Ma Wei Lian
StarThalictrum foliolosum DC. / Thalictrum baicalense Turcz. / Thalictrum delavayi Franch.
Traditionally used for
- Eye health
- Digestion
- Bowel health
- Skin
- Liver & jaundice
Cautions & contraindications
- Breastfeeding
- Bleeding disorders
- Heart conditions
- Kidney conditions
☯ TCM Properties
Clears Heat and dries Dampness and removes toxicity
Traditional Chinese Uses
Ma Wei Lian is the root and rhizome of several Thalictrum species (Ranunculaceae), a bitter, cold herb in the category that clears Heat and dries Dampness. Rich in berberine and related alkaloids, it is used regionally much as Huang Lian (Coptis) is: to drain Damp-Heat from the Intestines in dysentery and diarrhea with tenesmus, to clear Heart and Liver Fire, and to resolve Fire toxicity. Entering the Liver, Heart, and Large Intestine channels, it addresses damp-heat jaundice, red painful eyes and conjunctivitis, mouth and tongue sores, and hot skin sores, boils, and measles. It can be decocted (3-15 g) or powdered, and used as a topical wash for sores. Being bitter and cold, it readily injures Spleen and Stomach yang and is inappropriate for Cold-from-Deficiency patterns.
Western Herbalism Properties
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Ma Wei Lian is derived from several species of Thalictrum (Ranunculaceae) — most often T. baicalense, T. minus, T. foliolosum, or T. glandulosissimum — perennial herbs of cool montane meadows and forest margins across northern and western China and the Himalayan foothills. The plants grow 30–100 cm tall from a knotted rhizome producing wiry yellow roots that recall a horse's tail (hence the name). The foliage is tripinnately compound with small, three-lobed, glaucous leaflets reminiscent of columbine or meadow-rue. Small apetalous flowers with prominent tufts of stamens are borne in airy terminal panicles in early summer. The rhizome and rootlets are dug in autumn, washed, and dried; their bright yellow interior reflects a high content of berberine and related protoberberine alkaloids, the basis of the herb's use as a Coptis chinensis (Huang Lian) substitute.
Active Constituents
Berberine
Protoberberine isoquinoline alkaloidConcentration: 5.09 to 11.1 micrograms per mg of crude Thalictrum foliolosum root (about 0.5 to 1.1% of dry weight); content varies inversely with the altitude of collection (r = -0.912), highest in low-altitude material
The dominant alkaloid of the root and the reason this drug behaves pharmacologically like Huang Lian. It is antibacterial, antiprotozoal and antidiarrhoeal, and it is also the constituent responsible for essentially every clinically important interaction of this herb, being a P-glycoprotein and CYP inhibitor and an albumin-binding competitor of bilirubin. The figures given are for T. foliolosum root; T. baicalense and T. delavayi have not been quantified to the same standard.
Jatrorrhizine
Protoberberine isoquinoline alkaloidA demethylated protoberberine that accompanies berberine in the root and rhizome and shares its antimicrobial profile. It is one of five alkaloids routinely quantified when this drug is standardised.
Palmatine
Protoberberine isoquinoline alkaloidPresent with berberine and jatrorrhizine in root and rhizome, contributing to the yellow colour and to the drug's antibacterial and antiprotozoal activity.
Magnoflorine
Aporphine (quaternary) alkaloidA quaternary aporphine alkaloid of the root and rhizome; one of the marker alkaloids used in UPLC standardisation of the drug alongside berberine, palmatine, jatrorrhizine and thalidasine.
Thalidasine
Bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloidA dimeric benzylisoquinoline that is characteristic of Thalictrum and absent from Coptis. Its presence is what pharmacologically distinguishes Ma Wei Lian from the Huang Lian for which it is substituted, and bisbenzylisoquinolines as a class carry cardiovascular and neuromuscular activity that berberine does not.
Thalicarpine
Aporphine-benzylisoquinoline dimerA dimeric alkaloid reported from T. foliolosum. Compounds of this class in Thalictrum have been investigated for cytotoxicity rather than for the anti-dysentery use of the crude drug.
8-Oxyberberine (berlambine)
Oxoprotoberberine alkaloidAn oxidised berberine congener isolated from the root and rhizome; a marker of the protoberberine pathway in this species.
Thalfoliolosumine A
Chlorine-containing benzylisoquinoline alkaloidOne of two rare chloro-substituted benzylisoquinolines described from the whole plant. It showed moderate antiproliferative activity against MCF-7, PC-3 and HL-60 cells and an IC50 of 7.50 micromolar against U937 cells.
