Tao Ren
StarPrunus persica
Synonyms: Persica vulgaris var. albaplena, Prunus persica f. magnifica, Persica vulgaris var. pendula, Persica vulgaris var. sympyrena, Persica vulgaris densa, Prunus persica var. uninensis, Amygdalus persica subsp. scleronucipersica, Amygdalus persica f. stellata, Persica domestica, Amygdalus laevis, Persica vulgaris var. lanuginosa, Amygdalus persica var. duracina, Prunus persica subsp. platycarpa, Prunus persica f. camelliiflora, Amygdalus persica var. albaplena, Prunus persica f. pendula, Persica vulgaris var. autumnalis, Persica vulgaris var. fulva, Persica vulgaris var. nana, Persica vulgaris f. dianthiflora, Prunus persica f. nectarina, Prunus persica f. rubroplena, Persica vulgaris var. sanguinolenta, Amygdalus persica var. scleropersica, Amygdalus persica, Persica vulgaris var. alba, Prunus persica var. magnifica, Persica vulgaris f. nuda, Persica vulgaris var. cydonia, Persica vulgaris, Persica vulgaris var. leucocarpa, Persica vulgaris var. praecox, Amygdalus persica var. sinensis, Persica vulgaris f. camelliiflora, Amygdalus persica var. aganonucipersica, Amygdalus persica plena, Persica vulgaris var. tomentosa, Prunus persica var. compressa, Amygdalus persica camelliiflora, Persica vulgaris var. scleropersica, Amygdalus persica f. versicolor, Prunus persica f. albescens, Amygdalus persica subsp. nucipersica, Persica vulgaris subsp. nectarina, Persica vulgaris var. gibbosa, Persica platycarpa, Prunus persica f. sanguinea, Prunus persica subsp. domestica, Prunus persica var. nectarina, Prunus persica var. lasiocalyx, Persica vulgaris scleropersica, Prunus persica f. glabra, Persica vulgaris var. aganopersica, Prunus daemonifuga, Persica vulgaris leucocarpa, Persica vulgaris var. odorata, Amygdalus persica scleropersica, Prunus persica var. pleiocarpa, Persica vulgaris f. pyramidalis, Prunus persica var. commixta, Persica laevis, Amygdalus nucipersica, Persica vulgaris var. diapyrena, Amygdalus persica scleronucipersica, Prunus persica subsp. floriplena, Persica vulgaris var. rosiflora, Prunus persica f. duplex, Amygdalus persica var. multiplex, Prunus persica f. scleronucipersica, Prunus persica f. alba, Amygdalus persica var. nectarina, Prunus persica f. versicolor, Prunus persica f. uninensis, Prunus persica subsp. ferganensis, Persica vulgaris var. campanuliflora, Amygdalus ferganensis, Persica vulgaris ovalis, Prunus persica f. caryophyllodes, Amygdalus persica alba, Persica vulgaris var. loiseleurii, Prunus persica f. compressa, Persica vulgaris var. pyramidalis, Persica vulgaris var. bipartita, Persica vulgaris f. albaplena, Persica mammillata, Prunus persica f. scleropersica, Persica vulgaris var. nucipersica, Prunus persica f. praematura, Prunus persica subsp. laevis, Prunus persica f. albaplena, Persica levis acidula, Persica vulgaris var. dianthiflora, Amygdalus persica duracina, Persica vulgaris var. caucasica, Persica vulgaris var. ovata, Prunus persica f. coccineoplena, Amygdalus persica var. roseoplena, Persica vulgaris f. versicolor, Persica vulgaris f. magnifica, Prunus persica f. stellata, Prunus persica f. dasycarpa, Persica vulgaris var. apiana, Persica vulgaris var. rotundata, Persica vulgaris var. mammosa, Prunus persica f. pyramidalis, Prunus persica subsp. vulgaris, Amygdalus persica ispahamensis, Persica vulgaris var. intermedia, Prunus persica f. pubescens, Persica vulgaris subsp. erythrocarpa, Persica levis, Persica vulgaris f. alba, Persica vulgaris var. densa, Prunus persica var. vulgaris, Persica vulgaris laevis, Persica vulgaris var. carnea, Amygdalus persica var. aganopersica, Persica vulgaris var. violacea, Amygdalus persica var. rubroplena, Prunus persica var. laevis, Prunus persica var. subspontanea, Persica vulgaris var. nectarina, Persica vulgaris versicolor, Prunus persica var. aposarca, Persica ferganensis, Persica vulgaris f. duplex, Persica vulgaris var. ruberrima, Persica vulgaris var. minuta, Persica vulgaris albida, Prunus persica f. aganopersica, Prunus ferganensis, Persica vulgaris var. tristis, Amygdalus persica var. laevis, Persica vulgaris isolata, Prunus persica subsp. nucipersica, Prunus persica f. pumila, Persica chinensis var. radiata, Persica vulgaris secedens, Persica vulgaris var. camelliiflora, Amygdalus persica