Lespedeza cuneata
StarLespedeza cuneata
Traditionally used for
- Urinary & fluids
Western Herbalism Properties
Botanical Description
Lespedeza cuneata is an erect, herbaceous to semi-woody perennial legume in the family Fabaceae, native to eastern Asia (China, Japan, Korea, the Russian Far East, and the Himalayas) and widely naturalized — often invasively — in the southeastern and central United States. Plants typically grow 0.5–1.5 m tall, with slender, ridged, ascending stems that branch in the upper portion and become woody at the base. The leaves are alternate and trifoliolate; leaflets are narrowly oblanceolate to cuneate, 1–2.5 cm long, with a small abrupt mucro at the truncate apex and dense appressed silvery hairs on the lower surface. Small pea-like flowers, 5–8 mm long, are clustered in leaf axils; chasmogamous flowers are creamy white with purple to violet markings on the standard, while inconspicuous cleistogamous flowers also produce seed. The fruit is a one-seeded, ovate, flattened pod about 3 mm long. The plant favours disturbed ground, roadsides, old fields, and prairies on a range of soil types.
Active Constituents
D-Pinitol (3-O-methyl-D-chiro-inositol)
Methylated cyclitol (sugar alcohol)Concentration: A major soluble carbohydrate of the aerial parts; not quantified consistently across reports
The best-known non-phenolic constituent of the herb. Pinitol has insulin-like and hypoglycaemic activity and is the constituent usually credited with the plant's traditional and modern anti-diabetic reputation.
Isovitexin and vitexin
Flavone C-glycosidesConcentration: Among the principal flavonoids of the aerial parts
C-glycosyl flavones that resist gut hydrolysis, so most of an oral dose reaches the colon for microbial metabolism rather than being absorbed intact. They are anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, and this plant is one of the standard botanical sources of isovitexin.
Quercetin and kaempferol glycosides (hirsutrin, nicotiflorin, astragalin, trifolin)
Flavonol glycosidesConcentration: The dominant flavonoid class of the aerial parts
Suppressed nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated BV-2 microglia without cytotoxicity, and protected hepatocytes against tert-butyl hydroperoxide. Several members of this group are the PTP1B inhibitors in the extract, with IC50 values of 4.9 to 9.6 micromolar.
Condensed tannins (proanthocyanidins)
Condensed tanninsConcentration: High; the defining agronomic characteristic of sericea lespedeza and the reason it is fed to small ruminants
The tannin load is what separates this legume from its relatives. It is the basis of the plant's use as a natural anthelmintic in sheep and goats, and it is also the constituent most likely to interfere with the absorption of other substances taken at the same time, because condensed tannins bind proteins, alkaloids and non-heme iron in the gut.
Lignan and phenylpropanoid glycosides
Lignan and phenylpropanoid glycosidesConcentration: Minor constituents isolated from the aerial parts
A structurally distinctive group repeatedly isolated from the aerial parts, including several compounds new to science. Their contribution to the herb's clinical effects is unestablished; they matter chiefly as chemical markers for authenticating the aerial part.
Beta-sitosterol
PhytosterolConcentration: Minor constituent
A common plant sterol present in the herb. It is worth naming only because beta-sitosterol has independent evidence in benign prostatic hyperplasia, and this herb is marketed for prostate and andropause indications where it may contribute.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Insulin, sulfonylureas and alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (acarbose, miglitol)
Two independent mechanisms converge. Pinitol from this plant has insulin-like activity, and a 2026 phytochemical study found constituents of the aerial parts inhibiting alpha-glucosidase with IC50 values of 6.0 and 5.7 micromolar, more potent than acarbose itself in the same assay, plus PTP1B inhibition at 4.9 to 9.6 micromolar. All of this is enzyme and cell work; no human glycaemic study of the herb has been run, and how much of these compounds is absorbed from a decoction is unknown.
Clinical note: Ask diabetic patients to monitor glucose more closely when starting or stopping the herb, and warn of bloating and flatulence if they are already on acarbose.
Oral iron supplements and other tannin-sensitive oral drugs
This species is agronomically defined by a high condensed tannin content, high enough to be exploited deliberately as a natural dewormer in grazing livestock. Condensed tannins complex non-heme iron and bind alkaloids and proteins in the gut lumen, which is a general and well-established mechanism rather than one demonstrated for this herb specifically. The traditional Chinese dose of 15 to 30 g of dried herb delivers a substantial tannin load.
Clinical note: Separate the herb from oral iron, and from alkaloid drugs with narrow margins, by at least two hours. Consider the tannin load in anyone already iron-deficient.
Testosterone replacement therapy and androgen-directed treatment
The only randomised trial of the single herb in andropause improved the Aging Males' Symptom and Androgen Deficiency in the Aging Male questionnaire scores at eight weeks, but produced no significant change in blood test results, erectile function scores or prostate symptom scores against control. In other words it moved how men felt without moving their measured hormones. A separate trial that did raise total and free testosterone used a two-herb combination with fenugreek seed, and fenugreek has independent evidence for that effect, so the hormonal result cannot be assigned to this plant.
Clinical note: Do not let symptomatic improvement on this herb substitute for evaluating suspected hypogonadism, and do not expect it to alter a testosterone assay. If a man improves symptomatically while his testosterone stays low, he still needs the workup.
5-alpha-reductase inhibitors (finasteride, dutasteride)
In testosterone-induced prostatic hyperplasia in rats, the aqueous extract reduced prostate weight and normalised prostate histology, and did so with lower dihydrotestosterone and reduced 5-alpha-reductase expression. That is the same target as finasteride and dutasteride. The finding is from rats only, and the human trial that measured prostate symptom scores found no benefit over control.
