Lindera communis
StarLindera communis
Synonyms: Lindera bodinieri, Beilschmiedia parvifolia, Lindera formosana, Litsea cavaleriei, Lindera glauca var. nitidula, Lindera sterrophylla, Lindera yunnanensis, Lindera communis var. esquirolii, Lindera communis var. okinawensis, Benzoin formosanum, Lindera paxiana, Benzoin commune
Traditionally used for
- Colds & fever
- Pain & joints
- Skin
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
In Chinese folk and traditional medicine the leaves, branches and oil-rich seeds of Lindera communis are used externally to treat wounds, burns, sores and bleeding, the plant being regarded as haemostatic, analgesic and antipyretic; the same preparations have long been applied to wounds and skin conditions in livestock (Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2025; Chinese materia medica).
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Botanical Description
Lindera communis is an evergreen shrub or small tree of the laurel family (Lauraceae) native to southern and central China and adjacent parts of Indochina. It commonly grows 3-10 m tall, with smooth to finely fissured bark and slender, often finely hairy young branchlets. The alternate, leathery leaves are ovate to lance-shaped, glossy dark green above and paler beneath, with a pointed tip and prominent venation, and like other members of the family they are aromatic when bruised. The small, pale yellow, unisexual flowers are borne in compact axillary clusters (umbels) in spring, the species being dioecious or polygamous. The fruit is a small, ovoid, fleshy drupe that ripens from green to red, containing a single oil-rich seed; the seeds yield a high proportion of fixed oil. The tree grows in mixed and broad-leaved forests, on hill slopes, valley sides and forest margins, often on calcareous soils, at low to middle elevations.
Active Constituents
Lincomolide C and lincomolide D
ButanolideConcentration: Minor constituents isolated by bioassay-guided fractionation of the chloroform-soluble fraction of the stem wood
Cytotoxic butanolides first described from this species. Lincomolide D was active against P-388 leukaemia and HT-29 colon lines with marginal activity against A549, and lincomolide C was active against all three. These are cell-line screening results on isolated compounds and carry no therapeutic claim.
Secolincomolide A and secolincomolide B
SecobutanolideConcentration: Minor constituents of the stem wood, isolated alongside the lincomolides
Ring-opened butanolides first reported from this species. Secolincomolide A is the compound later shown, in material sourced from the related Lindera obtusiloba rather than from L. communis, to inhibit collagen-induced platelet aggregation. That is the strongest mechanistic reason to think this plant could affect haemostasis, and it is why the antiplatelet interaction below is flagged despite never having been tested on L. communis itself.
Isoobtusilactone A
ButanolideConcentration: Known compound recovered from both the stem bark and the stem wood
A butanolide shared with several Lauraceae, cytotoxic to P-388 cells in the isolation study. It is one of the more widely distributed markers of the genus rather than anything specific to this species.
Humulene-type and guaiane-type sesquiterpenes
SesquiterpeneConcentration: Together with lauric acid, about 85.7 percent of the GC-MS-detectable content of the n-hexane fraction of the root
The fraction dominated by these sesquiterpenes gave a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.1 mg/mL against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, with little activity against Gram-negative organisms, and the authors attributed the effect to disruption of the bacterial membrane. This is the constituent group behind the plant's traditional wound and skin-infection use.
Lauric acid
Medium-chain saturated fatty acidConcentration: A major identified component of the root n-hexane fraction; the seed oil of this species is also fatty-acid rich and is used industrially
Named by the 2025 root study as one of the constituents responsible for the antibacterial and wound-healing activity of the hexane fraction. Lauric acid is a common, non-specific membrane-active fatty acid, so its presence tempers rather than supports any claim that this plant has a distinctive antibacterial principle.
Spathulenol
Sesquiterpene alcoholConcentration: Reported at about 22.5 percent of the leaf essential oil in an earlier GC-MS analysis, with caryophyllene oxide near 6.7 percent and germacrene B near 6.7 percent
The principal component of the leaf volatile oil, which is a different preparation from the root and stem-wood extracts that carry most of this plant's pharmacology. Leaf oil has been screened for antioxidant, antimicrobial, enzyme-inhibitory and antiproliferative activity; do not read root or stem-wood findings across to it.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Aspirin, clopidogrel and other antiplatelet drugs
Secolincomolide A, one of the secobutanolides originally described from L. communis stem wood, inhibits collagen-induced platelet aggregation. That platelet work was performed on compound obtained from Lindera obtusiloba, not from L. communis, and no extract of L. communis has ever been tested for an effect on platelets, bleeding time or coagulation in any species. The concern is therefore inferred from shared chemistry alone. It is worth recording because the plant's own traditional use is haemostatic, which is the opposite direction, and that contradiction is unresolved.
