Ling Xiao Hua
StarCampsis grandiflora (Thunb.) K.Schum.
Traditionally used for
- Digestion
- Urinary & fluids
- Menstrual & women's health
- Skin
Cautions & contraindications
- Pregnancy
☯ TCM Properties
Dispels Blood Stagnation, u nblocks the channels and vessels and d isperses abdominal masses; Cools Blood and d isperses Wind
Traditional Chinese Uses
Ling Xiao Hua, the flower of Campsis grandiflora (Flos Campsis), is sweet, sour and cold, entering the liver and pericardium channels. As a blood-invigorating herb it dispels blood stasis, unblocks the channels and vessels and disperses abdominal masses, while also cooling the blood and dispelling wind. Its principal use is in gynecology for blood-stasis patterns: amenorrhea, irregular or painful menstruation, and palpable abdominal masses (zheng jia). Because it cools the blood and expels wind, it is also valued for blood-heat and wind skin disorders, including stubborn itching, wind-rashes, acne and rosacea. It is commonly combined with other blood-moving and cooling herbs. Owing to its strong stasis-dispersing action it is traditionally contraindicated during pregnancy.
Western Herbalism Properties
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Ling Xiao Hua (凌霄花) is the dried flower of Campsis grandiflora (Thunb.) K. Schum. and, in some pharmacopoeial editions, Campsis radicans (L.) Seem. (Bignoniaceae) — woody climbing vines reaching 5–10 m by means of aerial rootlets, with opposite, pinnate leaves of 7–11 ovate, coarsely toothed leaflets. In summer they bear striking pendulous panicles of large funnel-shaped flowers 5–8 cm long, with five flaring orange to red-orange lobes and a yellowish throat marked with darker veins, much visited by sunbirds and hummingbirds in their respective ranges. The fully opened flowers are picked at peak bloom, sun-dried, and used to invigorate the blood, cool the blood, and dispel wind. Recorded indications include irregular menstruation, climacteric heat, and certain pruritic skin conditions.
Active Constituents
Apigenin
FlavoneOne of the two compounds identified by bioassay-guided fractionation as responsible for the flower's effect on stagnant peripheral blood flow in mice. It is also the constituent through which the flower's neuroprotective activity has been traced, acting on the PI3K/AKT pathway with downstream suppression of NF-kappaB p65 nuclear translocation.
Acteoside (verbascoside)
Phenylethanoid glycosideThe second active compound isolated from the flowers in the stagnant blood flow assay. It is also one of the three markers used in HPLC quality control of Ling Xiao Hua alongside oleanolic and ursolic acid.
Ursolic acid
Pentacyclic triterpene acidA quality-control marker of the flower, quantified simultaneously with acteoside and oleanolic acid. Among the triterpenoids of this plant it is the most active in insulin-mimetic assays.
Oleanolic acid
Pentacyclic triterpene acidThe third routine HPLC marker of the dried flower, present alongside ursolic acid and the more oxygenated triterpenes.
Campsiside
Iridoid glycosideOne of the iridoid glucosides characteristic of Campsis flowers, isolated together with cachineside I, ixoroside, 5-hydroxycampenoside and 5-hydroxycampsiside.
Campsinol
Non-glycosidic iridoidA non-glycosidic iridoid described from the fresh flowers, alongside two coumaroylated cachineside glucosides.
Leucosceptoside A
Phenylpropanoid glycosideReported from the fresh flowers with acteoside; part of the phenylpropanoid glycoside group of the drug.
Rengyol
CyclohexylethanoidOne of the cyclohexylethanoids of the flower, isolated with isorengyol and cleroindicin B; these were inactive in the blood flow assay that identified apigenin and acteoside.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Warfarin, direct oral anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs
A methanol extract of the dried flowers significantly improved stagnant blood flow in the tail vein microcirculation of sensitised mice, with apigenin and acteoside identified as the active compounds. Antiplatelet activity has also been described for the pentacyclic triterpenoids of this plant, but that work used the leaves rather than the flowers, so it does not transfer directly to the dispensed drug. No coagulation study on the flower itself exists.
Clinical note: Monitor patients on anticoagulants clinically. Separately, this herb is contraindicated in pregnancy in the classical literature because of its strong Blood-moving action, and it should be avoided in patients with Qi or Blood deficiency without stasis.
