Han Cai
StarRorippa indica (L.) Hiern
Synonyms: Nasturtium indicum (L.) DC., Sisymbrium indicum L., Rorippa montana (Wall.) Small
Traditionally used for
- Nose & throat
- Cough & breathing
- Urinary & fluids
- Menstrual & women's health
- Pain & joints
- Skin
- Liver & jaundice
Cautions & contraindications
- Diabetes
☯ TCM Properties
Dispels phlegm, relieves coughing and releases the Exterior; Invigorates the Blood and removes toxicity,; Eliminates Dampness and treats jaundice
Traditional Chinese Uses
Han Cai is the whole herb of Rorippa indica (variously called Indian fieldcress or wild watercress), classed among the Phlegm-transforming medicinals. Pungent and bitter and warm, it enters the Lung and Liver channels. It dispels Phlegm, relieves cough and releases the Exterior for wind-cold or phlegm coughs and sore throat; it invigorates the Blood and relieves toxicity for amenorrhea, traumatic injury, sores and boils; and it eliminates Dampness to treat jaundice and edema. It has also been used to help bring out incomplete measles eruptions and for rheumatic joint pain. It is usually decocted at 10–30 g, with larger amounts when fresh.
Western Herbalism Properties
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Han Cai is the whole herb of Rorippa indica (Brassicaceae), variableleaf yellowcress, a largely glabrous annual or biennial 10 to 50 centimetres tall with erect or ascending, branched stems. Unlike aquatic watercress, it is a terrestrial plant of moist ground. The lower leaves are lyrate-pinnatifid with a large terminal lobe, while the upper leaves are smaller, oblong and coarsely toothed. Numerous small four-petalled yellow flowers are borne in elongating terminal racemes through spring and summer. The fruit is a slender, cylindrical, often slightly curved silique 1 to 2 centimetres long, splitting to release two rows of tiny seeds. The pungent whole plant is gathered and used fresh or dried.
A common weed of moist fields, ditch banks, roadsides, gardens and waste ground at low to moderate elevations throughout much of eastern and southern Asia.
Active Constituents
Glucosinolates
Sulphur-containing thioglucosides (glucosinolate class)Concentration: Thirty-three glucosinolates identified in the herb by UHPLC-PDA-ESI/HRMS, of which 24 were new, including 14 previously unreported glucosylated glucosinolates
The defining chemistry of the herb and the reason it tastes acridly pungent, the property the Ben Cao Gang Mu singles out. On tissue damage myrosinase converts them to isothiocyanates, the reactive products responsible for the pungency and for most brassica pharmacology. This is the richest glucosinolate profile reported for the species, but no biological assay accompanied the profiling.
Flavonol glycosides
Flavonol O-glycosides (largely kaempferol and quercetin derivatives)Concentration: More than 40 flavonol glycosides identified in the same profiling study, alongside 18 further phenolic and common organic compounds
The main polyphenol class of the herb. Quantified only by ultraviolet peak area against a single calibration standard, so the figures are semi-quantitative and no individual glycoside has an established content specification.
Roripanoside
Kaempferol rhamnosideConcentration: Isolated as a new compound from Rorippa indica; not quantified
A species-specific flavonol glycoside first characterised from this plant, useful chiefly as a chemical marker of authentic Han Cai. No pharmacological activity has been reported for it.
Roripamine
Sulphonylalkyl amineConcentration: Isolated from Rorippa indica; not quantified
A sulphonylalkyl amine, structurally part of the same methylsulphonyl-alkyl series that includes the antitussive principle traditionally credited to this genus. Its own pharmacology has not been reported.
Rorifone (9-methylsulphonylnonyl nitrile)
Methylsulphonylalkyl nitrileConcentration: Reported as the antitussive principle of the genus, but isolated from material identified as Rorippa montana; whether that name refers to the same taxon as Rorippa indica (L.) Hiern is not settled, so the attribution to this drug is provisional
The compound on which the Chinese antitussive and expectorant reputation of Han Cai rests, and the basis of the marketed preparation. Recorded here with an explicit caveat: this database does not have a verified primary citation isolating rorifone from material authenticated as Rorippa indica (L.) Hiern, and the herb's respiratory claim should be treated as untested rather than as demonstrated.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Antidiabetic drugs (insulin, sulfonylureas, alpha-glucosidase inhibitors)
The only pharmacological signal published for this species is an in vitro study reporting antioxidant and antidiabetic enzyme-inhibitory activity of extract and fractions, supported by docking, molecular dynamics, ADMET and PASS prediction. There is no animal study, no human data, and no measurement of blood glucose in any living organism given this herb. An additive effect is therefore speculative and is recorded only so that it is not mistaken for an established one.
Clinical note: No action required beyond ordinary glucose monitoring in diabetic patients. Do not counsel a patient that this herb affects blood sugar; the evidence does not support it.
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
0 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
In-vitro antioxidant and antidiabetic effects of Rorippa indica (L.) extract and fractions with molecular docking, dynamics simulation, ADMET, and PASS studies
Extract and solvent fractions of the whole herb were assayed for radical scavenging and antidiabetic enzyme inhibition, with computational docking, molecular dynamics, ADMET and PASS prediction. The biological component is a set of cell-free enzyme and radical assays; the remainder is in silico. This is the only pharmacological study located for the species and it supports no clinical claim.
Historical Texts
Ben Cao Gang Mu (Li Shizhen)
Ming dynasty, 1596Ben Cao Gang Mu Shi Yi (Zhao Xuemin)
Qing dynasty, 1765References
- Lin LZ, Sun J, Chen P, Zhang RW, Fan XE, Li LW, Harnly JM. Profiling of Glucosinolates and Flavonoids in Rorippa indica (Linn.) Hiern. (Cruciferae) by UHPLC-PDA-ESI/HRMSn . Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2014) [DOI]
- Lin YL, Tsai WY, Kuo YH. Roripamine, a sulphonylalkyl amine from Rorippa indica . Phytochemistry (1995) [DOI]
- Lin YL, Kuo YH. Roripanoside, a New Kaempferol Rhamnoside from Rorippa Indica (L.) Hiern . Journal of the Chinese Chemical Society (1995) [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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