Pu Huang
StarTypha angustifolia L.
Traditionally used for
- Urinary & fluids
- Menstrual & women's health
Cautions & contraindications
- Pregnancy
☯ TCM Properties
Stops Bleeding; Invigorates Blood and Dispels Stasis; Promotes Urination and Relieves Stranguria
Traditional Chinese Uses
Pu Huang (cattail pollen) is a neutral-warm, astringent-sweet herb that both stops bleeding and invigorates Blood — making it appropriate for both hemorrhage and pain from Blood stagnation. Raw Pu Huang has a stronger Blood-moving effect for menstrual pain, traumatic injury, and Blood stasis conditions, while charred Pu Huang focuses on stopping bleeding from uterine hemorrhage, hematuria, and similar conditions. It is a primary hemostatic and Blood-moving herb frequently combined with Wu Ling Zhi in classical pain and bleeding formulas.
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
Native American tribes including the Pima, Hopi, Malecite, and Micmac used Typha angustifolia primarily as a fiber, food, and ceremonial plant. Documented medicinal (Drug) uses in the NAEB database are limited to kidney aid and urinary aid applications, employing the roots and rhizomes (NAEB).
Pharmacological Effects
- Coagulant: Decoction shortened human blood clotting in vitro; oral aqueous/alcoholic extracts shortened clotting time in rabbits; s.c. extract raised platelet count and cut prothrombin time; topical pollen stopped femoral arterial bleeding in dogs.
- Cardiovascular: Alcoholic extract was biphasic on isolated toad heart and inhibitory at high doses; increased coronary flow in isolated rabbit hearts (more so under pituitrin constriction), raised myocardial 86Rb uptake in mice, increased femoral blood flow in dogs, and lowered blood pressure i.v. in cats, rabbits and dogs.
- Hypocholesterolemic and antiatherosclerotic: In high-fat-fed rabbits (16 g/animal/day for 12 weeks plus 4 weeks), serum cholesterol and aortic/coronary atherosclerotic lesions were reduced, with increased fecal cholesterol and slower cholesterol absorption.
- Uterine: Decoction, tincture and ether extract stimulated isolated uteri of guinea pigs, rats and mice (spastic contraction at large doses), more on non-pregnant uterus; alcoholic extract contracted isolated rabbit uterus.
- Antiinflammatory: Topical concentrated decoction reduced scald edema in rats; i.p. decoction reduced egg-white paw edema and histamine-increased vascular permeability in rats and mice.
- Intestinal: Extract enhanced peristalsis of isolated rabbit intestine and tone of rat/guinea pig duodenum (atropine-blockable); isorhamnetin was spasmolytic on mouse intestine at 57% the potency of papaverine.
Source: Zhu YP. Chinese Materia Medica: Chemistry, Pharmacology and Applications. Harwood Academic, 1998, p. 429.
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Typha angustifolia, narrowleaf cattail, is a perennial aquatic or semi-aquatic herb in the Typhaceae family, native to wetlands across temperate Eurasia and North America. It grows from creeping rhizomes to 1.5-3 m tall, with linear, flat to slightly convex leaves 3-12 mm wide. The diagnostic inflorescence is a dense cylindrical spike with a separated male (upper) portion above a thinner gap, then a slender brown female (lower) portion 10-30 cm long. In TCM, Pu Huang is the dried yellow pollen collected from male flowers in summer. Plants thrive in marshes, pond margins, and slow streams.
Active Constituents
Typhaneoside
Flavonol triglycosideConcentration: one of the two principal flavonoid glycosides of the pollen and a Pharmacopoeia quality marker
Typhaneoside and isorhamnetin-3-O-neohesperidoside are identified as the main antinociceptive constituents of the pollen. Both are flavonol glycosides, and both are degraded when the pollen is stir-fried to charcoal, which is the chemical basis for the raw versus charred distinction in dispensing.