dianthiflora, Persica vulgaris f. pendula, Amygdalus persica var. scleronucipersica, Persica vulgaris subsp. laevis, Amygdalus persica rosiflora, Prunus persica var. pendula, Persica vulgaris var. xanthocarpa, Prunus persica var. platycarpa, Prunus persica f. nuda, Persica pendula, Persica vulgaris var. magnifica, Persica vulgaris subsp. atropurpurea, Amygdalus persica nuda, Persica vulgaris var. sanguinea, Persica vulgaris flavorubens, Persica vulgaris moschata, Amygdalus persica var. foliis-atropurpureis, Persica vulgaris var. jucunda, Amygdalus persica subsp. aganonucipersica, Prunus persica var. densa, Persica vulgaris var. atropurpurea, Prunus persica var. longistyla, Persica vulgaris succosa, Amygdalus persica var. stellata, Persica levis aurantia, Prunus persica var. xanthocarpa, Persica nucipersica, Amygdalus persica var. duplex, Amygdalus persica var. compressa, Prunus persica f. aganonucipersica, Amygdalus persica f. roseaplena, Prunus persica f. atropurpurea, Persica vulgaris xanthocarpa, Prunus persica f. nudicarpa, Amygdalus persica f. pendula, Persica vulgaris var. duplex, Persica vulgaris duracina, Persica nana, Amygdalus communis var. persica, Amygdalus persica persicaduplex, Persica chinensis, Persica vulgaris f. sanguinea, Persica vulgaris var. muscata, Persica vulgaris f. atropurpurea, Persica vulgaris var. foliis-rubris, Prunus persica f. mollis, Amygdalus persica foliis-rubris, Prunus persica var. pyramidalis, Persica vulgaris var. laevis, Prunus persica f. dianthiflora, Amygdalus persica var. nucipersica, Persica vulgaris var. haematocarpa, Prunus persica var. nucipersica, Persica vulgaris var. compressa
Traditionally used for
- Digestion
- Bowel health
- Menstrual & women's health
- Pain & joints
- Heart & circulation
Cautions & contraindications
- Pregnancy
- Breastfeeding
- Young children
- Before surgery
- Toxic — professional use only
☯ TCM Properties
Breaks up Blood Stasis and invigorates Blood circulation; Moistens the Intestines and unblocks the bowels; Drains abscesses
Traditional Chinese Uses
Tao Ren (peach kernel) is a neutral, Blood-moving herb considered one of the most important herbs for breaking Blood stasis in Chinese medicine. It activates Blood circulation, disperses accumulations, and moistens the Intestines — making it useful for menstrual irregularities, amenorrhea, fixed abdominal pain from stasis, traumatic injuries, and constipation from intestinal dryness. It is a key ingredient in many classical formulas for gynecological Blood stagnation conditions.
Western Herbalism Properties
Pharmacological Effects
- Antithrombotic / circulatory: Decoction inhibited thrombosis in vitro and increased rabbit ear-vein blood flow; i.v. in anesthetized dogs caused vasodilation, higher femoral flow and lower blood pressure.
- Hepatic microcirculation and choleretic: 1-100 mg extract injected into the splenic artery improved liver surface microcirculation and promoted bile secretion.
- Anticoagulant: Alcoholic extract had anticoagulant effect.
- Antiallergic: Oral extract inhibited passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) in mice.
Source: Zhu YP. Chinese Materia Medica: Chemistry, Pharmacology and Applications. Harwood Academic, 1998, p. 470.
Used In Formulas (67)
Relationships
Full-screen graph →Click a node for details · double-click to expand it · Ctrl/⌘ + scroll or two fingers to zoom and pan.
Gallery
Botanical Description
Prunus persica is a deciduous tree reaching 3-8 m tall. Bark is reddish-brown to dark gray. Leaves are narrowly lanceolate, 7-15 cm long, with finely serrated margins and glands at the base. Flowers are pink to red, appearing before the leaves in early spring. The fruit is a large, round to oval drupe (peach) 4-8 cm in diameter with sweet, juicy, yellow or white flesh and velvety skin. The hard stone contains a single seed (kernel, Tao Ren) that is flat, oval, and pointed at one end.
Cultivated in orchards and gardens worldwide; native to northwestern China, widely grown throughout temperate and subtropical regions for its fruit.
Prunus persica is primarily known as a cultivated fruit tree. It is widely grown throughout temperate regions. Native wild populations in China are less well-defined. No conservation concerns for the cultivated form.