Clinical note: No dose change is warranted on this evidence, but note the herb if a patient on a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor reports new sexual side effects, and record its use before interpreting a prostate-specific antigen result.
Evidence Tier
Strong evidence · 6 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
4
2 verified · 2 unverified
Show 4 studies
- A Single-Center, Randomized, Double-Blind, and Placebo-Controlled Comparative Human Study to Verify the Functionality and Safety of the Lespedeza cuneata G. Don Extract for the Improvement of Aging Male Syndrome
- Effects of a mouthwash containing Lespedeza cuneata extract on risk of dental caries: a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial
- Effect of oral gargle containing Lespedeza cuneata extract on periodontal health improvement and disease prevention: a randomized, controlled clinical trial
- Efficacy and Safety of a Mixed Extract of Trigonella foenum-graecum Seed and Lespedeza cuneata in the Treatment of Testosterone Deficiency Syndrome: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial
Other clinical trial
0
Observational / case report
0
In vitro / animal
2
2 verified · 0 unverified
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
A Single-Center, Randomized, Double-Blind, and Placebo-Controlled Comparative Human Study to Verify the Functionality and Safety of the Lespedeza cuneata G. Don Extract for the Improvement of Aging Male Syndrome
Men aged 43 to 70 with an Aging Males' Symptom score of 37 or above and testosterone at or below 500 ng/dL took the extract or control twice daily for eight weeks. The extract group improved significantly on the Aging Males' Symptom and Androgen Deficiency in the Aging Male questionnaires, with no significant side effects. It did not improve the International Index of Erectile Function, the International Prostate Symptom Score, blood test results or body mass index. Read the result as it stands: subjective symptom scores moved, objective measures did not.
Effects of a mouthwash containing Lespedeza cuneata extract on risk of dental caries: a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial
Eighty-two participants, all scaled a week beforehand, gargled nightly for five days with the extract mouthwash or saline. Caries activity on the Cariview test and caries-causing bacterial counts in both jaws fell significantly in the extract group. Topical oral use, five days, small trial, surrogate endpoints rather than caries incidence.
Effect of oral gargle containing Lespedeza cuneata extract on periodontal health improvement and disease prevention: a randomized, controlled clinical trial
Sixty-three participants gargled with the extract or saline; after five days the O'Leary index, plaque index and gingival index all fell significantly in the extract group, with reductions in Gram-positive and Gram-negative periodontal bacteria. Same research group and same short topical design as the caries trial, so treat the two as one line of evidence rather than two independent confirmations.
Efficacy and Safety of a Mixed Extract of Trigonella foenum-graecum Seed and Lespedeza cuneata in the Treatment of Testosterone Deficiency Syndrome: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial
200 mg of a fenugreek seed and Lespedeza cuneata mixed extract twice daily for eight weeks improved Aging Males' Symptom scores, total and free testosterone, lipid profile, erectile function scores and perceived stress. This is a combination product: the trial cannot separate the contribution of Lespedeza cuneata from that of fenugreek, which has its own independent evidence in testosterone deficiency. Cite it as evidence for the combination, not for this herb.
Effects of Lespedeza Cuneata aqueous extract on testosterone-induced prostatic hyperplasia
In rats given testosterone to induce prostatic hyperplasia, the aqueous extract limited the rise in prostate weight and the histological changes, with lower dihydrotestosterone and reduced 5-alpha-reductase expression. Rat model only; the corresponding human endpoint, the International Prostate Symptom Score, did not improve in the randomised trial of the extract.
The use of Lespedeza cuneata for natural control of gastrointestinal nematodes in Merino sheep
Veterinary study of the condensed-tannin-driven anthelmintic use of the plant in sheep. It is included here not as a human indication but as the evidence that the tannin load is pharmacologically substantial, which is what underlies the absorption-interference caution. Note that a 2026 in vitro screen of 24 plant extracts against ovine nematode larvae placed Lespedeza cuneata in the low-efficacy tier, so the veterinary evidence is not uniform.
Historical Texts
Quan Guo Zhong Cao Yao Hui Bian (National Compilation of Chinese Herbal Drugs)
Modern compilation, first published 1975Korean folk tradition of Yagwanmun
Folk usage; documented in modern Korean sourcesClassical ben cao canon
Han dynasty to Qing dynastyReferences
- Dinh TNA, Pham TL, Nguyen VP, Lee T, Min BS, Kim JA. Polyphenols from the aerial parts of Lespedeza cuneata and their inhibitory effects on PTP1B and α-glucosidase: insights from in vitro and in Silico analyses . Journal of Natural Medicines (2026) [DOI]
- Baek J, Lee TK, Song JH, Choi E, Ko HJ, Lee S, Choi SU, Lee S, Yoo SW, Kim SH, Kim KH. Lignan Glycosides and Flavonoid Glycosides from the Aerial Portion of Lespedeza cuneata and Their Biological Evaluations . Molecules (2018) [DOI]
- Kim S, Yoo G, Park S, Lee T, Yang H, Baek Ys, Kim N, Kim Y. Flavonoids isolated from Lespedeza cuneata G. Don and their inhibitory effects on nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated BV - 2 microglia cells . Pharmacognosy Magazine (2015) [DOI]
- Kwon DJ, Bae YS. Flavonoids from the aerial parts of Lespedeza cuneata . Biochemical Systematics and Ecology (2009) [DOI]
- Ke C, Tu N, Shittu F, Imranuzzaman M, Kc D, Su M, McFadden TB, Wuliji T. Larvicidal activity of antiparasitic plant extracts against ovine gastrointestinal nematodes: an in vitro study . Frontiers in Veterinary Science (2026) [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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