Jing Jie
StarSchizonepeta tenuifolia Briq.
Traditionally used for
- Colds & fever
- Menstrual & women's health
- Skin
Cautions & contraindications
- Liver conditions
- Toxic — professional use only
☯ TCM Properties
Releases the Exterior and Disperses Wind-Cold; Vents Rashes and Stops Itching; Disperses Swelling and Dissipates Abscesses; Stops Bleeding
Traditional Chinese Uses
Jing Jie (schizonepeta herb) is a mild, warm, acrid herb that releases Wind-Cold from the Exterior and promotes the expression of rashes and measles. It is a gentle exterior-releasing herb appropriate for Wind-Cold patterns with mild chills and fever, as well as for the early-eruptive stage of measles and heat rashes. In its charred form (Jing Jie Tan), its astringent and hemostatic properties are enhanced for stopping certain types of bleeding, particularly uterine and skin surface bleeding.
Western Herbalism Properties
Pharmacological Effects
- Antipyretic and analgesic: Decoction or ethanolic extract of S. multifida (2 g/kg p.o.) was weakly antipyretic in rabbits with vaccine-induced fever; analgesic effect also observed.
- Antimicrobial: Decoction strongly inhibited S. aureus and B. diphtheriae in vitro and partly inhibited B. anthracis, B. typhosus, B. dysenteriae, P. aeruginosa and M. tuberculosis; no effect on influenza A PR8 in chick embryos.
- Hemostatic: Only the charred herb was hemostatic: 2 g/kg (rabbits) and 5 g/kg (mice) p.o. cut bleeding time and coagulation time by 72.6% and 77.7%; raw herb reduced coagulation time only 30%. Hemostatic components of the carbonized herb are fat-soluble, acting within 0.5 h (i.p.) or 1 h (oral) in mice, dose-dependently.
Source: Zhu YP. Chinese Materia Medica: Chemistry, Pharmacology and Applications. Harwood Academic, 1998, p. 60.
Used In Formulas (50)
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Schizonepeta tenuifolia, Japanese catnip or Jing Jie, is an aromatic annual herb in the Lamiaceae family, native to East Asia and widely cultivated in China, Japan, and Korea. It grows erect to 30-100 cm with quadrangular, finely pubescent, branching stems. Leaves are opposite, deeply pinnately divided into 3-5 narrow linear-lanceolate segments 1.5-3 cm long, giving a feathery appearance. Small pale pink to lilac two-lipped flowers are densely arranged in terminal cylindrical spikes 2-13 cm long in late summer. The whole flowering plant is cut, sun-dried, and is rich in volatile oils dominated by pulegone and menthone.
Active Constituents
(+)-Pulegone
Monoterpene ketoneConcentration: the Chinese Pharmacopoeia marker; reported at about 40% of the volatile oil of the spike, and above 80% of the oil of young leaf glandular trichomes before menthone accumulates
Pulegone accounts for much of the antipyretic and anti-inflammatory activity attributed to the raw drug, and it is also the reason Jing Jie is not an inert herb. Cytochrome P450 (CYP1A2 and CYP2E1) converts pulegone to menthofuran and onward to reactive intermediates that form protein adducts, the same pathway that makes pennyroyal oil hepatotoxic. The US FDA withdrew synthetic pulegone from its permitted food flavouring substances in October 2018 on carcinogenicity grounds.
Iso-menthone
Monoterpene ketoneConcentration: about 43% of the volatile oil in one quantitative analysis; accumulates late in the growing season at the expense of pulegone
The other major ketone of the oil. Its ratio to pulegone shifts markedly with harvest time, so two batches of correctly identified Jing Jie can have very different pulegone loads.
Limonene
Monoterpene hydrocarbonConcentration: about 5% of the volatile oil
A minor hydrocarbon of the oil contributing to its aroma, with weak anti-inflammatory activity in cell models.
(+)-Menthofuran
FuranoterpenoidConcentration: a minor constituent of the volatile oil, quantified alongside pulegone as a toxic marker in GC-MS assays of leaves and spikes
Both a native minor constituent and the principal toxic oxidative metabolite of pulegone. It is oxidised further by P450 to reactive species that bind cellular proteins and cause hepatic injury.
