☯ TCM Properties
Calms Liver Yang, clears Liver Fire and extinguishes Wind; Clears Heat and facilitates urination; Nourishes the Heart and Calms the Shen; Enhances Health in the middle-aged and elderly
Traditional Chinese Uses
Luo Bu Ma Ye is the leaf of Apocynum venetum (dogbane), a sweet, bitter, cool herb entering the Liver channel. It is used to calm the Liver and subdue ascendant Liver Yang, and to clear Liver Fire and extinguish Wind, addressing dizziness, vertigo, headache, flushing and irritability arising from rising Liver Yang, and it is a widely used adjunct in patterns underlying hypertension. It also clears Heat and promotes urination to relieve edema and scanty urination, and it nourishes the Heart to quiet the Shen for palpitations, restlessness and insomnia.
Commonly taken as a simple infusion or tablet, it is regarded as gentle and is favored for supporting middle-aged and elderly patients. It should be used cautiously in Cold-deficiency patterns given its cool, draining nature.
Botanical Description
Apocynum venetum L. (Chinese dogbane, also called Russian dogbane or luobuma) is a small woody perennial subshrub in the Apocynaceae, 0.5-2 m tall, native to saline-alkaline soils, riverbanks, and steppe regions of China (notably Xinjiang and the Yellow River basin), Central Asia, and the southern Russian steppe. Stems are slender, reddish-purple to brownish, glabrous, and exude a milky latex when broken. Leaves are opposite or sometimes alternate, narrowly oblong to lanceolate, 1.5-5 cm long, 0.5-1.5 cm wide, with entire margins, an acute apex, a short petiole, and a leathery texture, dark green above and paler beneath. Small, pinkish-purple, urn-shaped flowers are borne in terminal corymbose cymes in summer, followed by paired slender pendent follicles releasing seeds bearing tufts of silky hairs.
Active Constituents
Hyperoside (quercetin-3-O-galactoside)
Flavonol glycosideConcentration: Major leaf flavonoid; a Pharmacopoeial quality marker
One of the principal flavonoids of the leaf; associated with the antidepressant, anxiolytic, antioxidant and endothelium-dependent vasorelaxant effects, with total flavonoid content correlating with antidepressant activity.
Isoquercitrin (quercetin-3-O-glucoside)
Flavonol glycosideConcentration: Major leaf flavonoid
Together with hyperoside, considered a key contributor to the antidepressant and antioxidant activity of the leaf extract.
Quercetin
Flavonol aglyconeConcentration: Present as aglycone and released on hydrolysis of glycosides
Antioxidant flavonol underlying free-radical scavenging, lipid-lowering and vascular-protective actions of the leaf.
Astragalin (kaempferol-3-O-glucoside)
Flavonol glycosideConcentration: Minor to moderate leaf flavonoid
Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant kaempferol glycoside contributing to the overall flavonoid activity of the leaf.
Rutin (quercetin-3-O-rutinoside)
Flavonol glycosideConcentration: Minor leaf flavonoid
Vascular-protective, antioxidant flavonoid commonly reported in the leaf's phenolic profile.
Chlorogenic acid
Phenolic (caffeoylquinic) acidConcentration: Notable phenolic-acid constituent
Antioxidant phenolic acid contributing to the total phenolic content and to hepatoprotective and antihypertensive properties of the leaf.
(+)-Catechin / epicatechin
Flavan-3-olConcentration: Part of the phenolic fraction
Flavan-3-ols adding to the antioxidant capacity of the leaf extract.
Kaempferol
Flavonol aglyconeConcentration: Minor aglycone
Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory flavonol present alongside quercetin in the leaf.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Antihypertensive drugs (e.g., ACE inhibitors, calcium-channel blockers, diuretics)
Leaf extract produces endothelium-dependent, nitric-oxide-mediated vasorelaxation and has documented blood-pressure-lowering activity, so co-administration with antihypertensives may cause additive reductions in blood pressure.
Clinical note: Monitor blood pressure when Luo Bu Ma tea/extract is used with antihypertensive medication; dose adjustment may be needed.
Cardiac glycosides (digoxin, digitoxin)
Apocynum species can contain cardenolide/cardiotonic components; Chinese-medicine safety reviews specifically caution that Luobuma decoctions with cardiac-active components may add to the effect of digitalis-type glycosides and precipitate toxicity.
Clinical note: Avoid concurrent use with digoxin/digitoxin; if unavoidable, monitor for signs of glycoside toxicity (nausea, arrhythmia, visual disturbance).
Sedatives / CNS depressants (benzodiazepines, sleep aids)
The leaf extract has demonstrated sleep-promoting and anxiolytic effects in animal and human studies, so additive sedative effects with CNS depressants are plausible.
Clinical note: Use caution when combining with sedative medications; watch for excess drowsiness.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 6-15g | Daily | — | — | — |
Preparation Methods
Infusion (leaf tea)
Parts: Dried leaf
Roughly 3–10 g of dried leaf steeped as a tea in hot water. Because the active flavonoids are heat-labile, a brief infusion is preferred over prolonged decoction. Traditionally taken to calm Liver Yang, clear heat and promote urination.
Standardized leaf extract
Parts: Leaf
Concentrated flavonoid-standardized extracts (e.g., 50 mg/day used in clinical trials) are taken for sleep, stress and blood-pressure support; long-term daily use at ~50 mg has been reported without severe adverse effects.
Clinical Studies
A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Trial to Assess the Effects of Apocynum venetum L. (Venetron®) on Sleep and Stress in Those Expressing Feelings of Anxiety
476 healthy adults with feelings of anxiety received 50 mg/day of A. venetum leaf extract (Venetron®) or placebo for 6 weeks. The active group was significantly more likely to achieve a minimal clinically important improvement in perceived stress and sleep disturbance, with a marginal benefit for anxiety; no benefit over placebo was seen for depression or cognition, and the extract was well tolerated.
Apocynum venetum Leaf Extract Exerts Antidepressant-Like Effects and Inhibits Hippocampal and Cortical Apoptosis of Rats Exposed to Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress
In a CUMS rat model of depression, A. venetum leaf extract (60 or 120 mg/kg/day) significantly improved depressive behaviours and reduced apoptosis of hippocampal and cortical neurons, with the higher dose producing the strongest antidepressant-like effect, supporting a neuroprotective, anti-apoptotic mechanism.
Historical Texts
Jiu Huang Ben Cao (救荒本草, Materia Medica for Famine Relief), Zhu Su
Ming dynasty, 1406Modern Chinese materia medica (e.g., Shaanxi Zhong Cao Yao 陕西中草药) and the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China
Modern (20th century onward)References
- Xie W, Zhang X, Wang T, Hu J. Botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Apocynum venetum L. (Luobuma): A review . Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 141(1):1-8 (2012) [DOI]
- White KP, Hewlings S, Bryant C, Moseley M, D'Adamo CR, Colwell CS, Chen J, Pauli EK. A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Trial to Assess the Effects of Apocynum venetum L. (Venetron®) on Sleep and Stress in Those Expressing Feelings of Anxiety . International Journal of Translational Medicine (2025) [DOI]
- Wu T, Li X, Li T, Cai M, Yu Z, Zhang J, Zhang Z, Zhang W, Xiang J, Cai D. Apocynum venetum Leaf Extract Exerts Antidepressant-Like Effects and Inhibits Hippocampal and Cortical Apoptosis of Rats Exposed to Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress . Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (2018) [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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