Active Constituents
Amygdalin
Cyanogenic diglucosideConcentration: measured at 4.95 percent of a standardised Semen persicae extract by HPLC; the seed is a cyanogenic drug and this is its defining constituent
Amygdalin itself is not the toxin. Hydrolysed by the seed's own beta-glucosidase and by intestinal flora it releases benzaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide, which is why oral toxicity greatly exceeds intravenous toxicity. A systematic review of 110 studies places the oral dose below which toxicity is generally avoided at roughly 0.6 to 1 g of amygdalin per day. The same review credits amygdalin with antitumour, antifibrotic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity in preclinical models.
Prunasin
Cyanogenic monoglucosideConcentration: a minor cyanogenic glycoside of the seed alongside amygdalin
The mono-glucoside partial hydrolysis product of amygdalin, and cyanogenic on the same pathway. It adds to, rather than substitutes for, the cyanide load of the drug.
Emulsin (beta-glucosidase)
EnzymeConcentration: endogenous to the seed and co-located with amygdalin
Safety-relevant rather than therapeutic: this is the enzyme in the seed itself that liberates hydrogen cyanide from amygdalin once the seed is crushed and wetted. It is the reason crushed raw kernels are more hazardous than intact ones, and part of the rationale for blanching or decocting the drug.
Fixed oil (triolein, oleic acid, palmitic acid)
Triacylglycerols and fatty acidsConcentration: the seed is oil-rich; triolein, oleic acid, palmitic acid and nonacosanoic acid were isolated from Semen Persicae
The lipid fraction supports the classical bowel-moistening, stool-loosening indication. It also carries measurable antithrombotic activity: the petroleum-ether extract and the isolated palmitic and oleic acids significantly prolonged thrombin time in vitro, and a methanol extract inhibited platelet aggregation.
15,16-Dihydroxy-9Z,12Z-octadecadienoic acid 2,3-dihydroxypropyl ester
Glyceryl ester of a hydroxylated fatty acidConcentration: a new lipid isolated from Semen Persicae; trace
Reported as a new compound from this drug in an investigation of its antithrombotic lipids. Its individual contribution to activity was not separately established.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Warfarin, DOACs, aspirin, clopidogrel and other antithrombotics
Direct in vitro evidence exists for this drug rather than for the category generally: the petroleum-ether extract of Semen Persicae and its isolated palmitic and oleic acids significantly prolonged thrombin time, and the methanol extract inhibited platelet aggregation. Tao Ren is also almost always co-prescribed with Hong Hua and other blood-invigorating herbs, so the formula effect exceeds the single-herb effect. No human coagulation study exists.
Clinical note: Ask about anticoagulants and antiplatelets before dispensing. Stop about a week before elective surgery or dental extraction, and avoid in active bleeding or thrombocytopenia.
Amygdalin or laetrile supplements, and bitter apricot or bitter almond kernels
Tao Ren is itself a cyanogenic drug. Patients taking laetrile or amygdalin as an alternative cancer treatment, or eating bitter apricot kernels, are adding to the same toxic pathway. A Cochrane review of laetrile for cancer found no evidence of anticancer benefit and identified cyanide poisoning as its documented hazard, and a pharmacological and toxicological review states that oral administration is far more toxic than intravenous because of gut flora beta-glucosidase, with the safe oral ceiling around 0.6 to 1 g of amygdalin per day. Standard TCM dosing of Tao Ren sits below that, but the margin closes fast when sources are stacked.
Clinical note: Ask directly about laetrile, amygdalin capsules and apricot kernel consumption before prescribing Tao Ren, and do not prescribe alongside them. Warn patients not to take extra kernels between doses, and treat headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion or cherry-red skin as possible cyanide toxicity requiring emergency care.
Pregnancy (blood-breaking and cyanogenic drug)
Two independent grounds converge. Tao Ren is a Blood-breaking herb whose classical indications include retained lochia, amenorrhoea and retained placenta, and every classical source contraindicates it in pregnancy as an abortifacient. Separately, it is cyanogenic, and cyanide crosses the placenta; there is no safe characterised exposure in pregnancy.
Clinical note: Absolutely contraindicated in pregnancy. Also avoid during breastfeeding given the cyanogenic content, and never dispense to a patient trying to conceive without discussing it.
Ku Xing Ren / Armeniacae Semen Amarum (Prunus armeniaca) substituted for Tao Ren
Tao Ren and Ku Xing Ren are similar-looking Rosaceae kernels, both cyanogenic, dispensed from adjacent drawers and easily confused. They have different indications - Tao Ren breaks Blood, Ku Xing Ren descends Lung qi and stops cough - and bitter apricot kernel carries the higher amygdalin content and the tighter dose ceiling, being the kernel most often implicated in human cyanide poisoning. The Chinese Pharmacopoeia further allows a second botanical source for Tao Ren itself, Prunus davidiana (Shan Tao Ren), so even correctly labelled stock is not a single species.
