in a CYP3A4 substrate, verify what was actually dispensed.
Immunosuppressants and immunomodulatory biologics
Diethyl ether extracts of Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora potently inhibited the classical pathway of complement, the respiratory burst of activated polymorphonuclear leukocytes and mitogen-induced T-lymphocyte proliferation in vitro, and the isolated phenylethanoid scrocaffeside A altered immunocyte function. There is no human study, no pharmacokinetic data and no case report, so the direction and magnitude of any clinical effect are unknown.
Clinical note: Avoid introducing this herb during induction or dose-finding of an immunosuppressant or a biologic, where an unexplained shift in immune markers would confound the clinical picture.
Laxatives and drugs whose absorption depends on gut transit
The rhizome is intensely bitter and contains cucurbitacin glycosides in addition to its iridoids. Cucurbitacins are gastrointestinal irritants at sufficient exposure, and the drug's classical profile is bitter, cold and draining, contraindicated where the Spleen and Stomach are deficient and cold. Loose stool is the expected dose-limiting effect rather than an idiosyncratic one.
Clinical note: Start low, and reduce the dose if stools loosen rather than pressing on. Separate oral medication by at least two hours in patients who develop diarrhoea on the formula.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 3–10 g | Daily | — | — | 中国药典 2020 【用法与用量】3～10g。 【性味与归经】苦，寒。归肝、胃、大肠经。 — 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.
Both clear deficiency heat; together they relieve steaming bones and tidal fever more strongly than either alone.
Steaming bone fever and night sweats from yin deficiency.
Core pair of a classical formula — Qing Gu San, Zheng Zhi Zhun Sheng (Wang Kentang)
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
1
0 verified · 1 unverified
Other clinical trial
0
Observational / case report
0
In vitro / animal
6
5 verified · 1 unverified
Show 6 studies
- Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora improves accelerated atherosclerosis through inhibition of redox-sensitive inflammation
- Ethanol extraction of Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora prevents renal injury in experimental diabetes via anti-inflammation action
- Immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activity of Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora
- TLC densitometric quantification of picrosides (picroside‐I and picroside‐II) in Picrorhiza kurroa and its substitute Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora and their antioxidant studies
- Iridoids from Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora and Their Hepatoprotective Activities in Vitro
- Antiasthmatic effects of Picrorhiza kurroa: androsin prevents allergen- and PAF-induced bronchial obstruction in guinea pigs
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
Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora improves accelerated atherosclerosis through inhibition of redox-sensitive inflammation
An extract of Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora, this species and not Picrorhiza kurroa, reduced accelerated atherosclerosis in an animal model by suppressing redox-sensitive inflammatory signalling. One of the few in vivo studies that names the correct binomial.
Ethanol extraction of Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora prevents renal injury in experimental diabetes via anti-inflammation action
Ethanol extract of this species reduced renal injury in experimental diabetes through an anti-inflammatory mechanism. Again explicitly Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora, and again rodent-only.
Immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activity of Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora
Diethyl ether extracts of this species potently inhibited the classical complement pathway, the respiratory burst of activated polymorphonuclear leukocytes and mitogen-induced T-lymphocyte proliferation. Anti-inflammatory activity was seen against carrageenan-induced swelling but not in experimental arthritis, a negative result worth recording alongside the positive ones.
TLC densitometric quantification of picrosides (picroside‐I and picroside‐II) in Picrorhiza kurroa and its substitute Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora and their antioxidant studies
Direct HPTLC comparison of the two species that are traded as one drug. Picroside-I was 1.258 percent in Picrorhiza kurroa against 1.611 percent in Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora, and picroside-II was 0.481 percent against 0.613 percent, with DPPH radical scavenging of 37.70 and 34.30 percent respectively at 0.1 mg/mL. The substitute species is therefore not chemically inferior on the Pharmacopoeia markers, which is part of why the substitution persists and why it is hard to detect on assay alone.
Iridoids from Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora and Their Hepatoprotective Activities in Vitro
Iridoids isolated from this species, under the currently accepted name Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora, showed hepatoprotective activity in a cell model. Provides species-specific support for the hepatoprotective claim, which is otherwise carried almost entirely by the Picrorhiza kurroa literature.
Picrorhiza kurroa (Kutaki) Royle ex Benth as a hepatoprotective agent--experimental & clinical studies
This trial used Picrorhiza kurroa, not Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora, and is included here only because it is the human evidence most often quoted for Hu Huang Lian. In patients with acute viral hepatitis, 375 mg of root powder three times daily for two weeks shortened the time for total serum bilirubin to fall to a mean of 2.5 mg percent from 75.9 days on placebo to 27.44 days. Do not transfer this result to Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora: the species differ, and the picroside content of the trial material was standardised for kurroa.
Antiasthmatic effects of Picrorhiza kurroa: androsin prevents allergen- and PAF-induced bronchial obstruction in guinea pigs
Androsin, the glucoside of apocynin, prevented allergen- and platelet-activating-factor-induced bronchial obstruction in guinea pigs. Again the source species was Picrorhiza kurroa. It is the origin of the antiasthmatic reputation attached to the genus and to picroliv, and it does not establish the same effect for the Chinese Pharmacopoeia drug.
Historical Texts
Xin Xiu Ben Cao (Tang Ben Cao)
Tang dynasty (659 CE)Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo Yaodian (Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China)
Modern, listed since the 1977 editionReferences
- Maan B. Rokaya, Bidur Parajuli, Kuber P. Bhatta, Binu Timsina. Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora (Pennell) Hong: A comprehensive review of its traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and safety . Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2020) [DOI]
- C.S. Olsen. Trade and conservation of Himalayan medicinal plants: Nardostachys grandiflora DC. and Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora (Pennell) Hong . Biological Conservation (2005) [DOI]
- Suresh Kumar Ghimire, Doyle McKey, Yildiz Aumeeruddy-Thomas. Conservation of Himalayan medicinal plants: Harvesting patterns and ecology of two threatened species, Nardostachys grandiflora DC. and Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora (Pennell) Hong . Biological Conservation (2005) [DOI]
- Ik Hwi Kim, Nahoko Uchiyama, Nobuo Kawahara, Yukihiro Goda. Iridoid glycosides and cucurbitacin glycoside from Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora . Phytochemistry (2006) [DOI]
- Tong Fei Zhu, Kai Yi Huang, Xu Ming Deng, Yu Zhang, Hua Xiang, Hui Yuan Gao, Da Cheng Wang. Three new caffeoyl glycosides from the roots of Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora . Molecules (2008) [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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