Schizonepetosides A-E
Monoterpene glucosidesConcentration: non-volatile constituents of the aerial part; not routinely quantified in commercial material
Water-soluble monoterpene glycosides that survive decoction, unlike most of the volatile oil, and are among the constituents carried into a boiled preparation.
Luteolin
FlavoneConcentration: one of the flavonoids of the aerial part, alongside apigenin, hesperidin, rutin, diosmetin and quercitrin
Contributes to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of aqueous extracts, suppressing TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-6 release in cell models.
Ursolic acid
Pentacyclic triterpene acidConcentration: a non-volatile triterpene of the aerial part, reported with oleanolic acid, betulinic acid and beta-sitosterol
A widely distributed triterpene with anti-inflammatory activity in vitro; not a distinguishing marker for this species.
Schizonepetae Spica Carbonisata-derived carbon dots
Carbonaceous nanoparticle (carbon dot)Concentration: formed only on carbonisation; reported at 1.29-6.87 nm mean diameter in aqueous extracts of the charred drug
These nanoparticles do not exist in the raw herb. They are generated by pyrolysis when Jing Jie is stir-fried to char (Jing Jie Tan) and have been shown to shorten bleeding in animal models, with platelet count elevation proposed as the mechanism. They are the best current candidate for why the charred drug stops bleeding when the raw drug does not.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Raw Jing Jie substituted for charred Jing Jie Tan (or the reverse) at dispensing
These are two drugs with different pharmacology, not two grades of one drug. A head-to-head comparison in mice using tail-bleeding and capillary clotting models found that charred Schizonepetae Spica shortens bleeding time while the raw drug does not; the raw drug carries the anti-inflammatory and antiviral activity, and the charred drug is the one used for bloody stool and metrorrhagia. Carbonisation destroys most of the volatile oil, including nearly all the pulegone, and generates carbon dots that are absent from the raw herb.
Clinical note: Write the processing state explicitly on every prescription. If the intent is to stop bleeding, specify Jing Jie Tan (Schizonepetae Spica Carbonisata); if the intent is to release the exterior or vent rashes, specify the raw drug and expect no haemostatic contribution from it.
Paracetamol (acetaminophen) and other glutathione-depleting hepatotoxins
Pulegone, which dominates the volatile oil of raw Jing Jie, is bioactivated by CYP1A2 and CYP2E1 to menthofuran and then to reactive intermediates that consume glutathione and form protein adducts. This is the same mechanistic route by which paracetamol becomes hepatotoxic when glutathione is depleted. The interaction has not been studied clinically in humans taking Jing Jie, and normal decoction doses deliver far less pulegone than the pennyroyal oil poisonings from which the toxicology comes, but the pathways overlap.
Clinical note: Avoid prolonged high-dose raw Jing Jie, and especially any essential-oil preparation of it, in patients on regular paracetamol, with existing liver disease, or who are malnourished or fasting. Short courses of the decocted raw herb at pharmacopoeial dose have no reported hepatotoxicity.
CYP2E1 and CYP1A2 inducers (chronic alcohol, isoniazid, rifampicin, tobacco smoking)
Because pulegone toxicity is metabolism-dependent rather than direct, anything that induces CYP1A2 or CYP2E1 increases the flux to menthofuran and to reactive downstream species. This is established for pennyroyal oil toxicology and applies to the pulegone in Jing Jie by the same chemistry; it has not been tested with the herb itself.
Clinical note: Prefer short courses and pharmacopoeial doses in heavy drinkers and in patients on isoniazid or rifampicin. Do not use concentrated volatile-oil preparations in these patients.
Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) oil and other pulegone-rich preparations
Pulegone is the shared hepatotoxic and pneumotoxic principle of pennyroyal oil and the dominant volatile of raw Jing Jie. Combining the two, or combining Jing Jie with any concentrated mint oil high in pulegone, adds to the same metabolic burden.
Clinical note: Do not combine raw Jing Jie with pennyroyal preparations. Pennyroyal itself has no place in clinical practice.
Warfarin, direct oral anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs (charred Jing Jie Tan)
The charred drug shortens bleeding time in animal models and its carbon dots have been reported to raise platelet counts. No human study exists and no INR data are published, but a haemostatic herb given deliberately to a patient anticoagulated on purpose is a foreseeable conflict. The raw drug did not shorten bleeding time in the same comparison, so this concern attaches to Jing Jie Tan specifically.