Clinical note: Check the kernel identity on receipt and check the dose against the drug actually intended. If a paediatric patient or an overdose is involved, establish which kernel was taken before estimating the cyanide risk.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 5–10 g | daily | — | adult | 中国药典 2020年版 一部 【桃仁】【用法与用量】5～10g。 【注意】孕妇慎用。 — Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020, Vol. I. Crush before decocting; caution in pregnancy |
Dui Yao — Herb Pairs
The classical two-herb combinations this herb appears in, each with an action neither herb has alone.
Purging downward together with breaking blood stasis: the pair drives static blood and heat out through the bowels.
Accumulation of blood and heat in the lower burner (blood amassment). Contraindicated in pregnancy.
Core pair of a classical formula — Tao He Cheng Qi Tang, Shang Han Lun (Zhang Zhongjing)
The pair invigorates blood and breaks up stasis more powerfully than either herb alone, acting on both the upper and lower body.
Amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea and abdominal masses from blood stasis, and traumatic pain; the basis of Tao Hong Si Wu Tang (Yi Zong Jin Jian). Contraindicated in pregnancy.
Named pairing — Lü Jingshan, Shi Jinmo Dui Yao
Evidence Tier
Strong evidence · 4 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
2
1 verified · 1 unverified
Randomized controlled trial
0
Other clinical trial
0
Observational / case report
0
In vitro / animal
2
1 verified · 1 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
Antithrombotic lipids from Semen Persicae
Seven lipids were isolated from Semen Persicae, including one new compound. The petroleum-ether extract and the isolated palmitic and oleic acids significantly prolonged thrombin time, and the methanol extract clearly inhibited platelet aggregation. This is the most direct laboratory support for the traditional blood-invigorating action of the seed, and the basis for treating antithrombotic drug interactions as more than theoretical.
Antioxidant Activity and Preclinical Safety of Semen persicae Extract
Amygdalin in the test extract was measured at 4.95 percent by HPLC. At 2 mg/mL the extract scavenged DPPH, hydroxyl and ABTS radicals by 51.8, 55.5 and 57.2 percent and chelated 30.8 percent of Fe2+, and it left HepG2 viability at 92.5 percent even at 2000 micrograms/mL. Single oral doses up to 2000 mg/kg caused no deaths or toxic signs in rats, and 28 days at 100, 300 and 600 mg/kg per day produced no toxicity or gross pathology. Read carefully: this shows a defined extract is tolerated at these doses in rats, not that a cyanogenic drug is safe at arbitrary human doses.
Amygdalin - A pharmacological and toxicological review
110 in vitro and in vivo studies of amygdalin were reviewed. Reported activities include antitumour, antifibrotic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, immunomodulatory, anti-atherosclerotic and glucose-lowering effects. On toxicity the review is explicit: harm comes from the benzaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide released after oral ingestion, intravenous toxicity is far lower than oral, and toxicity is avoidable within an oral range of about 0.6 to 1 g per day.
Laetrile treatment for cancer
A Cochrane review of laetrile and amygdalin, the semi-synthetic and natural cyanogenic compounds derived from Prunus kernels, found no reliable evidence of anticancer benefit and identified the risk of cyanide poisoning as the substantive finding. It is cited here not as evidence about Tao Ren as a TCM drug, but because patients who take amygdalin products are loading the same toxic pathway as the herb.
⚠ Safety & Contraindications
- Pregnancy
- Breastfeeding
- Young children
- Before surgery
- Toxic — professional use only
Contraindications
Its use is prohibited in pregnant women, and cautious in patients with loose stool. Due to its toxicity, overdose should be avoided.
Source: Xi S, Gong Y. Essentials of Chinese Materia Medica and Medical Formulas. Academic Press/Elsevier, 2017, pp. 237–243.
Side Effects
- No adverse reactions reported in the posthepatitic cirrhosis study.
Source: Zhu YP. Chinese Materia Medica: Chemistry, Pharmacology and Applications. Harwood Academic, 1998, p. 470.
⚠ Rule-Based Cautions
These entries come from the deterministic rule tables that gate Verscienta's formula tools — classical pair prohibitions, pregnancy and lactation contraindications, and dose ceilings.
Pregnancy
Avoid blood-invigorator
Historical Texts
Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing
Han dynastyShang Han Lun
Han dynastyBen Cao Gang Mu
Ming dynastyReferences
- Liu YQ, Wu HL, Zhang ZQ, Wang WL, Han GQ, Zhang CH, Lyu XL, Ma CJ, Li MH. Traditional Use, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Toxicology and Clinical Applications of Persicae Semen: A Review . Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine (2024) [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.
📝 Notes
Public notes from the community and your own private notes on Tao Ren.
No notes yet.