Pseudognaphalium affine
StarPseudognaphalium affine
Synonyms: Helichrysum affine, Gnaphalium multiceps, Pseudognaphalium luteoalbum subsp. affine, Laphangium affine, Gnaphalium javanicum, Gnaphalium ramigerum, Gnaphalium luteoalbum subsp. affine, Gnaphalium roxburghianum, Helichrysum griffithii, Anaphalis subdecurrens var. lutea, Gnaphalium luteoalbum var. multiceps, Gnaphalium confusum
Safety at a glance
No rule in our tables for this herb: pregnancy, breastfeeding, incompatible pairs (十八反 / 十九畏), herb–drug, dose ceiling. This is not a safety clearance.
Not graded — No toxicity grade is recorded. Most herbs in the catalogue carry none.
Traditionally used for
- Cough & breathing
Cautions & contraindications
- Bleeding disorders
- Liver conditions
Western Herbalism Properties
Gallery
Botanical Description
Pseudognaphalium affine, formerly Gnaphalium affine, is an annual or biennial herb of the Asteraceae family widely distributed across East and Southeast Asia, including China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Indochina and the Indian subcontinent. It typically grows 10 to 50 cm tall, with erect or ascending stems clothed in dense, persistent white-woolly tomentum, giving the entire plant a soft silvery appearance. The alternate, sessile leaves are spathulate to oblanceolate, 2 to 7 cm long, decurrent at the base, with entire margins and a tomentose surface on both sides. Numerous small yellow capitula, 2 to 3 mm across, are aggregated into dense, flat-topped or rounded terminal corymbs; involucral bracts are pale yellow, dry and papery. Florets are tubular and yellow, the marginal ones filiform, the central ones bisexual. Achenes are oblong and topped with a pappus of slender bristles. The species favours fields, paddy margins, roadsides and disturbed habitats.
Active Constituents
Luteolin
FlavoneConcentration: One of the two principal flavones of the aerial parts; reported as a major aglycone but without a validated percentage assay for the crude drug
Isolated from this herb and tested on its own in mice. It lowered serum uric acid by downregulating the urate transporter URAT1 and inhibiting xanthine oxidase, improved hyperuricaemia-associated renal dysfunction, and reduced paw swelling and serum IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha in monosodium-urate-induced arthritis. Luteolin is the compound that best accounts for the traditional anti-gout use, though it is a very common plant flavone and not diagnostic for the species.
Luteolin-4'-O-glucoside
Flavone glycosideConcentration: The characteristic flavonoid glycoside of the aerial parts, isolated together with luteolin as one of two major flavones
Tested alongside its aglycone in the same mouse models and matched it: reduced serum uric acid via URAT1 and xanthine oxidase, protected kidney function, and lowered paw swelling with IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha. The 4'-glucoside rather than the more usual 7-glucoside is the form reported from this plant.
1,5-Dicaffeoylquinic acid
Dicaffeoylquinic acid (hydroxycinnamate ester)Concentration: Isolated from the methanol extract together with the 3,4-, 3,5- and 4,5- isomers; the diCQAs are a dominant phenolic class of the herb
The most active of the four dicaffeoylquinic acid isomers screened from this plant. It protected human corneal epithelial cells from hyperosmolar stress, promoted their proliferation and suppressed inflammatory activation; applied topically in two mouse models of dry eye disease it reduced corneal epithelial defects, increased tear production and cut inflammatory cytokines and T-cell infiltration, outperforming 0.05 percent ciclosporin and 0.1 percent sodium hyaluronate eye drops in that comparison. This is an ocular application with no counterpart in the traditional use.
Ethyl 1,4-di-O-caffeoylquinate and methyl 1,4-di-O-caffeoylquinate
Caffeoylquinic acid estersConcentration: Minor constituents of the aerial part; described as new compounds in 2018
Two previously undescribed caffeoylquinate esters isolated from the aerial part alongside 35 known compounds. They were the strongest direct xanthine oxidase inhibitors in that isolation, with IC50 values of 11.94 and 15.04 micromolar respectively, which is the enzyme-level evidence behind the herb's use for gout.
Kaempferol 3,4'-diglucoside
Flavonol diglycosideConcentration: Annotated by feature-based molecular networking among 65 flavonoids in the plant, 56 of them not previously reported from it; not quantified
Emerged from a 2026 molecular-networking and structural-modelling survey as the most potent xanthine oxidase inhibitor annotated in this plant, with an in-vitro IC50 of 14.1 micromolar and strong complementarity to the enzyme's catalytic centre. Di-glycosylation rather than the free aglycone was what improved binding, which runs against the usual assumption that glycosides are inactive prodrugs.