Clinical note: If a patient on anticoagulation needs Jing Jie Tan for bleeding, coordinate with the prescriber rather than adding it silently, and monitor INR where relevant.
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，微温。归肺、肝经。 — 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 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
Evidence Tier
Moderate evidence · 4 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
4
2 verified · 2 unverified
Show 4 studies
- Comparisons of the anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and hemostatic activities and chemical profiles of raw and charred Schizonepetae Spica
- Schizonepeta tenuifolia Inhibits the Development of Atopic Dermatitis in Mice
- Schizonepeta tenuifolia Briq-Saposhnikovia divaricata decoction alleviates atopic dermatitis via downregulating macrophage TRPV1
- Haemostatic bioactivity of novel Schizonepetae Spica Carbonisata-derived carbon dots via platelet counts elevation
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
Comparisons of the anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and hemostatic activities and chemical profiles of raw and charred Schizonepetae Spica
Raw Schizonepetae Spica and its charred product were compared directly for anti-inflammatory, antiviral and haemostatic activity alongside their chemical profiles. Using a mouse tail-bleeding model and capillary clotting time, the charred product shortened bleeding time while the raw drug did not, while the raw drug retained the anti-inflammatory and antiviral activity. This is the key experimental basis for treating the two processing states as separate drugs.
Schizonepeta tenuifolia Inhibits the Development of Atopic Dermatitis in Mice
In BALB/c mice with 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene-induced atopic dermatitis, Schizonepeta tenuifolia suppressed serum IgE, TNF-alpha and IL-6 and reduced skin lesion severity. It supports the classical use for itching and skin eruption but is an animal model, not a human trial.
Schizonepeta tenuifolia Briq-Saposhnikovia divaricata decoction alleviates atopic dermatitis via downregulating macrophage TRPV1
The classical herb pair Jing Jie with Fang Feng (Saposhnikovia divaricata) reduced atopic dermatitis severity in mice, with downregulation of macrophage TRPV1 proposed as the mechanism. Note that the tested article is the two-herb decoction, not Schizonepeta tenuifolia alone, so the contribution of Jing Jie by itself cannot be separated out.
Haemostatic bioactivity of novel Schizonepetae Spica Carbonisata-derived carbon dots via platelet counts elevation
Carbon dots of 1.29-6.87 nm were isolated from aqueous extracts of charred Schizonepetae Spica and showed haemostatic activity in animal models, with elevation of platelet counts advanced as the mechanism. It offers a material explanation for why carbonisation, and only carbonisation, produces the haemostatic drug.
⚠ Safety & Contraindications
- Liver conditions
- Toxic — professional use only
Contraindications
Its use is prohibited in patients with exterior deficiency accompanied by spontaneous sweating, and headache due to yin deficiency.
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 dynastyWu Pu Ben Cao
Three Kingdoms periodReferences
- Zhao X, Zhou M. Review on Chemical Constituents of Schizonepeta tenuifolia Briq. and Their Pharmacological Effects . Molecules (2022) [DOI]
- Fung D, Lau CBS. Schizonepeta tenuifolia: Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Clinical Applications . The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (2002) [DOI]
- Yu S, Chen Y, Zhang L, Shan M, Tang Y, Ding A. Quantitative Comparative Analysis of the Bio-Active and Toxic Constituents of Leaves and Spikes of Schizonepeta tenuifolia at Different Harvesting Times . International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2011) [DOI]
- Ding X, Wang H, Li H, Wang T, Hao S, Li W, Wang C, Wang L, Zheng Y, An Q, Guo L, Zhang D. Optimization of the processing technology of schizonepetae herba carbonisata using response surface methodology and artificial neural network and comparing the chemical profiles between raw and charred schizonepetae herba by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS . Heliyon (2023) [DOI]
- Ding X, Hao S, Li H, Wang T, Li W, Guan S, Zheng Y, Guo L, Zhang D. Chemical Characteristics and Comparison of Schizonepetae Herba and Schizonepetae Herba Carbonisata by Combination of GC–MS and UHPLC–MS Strategies . Journal of AOAC International (2023) [DOI]
- Liu X, Zhang Y, Wu M, Ma Z, Cao H. The Potential Transformation Mechanisms of the Marker Components of Schizonepetae Spica and Its Charred Product . Molecules (2020) [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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