Isorhamnetin-3-O-neohesperidoside
Flavonol glycosideConcentration: the other principal flavonoid glycoside of the pollen, alongside typhaneoside
Reported with typhaneoside as one of the main antinociceptive compounds of Pu Huang, consistent with the traditional use of the raw pollen for dysmenorrhoea and stasis pain rather than purely for bleeding.
Flavonol aglycones (quercetin, kaempferol, isorhamnetin)
Flavonol aglyconesConcentration: total flavonoids of a water extract measured at 31.5 mg/g with total phenolics at 32.6 mg/g; the average content of these three aglycones rises about 30 percent on carbonisation
These are the compounds that carbonisation creates at the expense of the glycosides, and the compounds that separate the haemostatic charred drug from the stasis-moving raw drug. A spectrum-activity study comparing raw and carbonised Typha angustifolia found the difference in thrombin activity tracked chiefly with quercetin and isorhamnetin. Two carbon-derived compounds, huaicarbon A and B, are detectable only in the carbonised product.
Acidic (pectin-type) polysaccharide
PolysaccharideConcentration: the DEAE-adsorbed acidic fraction of the aqueous pollen extract
This is the fraction responsible for topical haemostasis. It directly activates coagulation factor XII, an effect attributed to its electronegative charge, and the whole pollen extract shortens prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time and recalcification time in vitro. Notably the acidic polysaccharide fraction did NOT shorten bleeding when given orally in the mouse tail model, so the external and internal actions of this drug rest on different constituents.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Warfarin, DOACs and antiplatelet drugs
Pu Huang is genuinely two-directional and should not be filed simply as a bleeding risk. Its acidic polysaccharide activates factor XII and shortens clotting times in vitro, and the carbonised pollen enhances haemostasis, which would oppose anticoagulation. Its flavonoids, however, carry anticoagulant and fibrinolytic activity, and reviews of the raw drug report slowed platelet aggregation, reduced prothrombin, thrombin and activated partial thromboplastin times and reduced serum fibrinogen, with reduced platelet intracellular calcium and PI3K/Akt/eNOS signalling proposed as mechanisms. The mouse tail-bleeding work showed the oral effect is carried by constituents other than the polysaccharide.
Clinical note: In an anticoagulated patient, treat any change of Pu Huang - starting it, stopping it, or switching between raw and charred stock - as a reason to recheck the INR or coagulation status. Do not assume the direction of the change.
Pregnancy (uterine stimulant)
Pollen Typhae extract increases muscle tension and prolongs the contraction time of isolated rat uterine smooth muscle, which is the pharmacological counterpart of the classical contraindication in pregnancy and of the drug's use for postpartum abdominal pain and retained lochia.
Clinical note: Contraindicated in pregnancy. It remains appropriate postpartum, which is where the classical texts place it.
Raw versus charred Pu Huang (Pu Huang Tan) dispensed interchangeably
Stir-frying to charcoal is not a cosmetic processing step here. UPLC-QTOF-MS comparison of raw and carbonised Typhae Pollen found flavonoid glycoside content significantly reduced and the three flavonol aglycones increased about 30 percent, with two carbonisation products detectable only in the charred drug. Functionally, in zebrafish models the raw pollen promoted angiogenesis by upregulating VEGFA, flt1 and kdr, while carbonisation lost that pro-angiogenic activity and gained haemostatic activity via upregulation of VEGFA and von Willebrand factor. Six chemical markers now exist to tell the two apart.
Clinical note: Specify raw or charred on the prescription and check what was actually supplied. Raw Pu Huang for stasis pain and dysmenorrhoea, Pu Huang Tan for active bleeding - substituting one for the other works against the treatment aim.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 5–10 g | Daily | — | — | 中国药典 2020 【用法与用量】5～10g，包煎。外用适量，敷患处。 【注意】孕妇慎用。 【性味与归经】甘，平。归肝、心包经。 — Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020, quoted verbatim; route and cautions preserved. Replaces a cleared category-filler value. |
Dui Yao — Herb Pairs
The classical two-herb combinations this herb appears in, each with an action neither herb has alone.