Campsis radicans (Mei Zhou Ling Xiao Hua) supplied as Ling Xiao Hua
The Chinese Pharmacopoeia admits two botanical sources for Ling Xiao Hua: the East Asian Campsis grandiflora and the North American Campsis radicans. The record here describes C. grandiflora, and essentially all of the published pharmacology and phytochemistry, including the stagnant blood flow work and the iridoid and cyclohexylethanoid isolations, was done on C. grandiflora flowers specifically. Material sold on the pinyin name alone may be either species, and the two have not been shown to be equivalent.
Clinical note: Ask which Campsis species the batch is when the pharmacological rationale for prescribing depends on the published C. grandiflora data.
Campsis leaf or root material substituted for the flower
Ling Xiao Hua is the dried flower. The antiplatelet pentacyclic triterpenoid work on this plant was carried out on leaves, and leaf and flower differ in their triterpene and iridoid content. Attributing leaf pharmacology to the flower is a common error in secondary sources on this herb.
Clinical note: Dispense Flos Campsis; do not accept mixed aerial material.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 5–9 g | Daily | — | — | 中国药典 2020 monograph 【凌霄花】【用法与用量】5～9g。 【注意】孕妇慎用。 【性味与归经】甘、酸，寒。归肝、心包经。 — Matched to ChP by romanised drug name (pinyin 'Ling Xiao Hua' → 凌霄花); the romanisation is unique across all 649 ChP monographs, and the match was cross-checked against this record's own TCM temperature. Quoted verbatim. |
Evidence Tier
Moderate evidence · 3 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
3
1 verified · 2 unverified
Show 3 studies
- Effect of the Dried Flowers of Campsis grandiflora on Stagnant Blood Syndrome
- Antidepressant-like and anti-oxidative efficacy of Campsis grandiflora flower
- Network pharmacology combined with experimental validation show that apigenin as the active ingredient of Campsis grandiflora flower against Parkinson’s disease by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB pathway
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
Effect of the Dried Flowers of Campsis grandiflora on Stagnant Blood Syndrome
The methanol extract of the dried flowers was tested in vivo by monitoring the fall in blood flow in the tail vein microcirculation of mice sensitised with hen egg white lysozyme. The extract improved stagnant peripheral blood flow, and bioassay-guided fractionation yielded apigenin, acteoside, cleroindicin B, rengyol and isorengyol, of which apigenin and acteoside were the active compounds. This is the most direct experimental support for the traditional stagnant-Blood indication of this specific drug.
Antidepressant-like and anti-oxidative efficacy of Campsis grandiflora flower
An ethyl acetate extract of C. grandiflora flowers reduced immobility in the forced swim and tail suspension tests in mice exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress, raised brain superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase and lowered malondialdehyde, and protected PC12 cells against hydrogen peroxide injury. An activity not claimed for the herb traditionally, and not a basis for prescribing it for depression.
Network pharmacology combined with experimental validation show that apigenin as the active ingredient of Campsis grandiflora flower against Parkinson’s disease by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB pathway
Network pharmacology picked apigenin out of the C. grandiflora flower constituents, and MPP+-treated MES23.5 dopaminergic cells were then used for validation. Apigenin activated PI3K/AKT, blocked NF-kappaB p65 nuclear translocation, lowered TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-1beta, and reduced caspase-3 mediated apoptosis; the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 abolished the effect. Cell culture only, and apigenin is very widely distributed in plants, so this is not specific to Ling Xiao Hua.
Historical Texts
Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing
Han dynastyBen Cao Gang Mu
Ming dynastyReferences
- Xiang Hua Han, Ji-Hoon Oh, Seong Su Hong, Chul Lee, Jae In Park, Myung Koo Lee, Bang Yeon Hwang, Moon-Soon Lee. Novel iridoids from the flowers of Campsis grandiflora . Archives of Pharmacal Research (2012) [DOI]
- Dong-Hyun Kim, Kyung-Min Han, Myun-Ho Bang, Youn-Hyung Lee, In-Sik Chung, Dae-Keun Kim, Sung-Hoon Kim, Byoung-Mog Kwon, Mi-Hyun Park, Nam-In Baek. Cyclohexylethanoids from the Flower of Campsis grandiflora . Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society (2007) [DOI]
- Qiao Zhang, Jie Shen, Yang Liu, Yaan Bi, Zhenzhong Wang, Wei Xiao. Simultaneous determination of acteoside, oleanolic acid and ursolic acid in flower of Campsis grandiflora by HPLC . China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica (2011) [DOI]
- Kyoko Ishiguro, Hisae Oku, Emiko Iwaoka, Munekazu Iinuma. Allergy-preventive effects of flowers of Campsis grandiflora . Planta Medica (2010) [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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