Traditionally used for
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Eye health
- Cough & breathing
- Bowel health
- Skin
☯ TCM Properties
Stops cough and asthma; Cleans the Blood, Subdues Rising Liver Yang, brightens the eyes and clears the brain
Traditional Chinese Uses
Qian Ri Hong is the flower (or whole plant) of Gomphrena globosa, globe amaranth, a sweet, neutral herb entering the Lung and Liver channels. In its Lung aspect it stops cough and calms wheezing, being a folk remedy for chronic cough, whooping cough, bronchitis and asthma, where it helps resolve Phlegm and clear the airways. In its Liver aspect it clears Liver Heat, subdues rising Liver Yang and brightens the eyes, used for headache, dizziness, red painful eyes and heat-type dysentery, and it resolves toxicity for sores and boils.
It is usually prepared as a light decoction or floral infusion (about 3–9 g of the flower). Some sources caution its use in certain asthmatic patients, so it should be applied according to pattern.
Western Herbalism Properties
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Qian Ri Hong is Gomphrena globosa L. (Amaranthaceae), globe amaranth or 'thousand-day red,' an erect, branching annual herb 20-60 cm tall, native to Central and South America and now widely naturalized and cultivated as an ornamental across southern China. Stems are slender, hairy, and often reddish at the nodes; the opposite, oblong-elliptic to obovate leaves are 3-10 cm long, entire, and pubescent. At each branch tip stands a single globose to ovoid inflorescence 1.5-3 cm across, composed of densely packed papery bracts in vivid magenta, purple, pink, or white, each subtending a small inconspicuous true flower; the bracts retain their color long after drying, hence the Chinese name. The dried flower heads are used in folk Chinese medicine for chronic cough, asthma, whooping cough, sore eyes, headache, and dysentery, and are commonly brewed as a tisane. The species shows mild bronchodilatory and antitussive activity in pharmacological studies.
Active Constituents
Gomphrenin I (betanidin 6-O-beta-glucoside)
Betacyanin (betalain pigment)Concentration: One of eight betacyanins quantified by HPLC with diode-array detection in extracts of the inflorescence, the part used as the drug
The parent betacyanin of this species and the compound that gives the flower head its violet-red colour. Structure established by nuclear magnetic resonance and ion-spray mass spectrometry on material isolated from G. globosa flowers. It is a pigment and antioxidant; no respiratory activity has been demonstrated for it.
Gomphrenin II (betanidin 6-O-[6'-O-(E-4-coumaroyl)-beta-glucoside])
Acylated betacyanin (coumaroyl ester)Concentration: Detected among the eight betacyanins of the inflorescence; not individually quantified in the drug
The 4-coumaroylated form of gomphrenin I. Acylation raises pigment stability, which is why the flower is used as a food colourant, but confers no separately documented pharmacology.
Gomphrenin III (betanidin 6-O-[6'-O-E-feruloyl-beta-glucoside])
Acylated betacyanin (feruloyl ester)Concentration: Together with isogomphrenin III, one of the two major betacyanins in a betacyanin-rich extract of the inflorescence
The feruloylated betacyanin and, with its isomer isogomphrenin III, the dominant pigment of the drug. Contributes to the strong in vitro scavenging of reactive species, particularly superoxide radical, reported for inflorescence extracts.
Isogomphrenin III
Acylated betacyanin (C-15 epimer of gomphrenin III)Concentration: Major metabolite of the betacyanin-rich inflorescence extract alongside gomphrenin III
The C-15 epimer of gomphrenin III and co-dominant pigment. Both epimers decarboxylate on heating, so a hot floral infusion, the way the drug is normally taken, does not contain the same molecular species as a cold extract.
Kaempferol-3-O-(6-rhamnosyl)hexoside and kaempferol-3-O-hexoside
Flavonol O-glycosidesConcentration: The main phenolic compounds of the inflorescence; the decoction carried the highest total phenolic content of three extract types tested
The principal non-pigment phenolics of the flower head, and the constituents most concentrated by the traditional preparation method, since decoction outperformed the other extracts. Inflorescence extracts reduced nitric oxide output in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages, an anti-inflammatory signal at the cell level only.
Evidence Tier
Limited evidence · 1 studyRecorded 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
1
1 verified · 0 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
Phytochemical investigations and biological potential screening with cellular and non-cellular models of globe amaranth (Gomphrena globosa L.) inflorescences
The only substantive pharmacological study on the correct plant part. Twenty-four phenolic compounds and eight betacyanins were determined by HPLC with diode-array detection across three extracts of the inflorescence. The decoction carried the most phenolics, dominated by kaempferol-3-O-(6-rhamnosyl)hexoside and kaempferol-3-O-hexoside; the betacyanin-rich extract was dominated by isogomphrenin III and gomphrenin III. Extracts reduced nitric oxide in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells and scavenged reactive species strongly, especially superoxide. Cell and chemical assays only; nothing here tests the traditional cough or wheezing indication.
Historical Texts
Hua Jing (Chen Haozi)
Qing dynasty, 1688Zhi Wu Ming Shi Tu Kao (Wu Qijun)
Qing dynasty, 1848References
- Heuer S, Wray V, Metzger JW, Strack D. Betacyanins from flowers of Gomphrena globosa . Phytochemistry (1992) [DOI]
- Drobnicka N, Sutor K, Kumorkiewicz-Jamro A, Sporna-Kucab A, Antonik M, Dziedzic E, Swiergosz T, Ortyl J, Wybraniec S. Phytochemical Molecules from the Decarboxylation of Gomphrenins in Violet Gomphrena globosa L.—Floral Infusions from Functional Food . International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2020) [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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