Neutral heteropolysaccharide fraction (nine constituent monosaccharides)
PolysaccharideConcentration: Isolated and purified as a defined fraction; no content assay for the crude drug published
A neutral heteropolysaccharide built from nine monosaccharides. It reduced TNF-alpha and IL-6 release from RAW264.7 macrophages and altered their oxidative-stress state, and in dextran-sulfate-induced zebrafish colitis it reduced clinical signs and modulated NF-kappaB and MyD88 pathway gene expression. Polysaccharides are not extracted by an alcohol tincture, so this activity belongs to the water decoction only.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Benzbromarone
This is the one interaction on this herb that has been studied directly. In rats, repeated dosing of the extract significantly increased benzbromarone AUC and prolonged its mean residence time; in hyperuricaemic-nephropathy rats it raised benzbromarone bioavailability and enterohepatic recycling and prolonged the terminal half-life. A cocktail probe showed the extract inhibits CYP2C11(9), the rat counterpart of human CYP2C9 and the enzyme that clears benzbromarone, with a 1.25- to 2-fold rise in tolbutamide AUC, placing it in the weak-inhibitor range. The urate-lowering effect of the combination exceeded benzbromarone alone at most timepoints, up to an 84.3 percent reduction acutely. The authors frame this as a beneficial interaction, and pharmacodynamically it is, but the same mechanism raises exposure to a drug withdrawn in several markets for fulminant hepatitis.
Clinical note: Do not combine with benzbromarone outside monitored care. If the patient is already on benzbromarone and takes this herb, treat it as a reason to check liver function and to watch for over-uricosuria and urolithiasis rather than as a dose-sparing opportunity. The study is in rats; no human pharmacokinetic data exist.
CYP2C9 substrates with a narrow therapeutic index (warfarin, phenytoin, tolbutamide, glimepiride)
The in-vivo cocktail arm of the benzbromarone study showed the extract inhibited CYP2C11(9)-mediated tolbutamide metabolism in rats. Tolbutamide is the classical CYP2C9 probe, so the finding generalises in principle to the whole CYP2C9 substrate class, including warfarin and phenytoin. The extrapolation from rat CYP2C11 to human CYP2C9 is not exact and the inhibition observed was weak, so this is a plausible rather than a demonstrated human interaction.
Clinical note: Where the patient is anticoagulated on warfarin or takes phenytoin, either avoid the herb or increase INR or level monitoring for the first few weeks of use and after stopping. No human interaction study exists to size the effect.
Allopurinol, febuxostat and other xanthine oxidase inhibitors
Multiple constituents of this herb inhibit xanthine oxidase directly, with measured IC50 values of 11.94 and 15.04 micromolar for the two new caffeoylquinate esters and 14.1 micromolar for kaempferol 3,4'-diglucoside, and the whole extract lowers serum urate in rodents through both xanthine oxidase inhibition and downregulation of URAT1 and GLUT9. The mechanism therefore duplicates that of allopurinol and febuxostat and adds a uricosuric component. No combination study has been done.
Clinical note: Expect additive urate lowering rather than a hazard. Recheck serum urate before adjusting a prescribed dose, and be aware that rapid urate shifts can precipitate an acute gout flare in the first weeks.
Ciclosporin eye drops and other topical ocular anti-inflammatories
1,5-Dicaffeoylquinic acid from this plant outperformed 0.05 percent ciclosporin and 0.1 percent sodium hyaluronate in mouse dry-eye models. That result concerns a single isolated compound formulated as an eye drop, not the herb, and there is no human ophthalmic preparation of it. It is recorded here only so that the finding is not misread as licence to instil a decoction of the herb into the eye.
Clinical note: Do not use decoctions or extracts of this herb as an eye preparation. The dry-eye evidence applies to a purified compound in a controlled vehicle in mice.
Dosage Calculator
⚖ Dosage Calculator
A weight-based mathematical estimate for Pseudognaphalium affine. Not a prescription.
Evidence Tier
6 studies on recordRecorded 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
6
4 verified · 2 unverified
Show 6 studies
- Beneficial herb-drug interaction of Gnaphalium affine extract on benzbromarone: A pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic study in rats
- Effects of Gnaphalium affine D. Don on hyperuricemia and acute gouty arthritis
- Luteolin-4′-O-glucoside and its aglycone, two major flavones of Gnaphalium affine D. Don, resist hyperuricemia and acute gouty arthritis activity in animal models
- Pseudognaphalium affine Extract Alleviates COPD by Inhibiting the Inflammatory Response via Downregulation of NF-κB
- 1,5-Dicaffeoylquinic acid from Pseudognaphalium affine ameliorates dry eye disease via suppression of inflammation and protection of the ocular surface
- Gut microbiota mediates the anti-obesity effects of Gnaphalium affine methanol extract in HFD-induced obesity
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
Beneficial herb-drug interaction of Gnaphalium affine extract on benzbromarone: A pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic study in rats
The only dedicated herb-drug interaction study on this species. Repeated dosing of the extract at 450 mg/kg/day raised benzbromarone AUC and mean residence time in normal rats, and in hyperuricaemic-nephropathy rats raised bioavailability and enterohepatic recycling and prolonged the terminal half-life. Urate lowering with the combination beat benzbromarone alone at most timepoints, maximally 84.3 percent acutely, 71.4 percent at seven days and 82.5 percent at fourteen days. An in-vivo cocktail showed inhibition of CYP2C11(9)-mediated tolbutamide metabolism in the weak-inhibitor range. Systemic exposure to benzbromarone and its hydroxy metabolites was higher in female than male rats.