Clinical note: There is no evidence sufficient to change antiplatelet therapy. If stem-wood or root preparations are used internally in a patient on aspirin or clopidogrel, ask about bruising and gum bleeding at follow-up rather than pre-emptively adjusting anything. Topical use on intact or wounded skin, which is the plant's usual route, raises no realistic systemic concern.
Dosage Calculator
⚖ Dosage Calculator
A weight-based mathematical estimate for Lindera communis. Not a prescription.
Evidence Tier
Moderate 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
0
Randomized controlled trial
0
Other clinical trial
0
Observational / case report
0
In vitro / animal
4
0 verified · 4 unverified
Show 4 studies
- Hexane extract from Lindera communis roots: wound healing properties and membrane-disruptive activities against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
- Cytotoxic Butanolides and Secobutanolides from the Stem Wood of Formosan Lindera communis
- Cytotoxic sesquiterpenoids from the fruits of Lindera communis
- Chemical composition and antioxidant, antimicrobial, enzyme inhibitory, and antiproliferative activities of Lindera communis leaf essential oil
Other / unclassified
1
1 verified · 0 unverified
Verified: design read from PubMed for a DOI that resolves to the cited paper Unverified: taken from the study's recorded description
Clinical Studies
Hexane extract from Lindera communis roots: wound healing properties and membrane-disruptive activities against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
The most substantial pharmacology study of this species and the only one with an in vivo component. Roots were extracted with 95 percent ethanol and fractionated; the n-hexane fraction was the most active, with 49 compounds identified by GC-MS, of which humulene- and guaiane-type sesquiterpenes and lauric acid made up about 85.7 percent. Minimum inhibitory concentration against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was 0.1 mg/mL, with limited Gram-negative activity, and the mechanism was characterised as membrane disruption. In 32 Sprague-Dawley rats with excisional wounds across four groups, including a silver sulfadiazine positive control, the fraction at 10 mg daily shortened epithelialisation time and reduced inflammatory cell infiltration relative to untreated wounds. Cytotoxicity to HaCaT human keratinocytes gave an IC50 of 1.83 mg/mL, well above the antibacterial concentration. Rodent and in vitro only; no human data.
Cytotoxic Butanolides and Secobutanolides from the Stem Wood of Formosan Lindera communis
Bioassay-guided fractionation of the chloroform-soluble fraction of stem wood yielded the new butanolides lincomolide C and D and the new secobutanolides secolincomolide A and B, plus four known compounds including isoobtusilactone A and secoisolancifolide. Cytotoxicity was assessed against P-388, A549 and HT-29 cell lines: lincomolide D was active against P-388 and HT-29 and marginal against A549, lincomolide C was active against all three, and isoobtusilactone A was active against P-388. Cell-line screening of isolated compounds; no animal or human work.
Cytotoxic Butanolides from the Stem Bark of Formosan Lindera communis
The companion study to the 2002 stem-wood paper, isolating cytotoxic butanolides from the stem bark of Taiwanese material. Note that this is bark, a different drug from the stem wood, the root and the leaf, each of which has its own constituent profile in this species.
Cytotoxic sesquiterpenoids from the fruits of Lindera communis
Sesquiterpenoids isolated from the fruits with cytotoxicity screening. Included because the fruit and seed are a distinct part of this plant with an industrial oil use, and their chemistry should not be conflated with the medicinal root, bark or leaf.
Chemical composition and antioxidant, antimicrobial, enzyme inhibitory, and antiproliferative activities of Lindera communis leaf essential oil
Characterisation of the leaf volatile oil with a panel of cell-free and cell-based screens covering antioxidant, antimicrobial, enzyme-inhibitory and antiproliferative activity. Establishes the leaf oil as a distinct preparation from the extracts of root and stem, but is a screening study with no in vivo arm.
References
- Cao Y, Xuan B, Peng B, Li C, Chai X, Tu P. The genus Lindera: a source of structurally diverse molecules having pharmacological significance . Phytochemistry Reviews (2016) [DOI]
- Jung SH, Han JH, Park HS, Lee JJ, Yang SY, Kim YH, Heo KS, Myung CS. Inhibition of Collagen-Induced Platelet Aggregation by the Secobutanolide Secolincomolide A from Lindera obtusiloba Blume . Frontiers in Pharmacology (2017) [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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