Traditionally used for
- Bowel health
- Urinary & fluids
- Menstrual & women's health
- Energy & fatigue
Cautions & contraindications
- Diabetes
☯ TCM Properties
Benefits the Kidneys and Secures Essence; Strengthens the Spleen and Stops Diarrhea; Secures the Kidneys and Stops Vaginal Discharge
Traditional Chinese Uses
Qian Shi (foxnut, euryale seed) is a neutral, astringent herb that secures and consolidates Kidney Jing and Essence while also supporting the Spleen. It prevents abnormal loss of fluids including spermatorrhea, excessive vaginal discharge, urinary incontinence, and chronic diarrhea. Because it simultaneously nourishes and astringes, it is widely used in tonifying formulas for patients with both deficiency and leakage patterns. Mild enough to be used as a food, it is commonly eaten in porridge.
Western Herbalism Properties
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Euryale ferox Salisb. (Nymphaeaceae) is a robust aquatic perennial herb of warm freshwater ponds and lakes, with a stout rhizomatous rootstock anchored in the mud and all aerial parts heavily armed with sharp spines. The leaves are floating, peltate to almost orbicular and very large, often 0.6 to 1.3 meters across in mature plants, with a quilted, deeply puckered upper surface that is dark green and a purplish, prominently veined and spiny lower surface. The flowers are solitary on short, stout, spiny peduncles, partly submerged or just at the water surface, 3 to 5 cm across, with many narrow violet-purple petals enclosed by four large, spiny sepals. The fruit is a globose, spongy, spiny berry 5 to 10 cm in diameter containing many roughly spherical, pea-sized seeds with a brittle, dark shell and a starchy white kernel. The hulled, dried kernels, Qian Shi, are harvested in late summer to autumn and are used in Chinese medicine.
Active Constituents
Euryale seed starch
Storage polysaccharide (starch)Concentration: the dominant fraction of the seed kernel
Starch is the bulk of the drug. Much of it is slowly digestible, and complexation studies have shown that the resistant-starch fraction can be raised from 7.69% to 54.68% by binding it with ferulic acid or quercetin, which lowers the predicted glycaemic index. This starch base is why Qian Shi behaves as a bland food-grade tonic that can be given in large doses.
Euryale seed glucan
Polysaccharide (glucan)A characterised glucan from Euryale ferox seeds increased glucose consumption in insulin-resistant cells by upregulating GLUT-4 through PI3K/Akt signalling. This is in vitro evidence only.
Euryalins A-C
SesquineolignanConcentration: minor constituents of the seed, isolated alongside sixteen known compounds
Three sesquineolignans first described from Euryale ferox seed. Several of them scavenged DPPH radicals potently and suppressed reactive oxygen species production in mesangial cells, which the authors link to the traditional use of the seed against proteinuria in diabetic nephropathy.
Gallic acid
Phenolic acid (hydroxybenzoic acid)One of the principal free phenolic acids of the seed and seed coat, contributing much of the measured radical-scavenging capacity.
Protocatechuic acid
Phenolic acid (hydroxybenzoic acid)A phenolic acid isolated from the seed with antioxidant activity; reported together with gallic acid, its ethyl ester and 5,7-dihydroxychromone.
Cyclic dipeptides, including cyclo(Pro-Ser), cyclo(Ile-Ala) and cyclo(Leu-Ala)
Diketopiperazine (cyclic dipeptide)An unusual class for a seed drug; six such dipeptides have been reported from Euryale ferox seed. They are among the compounds that distinguish this seed chemically from the other bland starchy astringents it is grouped with.
Tocopherols and their dimers and trimers (ferotocodimer A, ferotocotrimers C and D)
Tocopherol (vitamin E)Alpha-, beta- and delta-tocopherol together with oligomeric tocopherol derivatives specific to this species; lipid-phase antioxidants of the seed.
Beta-sitosterol and daucosterol
PhytosterolCommon plant sterols isolated from the seed. Daucosterol is the glucoside of beta-sitosterol. They are markers rather than the drug's active principles.
Cerebrosides
GlycosphingolipidFour novel cerebrosides have been reported from Euryale ferox seed; glycosphingolipids of this type are unusual in a starchy seed drug.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Insulin and oral hypoglycaemic agents
A glucan isolated from Euryale ferox seed increased glucose uptake in insulin-resistant cells by upregulating GLUT-4 via PI3K/Akt. This is cell-culture work on an isolated fraction, not on the decocted drug, and no human study has measured any glycaemic effect of Qian Shi taken with hypoglycaemic drugs. Note also that the widely cited streptozotocin-diabetic rat study of Euryale ferox ethanol extract was retracted and should not be relied on.