The combination both invigorates blood and stops bleeding, dispelling stasis to relieve pain without leaving bleeding unchecked.
Blood-stasis pain of the chest and abdomen, dysmenorrhea and retained lochia. Wu Ling Zhi is traditionally listed as antagonising Ren Shen (Shi Jiu Wei). Avoid in pregnancy.
Core pair of a classical formula — Shi Xiao San, Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang
Evidence Tier
Moderate 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
0
Randomized controlled trial
0
Other clinical trial
0
Observational / case report
0
In vitro / animal
4
1 verified · 3 unverified
Show 4 studies
- Experimental study on the hemostatc activity of Pollen Typhae
- Evaluation of VEGF mediated pro-angiogenic and hemostatic effects and chemical marker investigation for Typhae Pollen and its processed product
- [Spectrum-active relation research on Typha angustifolia before and after carbonized]
- Pharmacological Potential and Electrochemical Characteristics of Typha angustifolia Pollen
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
Experimental study on the hemostatc activity of Pollen Typhae
Pollen extract shortened prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time and recalcification time, and directly activated factor XII; the active agent was the acidic polysaccharide retained on a DEAE column, its electronegative charge being the proposed mechanism. In the mouse tail-bleeding model, oral pollen extract significantly shortened bleeding but the acidic polysaccharide fraction alone did not - so the external and oral haemostatic actions of this drug depend on different constituents. This is the primary source for the factor XII mechanism.
Evaluation of VEGF mediated pro-angiogenic and hemostatic effects and chemical marker investigation for Typhae Pollen and its processed product
Raw and carbonised Typhae Pollen were compared by UPLC-QTOF-MS and in two zebrafish models. 19 compounds were identified; flavonoid glycosides fell markedly on carbonisation while quercetin, isorhamnetin and kaempferol rose about 30 percent, and huaicarbon A and B appeared only in the charred product. Raw pollen promoted angiogenesis via VEGFA, flt1 and kdr upregulation; carbonisation reduced that activity and enhanced haemostasis via VEGFA and von Willebrand factor. Six markers were derived for telling the two drugs apart.
[Spectrum-active relation research on Typha angustifolia before and after carbonized]
Raw Typha angustifolia pollen and its carbonised product were compared by UPLC-MS and tested for thrombin activity. Flavonoid glycoside content fell markedly on carbonisation and the difference in thrombin activity mapped chiefly onto quercetin and isorhamnetin, supporting the flavonoids as the principals behind the drug's effect on clotting.
Pharmacological Potential and Electrochemical Characteristics of Typha angustifolia Pollen
Water and ethanol extracts of Typha angustifolia pollen were profiled and assayed. The water extract carried the higher phenolic and flavonoid content, 32.6 and 31.5 mg/g respectively, and HPLC identified eleven compounds dominated by quercetin, kaempferol and isorhamnetin derivatives. Antioxidant activity was shown by DPPH and FRAP. The bioelectrochemical work in the same paper is unrelated to clinical use.
⚠ Safety & Contraindications
- Pregnancy
Contraindications
Its use is prohibited in pregnant women.
Source: Xi S, Gong Y. Essentials of Chinese Materia Medica and Medical Formulas. Academic Press/Elsevier, 2017, pp. 213–216.
⚠ 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 uterine stimulant (raw)
Historical Texts
Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing
Han dynastyBen Cao Gang Mu
Ming dynastyReferences
- Liu J, Chen Z, Tao S, Shu X, Shao B, Zhang X, Yang Y, Wang X. Traditional uses and emerging therapeutic potential of Typha angustifolia L.: insights into its phytochemistry, pharmacological activities and quality control . Frontiers in Pharmacology (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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