Thalfoliolosumine B
Chlorine-containing benzylisoquinoline alkaloidThe companion chloro-alkaloid to thalfoliolosumine A, with an IC50 of 6.97 micromolar against U937 cells.
Thalifendine
Protoberberine isoquinoline alkaloidIsolated from the stem together with berberine during work on Thalictrum alkaloids as antileishmanial topoisomerase inhibitors.
Noroxyhydrastinine
Isoquinolone alkaloidA minor simple isoquinolone reported from the root and rhizome; of chemotaxonomic rather than therapeutic interest.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Ciclosporin
Berberine, the dominant alkaloid of this root, significantly increased ciclosporin A blood concentrations in renal transplant recipients in a clinical pharmacokinetic study, through inhibition of CYP3A4 and P-glycoprotein. A berberine-rich Thalictrum decoction delivers the same alkaloid, albeit at an uncontrolled dose.
Clinical note: Do not combine with ciclosporin, tacrolimus or sirolimus in a transplant patient. If the patient is already taking it, involve the transplant team and monitor trough levels rather than stopping abruptly.
CYP3A4, CYP2D6 and CYP2C9 substrates (e.g. midazolam, dextromethorphan, losartan)
Repeated oral berberine inhibited CYP2D6, CYP2C9 and CYP3A4 in healthy human volunteers using probe-drug phenotyping. Ma Wei Lian is a berberine-bearing drug and the same inhibition should be assumed. The dose delivered by a decoction is not standardised, so the magnitude of the effect cannot be predicted from the herb dose.
Clinical note: Avoid with narrow-therapeutic-index substrates of these enzymes, particularly antiarrhythmics, statins metabolised by CYP3A4, and warfarin. Separating doses does not solve the problem, since the inhibition is enzyme-level and persists between doses.
Neonatal and infant use, and drugs that displace bilirubin from albumin
Berberine displaces bilirubin from serum albumin, raising free unconjugated bilirubin. In a neonate with an immature blood-brain barrier and physiological or haemolytic jaundice this can precipitate bilirubin encephalopathy. The hazard is additive with sulphonamides, ceftriaxone and other albumin-displacing drugs. This is the same contraindication that applies to Huang Lian and to berberine-containing patent medicines.
Clinical note: Do not give to neonates or to breastfeeding mothers of jaundiced neonates, and avoid in the third trimester. Do not use in G6PD deficiency.
Huang Lian (Coptis chinensis) - substitution and adulteration
Ma Wei Lian is one of the plants supplied under the Huang Lian umbrella in the Chinese herb trade, where the practice of using different plants as the same herb is well documented for berberine-bearing drugs and dozens of species across several genera circulate under the Huang-lian name. Thalictrum root is not equipotent with Coptis rhizome: berberine content differs and varies with altitude of collection, and Thalictrum additionally carries bisbenzylisoquinolines such as thalidasine and thalicarpine that Coptis does not. A prescription written for Coptis and filled with Thalictrum therefore delivers a different alkaloid profile at a different strength.
Clinical note: Specify the binomial when ordering, and treat Ma Wei Lian and Huang Lian as separate drugs rather than interchangeable ones. Botanical or TLC authentication is worth requesting from the supplier.
Antidiabetic drugs (metformin, sulfonylureas, insulin)
Berberine has well-characterised glucose-lowering activity, and this root is a berberine-bearing drug. The berberine dose delivered by a decoction is neither standardised nor declared, so the additive effect cannot be estimated in advance.
Clinical note: Ask diabetic patients to monitor capillary glucose more frequently for the first two weeks and to report hypoglycaemic symptoms; anticipate that oral hypoglycaemic doses may need review.
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
5
2 verified · 3 unverified
Show 5 studies
- Antiplasmodial potential of Thalictrum foliolosum (Ranunculaceae) against lethal murine malaria
- Altitudinal variation of berberine, total phenolics and flavonoid content in Thalictrum foliolosum and their correlation with antimicrobial and antioxidant activities
- Cytotoxic isoquinoline alkaloids from the roots of Thalictrum foliolosum
- A new bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid isolated from Thalictrum foliolosum, as a potent inhibitor of DNA topoisomerase IB of Leishmania donovani
- Two new benzylisoquinoline alkaloids from Thalictrum foliolosum and their antioxidant and in vitro antiproliferative properties
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
Antiplasmodial potential of Thalictrum foliolosum (Ranunculaceae) against lethal murine malaria
An ethanol leaf extract of Thalictrum foliolosum was tested against Plasmodium berghei in mice. It gave 67.11% chemosuppression at 1000 mg/kg on day 5 with an ED50 of 579.56 mg/kg, 87.70% repository chemosuppression at 750 mg/kg (better than pyrimethamine at 78.78%) and 70.06% curative chemosuppression at 750 mg/kg. Mean survival reached 19.2 and 22.66 days versus death by day 9 in untreated controls, and biochemical assays showed no hepatic or renal injury. Note this used the leaf, not the root that constitutes the Ma Wei Lian drug.