Clinical note: No practical restriction; Qian Shi is a food-homologous drug eaten in quantity. If a patient on insulin or a sulfonylurea takes large culinary amounts, ordinary glucose self-monitoring is sufficient.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 9–15 g | Daily | — | — | 中国药典 2020 【用法与用量】9～15g。 【性味与归经】甘、涩，平。归脾、肾经。 — 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.
Two astringents, one also strengthening the Spleen, together secure the Kidney essence and stop leakage of semen, urine and vaginal discharge.
Seminal emission, frequent urination and leukorrhea from Kidney deficiency; not for leakage caused by damp-heat.
Core pair of a classical formula — Shui Lu Er Xian Dan, Hong Shi Ji Yan Fang (Hong Zun)
Both sweet and astringent, one leaning to the Spleen and the other also calming the Heart, the pair secures essence and stops diarrhea and discharge while settling the Heart-Kidney connection.
Seminal emission and spermatorrhea from Kidney deficiency.
Core pair of a classical formula — Jin Suo Gu Jing Wan, Yi Fang Ji Jie (Wang Ang)
The spleen and kidney are strengthened while dampness is resolved and discharge astringed.
Yellow vaginal discharge from spleen deficiency with damp-heat.
Core pair of a classical formula — Yi Huang Tang, Fu Qing Zhu Nü Ke (Fu Shan)
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
3 verified · 1 unverified
Show 4 studies
- Isolation and Identification of Compounds Responsible for Antioxidant Capacity of Euryale ferox Seeds
- Antioxidant and Anti-Fatigue Activities of Phenolic Extract from the Seed Coat of Euryale ferox Salisb. and Identification of Three Phenolic Compounds by LC-ESI-MS/MS
- Structural characterization and in vitro hypoglycemic activity of a glucan from Euryale ferox Salisb. seeds
- The Effect of Euryale Ferox (Makhana), an Herb of Aquatic Origin, on Myocardial Ischemic Reperfusion Injury
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
Isolation and Identification of Compounds Responsible for Antioxidant Capacity of Euryale ferox Seeds
Three new sesquineolignans, euryalins A-C, and sixteen known compounds were isolated from Euryale ferox seed. Several showed potent DPPH radical scavenging and inhibited reactive oxygen species production in mesangial cells, which the authors relate to the seed's reported use as an inhibitor of proteinuria in diabetic nephropathy.
Antioxidant and Anti-Fatigue Activities of Phenolic Extract from the Seed Coat of Euryale ferox Salisb. and Identification of Three Phenolic Compounds by LC-ESI-MS/MS
A phenolic extract of the seed coat was given to D-galactose-aged male Kunming mice at 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg for 42 days. It raised SOD, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activity and lowered malondialdehyde in liver and kidney, prolonged swimming time to exhaustion, lowered blood urea nitrogen and improved hepatic glycogen. Three phenolics were identified by LC-ESI-MS/MS, including buddlenol E. The material tested is the seed coat, not the peeled kernel normally dispensed.
Structural characterization and in vitro hypoglycemic activity of a glucan from Euryale ferox Salisb. seeds
A glucan was isolated from Euryale ferox seed and structurally characterised. In insulin-resistant cells it increased glucose consumption, an effect the authors attributed to upregulation of GLUT-4 through PI3K/Akt activation. No animal or human confirmation is offered.
The Effect of Euryale Ferox (Makhana), an Herb of Aquatic Origin, on Myocardial Ischemic Reperfusion Injury
Feeding Euryale ferox seed (makhana) reduced myocardial infarct size and improved post-ischaemic ventricular function in a rat ischaemia-reperfusion model, with induction of thioredoxin and scavenging of reactive oxygen species proposed as the mechanism. This is a cardioprotection finding with no counterpart in the traditional indications for Qian Shi.
Historical Texts
Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing
Han dynastyPharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China
Modern, 2020 editionReferences
- Jiang J, Ou H, Chen R, Lu H, Zhou L, Yang Z. The Ethnopharmacological, Phytochemical, and Pharmacological Review of Euryale ferox Salisb.: A Chinese Medicine Food Homology . Molecules (2023) [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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