Effects of Gnaphalium affine D. Don on hyperuricemia and acute gouty arthritis
The foundational pharmacology for the herb's traditional gout indication. In potassium-oxonate hyperuricaemic mice the extract lowered serum uric acid, acting mainly through renal GLUT9 and URAT1 and through xanthine oxidase inhibition in vivo, and it reduced paw swelling in monosodium-urate-induced arthritis. Eight major compounds were identified by HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS. Mouse study; the herb has never been trialled in gout patients.
Luteolin-4′-O-glucoside and its aglycone, two major flavones of Gnaphalium affine D. Don, resist hyperuricemia and acute gouty arthritis activity in animal models
Follow-up that isolated luteolin and luteolin-4'-O-glucoside from the herb and tested them individually. Both lowered serum uric acid in potassium-oxonate mice by reducing renal URAT1 and inhibiting xanthine oxidase, improved hyperuricaemia-induced renal dysfunction, and reduced paw swelling with lower serum IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha after monosodium-urate injection. This identifies which constituents carry the whole-extract effect.
Pseudognaphalium affine Extract Alleviates COPD by Inhibiting the Inflammatory Response via Downregulation of NF-κB
Tests the herb's older and more central indication, cough and wheezing, rather than the gout use. In a rat COPD model the extract improved lung damage and pulmonary function and reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines, and it suppressed NF-kappaB nuclear translocation in both lung tissue and TNF-alpha-stimulated BEAS-2B bronchial epithelial cells. Rat and cell-line study; no clinical trial of this herb in COPD or asthma exists.
1,5-Dicaffeoylquinic acid from Pseudognaphalium affine ameliorates dry eye disease via suppression of inflammation and protection of the ocular surface
Four dicaffeoylquinic acid isomers were isolated from the methanol extract and screened; 1,5-diCQA best protected human corneal epithelial cells under hyperosmolar stress. Topically in desiccating-stress dry eye and in the NOD.B10-H2b model of ocular Sjogren syndrome it dose-dependently reduced corneal epithelial defects, increased tear production and suppressed inflammatory cytokines and T-cell infiltration on the ocular surface and in the lacrimal gland, exceeding 0.05 percent ciclosporin and 0.1 percent sodium hyaluronate. Isolated compound in mice, not the herb in patients.
Gut microbiota mediates the anti-obesity effects of Gnaphalium affine methanol extract in HFD-induced obesity
The methanol extract reduced visceral adiposity, oxidative stress and low-grade inflammation and improved glucose tolerance in high-fat-diet mice, preserving tight-junction protein expression in the gut. Faecal microbiota transplant from treated mice transferred the phenotype to recipients, which is the study's strongest claim: the benefit is at least partly microbiota-mediated rather than a direct metabolic effect. Mouse study; no weight-management trial in humans.
Historical Texts
Ming Yi Bie Lu (Miscellaneous Records of Famous Physicians), attributed to Tao Hongjing
Six Dynasties, c. 500 CEBen Cao Shi Yi (Chen Cangqi)
Tang dynasty, 739 CERi Hua Zi Ben Cao
Five Dynasties to early Song, c. 10th centuryLi Gao (Li Dongyuan), transmitted in Yao Lei Fa Xiang and quoted in the Ben Cao Gang Mu under the name Fo Er Cao
Jin-Yuan period, 13th centuryBen Cao Gang Mu (Li Shizhen)
Ming dynasty, 1596References
- Chen Ding, Yimiao Zhou, Lin Yang, Liquan Zhou, Zuowei Xiao. Chemical Compositions, Traditional Applications, and Biological Activities of Gnaphalium affine D. Don: A Comprehensive Review . Molecules (2026) [DOI]
- Wei Zhang, Chun-Zhen Wu, Si-Yang Fan. Chemical constituents from Gnaphalium affine and their xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity . Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines (2018) [DOI]
- Sen Mei, Xinchao He, Jin Qian, Lijuan Rao, Jiajing Liao, Chen Wang, Tao Wu, Haowei Fan, Guiming Fu, Yin Wan. Integrated molecular networking and AI modeling reveal xanthine oxidase-inhibitory flavonoids from the edible plant Gnaphalium affine D. Don . Food and Function (2026) [DOI]
- Shiyi Han, Xizi Liu, Ye Chen, Junping Chen, Qinghua Han, Siyang Fan. Multiple Component Pharmacokinetics after Oral Administration of Gnaphalium affine Extract in Rats . Planta Medica (2023) [DOI]
- Yan Zhang, Yazi Wang, Jing Shi, Hui Wang, Shan Xu, Qin Ge, Huiying Zhang. In vitro activity, structural characterization and modulation of DSS-induced intestinal inflammation in zebrafish by Pseudognaphalium affine (D.Don) Anderb polysaccharides . Fitoterapia (2025) [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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