Altitudinal variation of berberine, total phenolics and flavonoid content in Thalictrum foliolosum and their correlation with antimicrobial and antioxidant activities
Root berberine ranged from 5.09 to 11.1 micrograms per mg of crude drug and varied inversely with collection altitude (r = -0.912), peaking at 11.1 micrograms per mg in the lowest-altitude population at 1709 m and falling to 7.37 at 3086 m, while total phenolics (1.01 to 26.57 GAE/g extract) and flavonoids (4.82 to 8.28 RE/g) rose with altitude. Ethanolic extracts inhibited Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa with MICs of 39.07 to 78.13 micrograms/mL, and DPPH IC50 values spanned 24.88 to 295.82 micrograms/mL. The practical point is that the potency of this drug depends on where it was collected.
Cytotoxic isoquinoline alkaloids from the roots of Thalictrum foliolosum
Three new isoquinoline alkaloids were isolated from a 70% ethanol extract of Thalictrum foliolosum root. Two of them showed significant cytotoxicity with IC50 values below 20 micromolar against all six human lung cancer cell lines tested (H460, H23, HTB-58, A549, H441 and H2170).
A new bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid isolated from Thalictrum foliolosum, as a potent inhibitor of DNA topoisomerase IB of Leishmania donovani
Two new bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids were isolated from the stem of Thalictrum foliolosum together with the known protoberberines thalifendine and berberine. One of the new dimers almost completely inhibited Leishmania donovani DNA topoisomerase IB at 50 micromolar and killed both wild-type and antimony-resistant promastigotes.
Two new benzylisoquinoline alkaloids from Thalictrum foliolosum and their antioxidant and in vitro antiproliferative properties
Two rare chlorine-containing benzylisoquinolines, thalfoliolosumines A and B, were isolated from the whole plant with eight known isoquinoline alkaloids. The new compounds gave IC50 values of 7.50 and 6.97 micromolar against U937 cells, two known alkaloids reached IC50 values of 0.93 and 1.69 micromolar against HL-60, and the bisbenzyltetrahydroisoquinolines were the strongest antioxidants in the ABTS assay.
⚠ Safety & Contraindications
- Breastfeeding
- Bleeding disorders
- Heart conditions
- Kidney conditions
Contraindications
Its use is cautious in patients with deficiency-cold of the spleen and stomach.
Source: Xi S, Gong Y. Essentials of Chinese Materia Medica and Medical Formulas. Academic Press/Elsevier, 2017, pp. 46–50.
Historical Texts
Ben Cao Gang Mu Shi Yi
References
- Nitin Sharma, Vikas Kumar, Mahendra Pratap Chopra, Anuradha Sourirajan, Kamal Dev, Mohamed El-Shazly. Thalictrum foliolosum: A lesser unexplored medicinal herb from the Himalayan region as a source of valuable benzyl isoquinoline alkaloids . Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2020) [DOI]
- Basant Singh, Laxman Singh, Indra D. Bhatt, Narain D. Kandpal. Tailored NADES solvents for the extraction optimization of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids from Thalictrum foliolosum DC.- A potential phyto-nutraceutical source . Food Chemistry (2025) [DOI]
- Manoj Kumar Mishra. Phytochemical analysis and evaluation of antibacterial activity of various extracts from leaves, stems and roots of Thalictrum foliolosum . Future Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (2024) [DOI]
- Yu Zhang, Yan-Fei Geng, Ling-Ling Zhang, Li Wang, Li-Ji He, Chen Wang, Zhen-Zhen Chai, Ru-Yan Fan, Shan Li, Yu-Hua Wang. Finding new sources from “using different plants as the same herb”: A case study of Huang-lian in Northwest Yunnan, China . Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2015) [DOI]
- Xiaochun Wu, Qing Li, Huawen Xin, Airong Yu, Mingyuan Zhong. Effects of berberine on the blood concentration of cyclosporin A in renal transplanted recipients: clinical and pharmacokinetic study . European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (2005) [DOI]
- Ying Guo, Yao Chen, Zhi-rong Tan, Curtis D. Klaassen, Hong-hao Zhou. Repeated administration of berberine inhibits cytochromes P450 in humans . European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (2012) [DOI]
- Eli Chan. Displacement of Bilirubin from Albumin by Berberine . Biology of the Neonate (1993) [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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