San Leng
StarSparganium stoloniferum Buch.-Ham.
Traditionally used for
- Digestion
- Menstrual & women's health
Cautions & contraindications
- Pregnancy
- Bleeding disorders
- Before surgery
☯ TCM Properties
Breaks Blood and Dispels Stasis; Moves Qi; Disperses Accumulations and Dissipates Nodules; Alleviates Pain
Traditional Chinese Uses
San Leng (sparganium rhizome) is a warm herb that breaks Blood stasis and disperses Qi accumulation. It is used for stubborn abdominal masses, fixed abdominal pain from Blood and Qi stagnation, amenorrhea with abdominal pain from Blood stasis, and severe food stagnation. Its powerful breaking action is considered more focused on Qi while E Zhu (zedoary) more on Blood — the two are frequently combined for synergistic effect. It is contraindicated in pregnancy and in those who are weak.
Pharmacological Effects
- Anticoagulant, antiplatelet and antithrombotic: Aqueous extract anticoagulant in vitro; oral decoction 10 or 20 g/kg in rats inhibited platelet aggregation and lowered blood viscosity; antithrombotic in vitro.
- Uterine: Decoction increased contraction frequency and tension of isolated rabbit uterus.
Source: Zhu YP. Chinese Materia Medica: Chemistry, Pharmacology and Applications. Harwood Academic, 1998, p. 458.
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Sparganium stoloniferum is a robust aquatic to semi-aquatic perennial herb of the family Typhaceae (formerly Sparganiaceae), native to wetlands, ponds and slow streams across temperate East and Central Asia. From a creeping, swollen, starchy rhizome it produces stout erect stems 60-150 cm tall bearing linear, triangular-keeled leaves 40-90 cm long that emerge above the water surface. The monoecious inflorescence is a branched panicle of globose flower-heads, the upper smaller heads staminate and the lower 3-5 larger heads pistillate, maturing into burr-like clusters of beaked achenes 8-10 mm long. The medicinally used part is the conical, fusiform, peeled rhizome (sometimes called a corm), 2-6 cm long, hard, heavy and yellowish-white internally with a bitter, acrid taste.
Active Constituents
Sparstolonin B
IsocoumarinConcentration: a minor constituent; no validated content figure for the crude rhizome has been published
An isocoumarin first characterised from this species as a selective antagonist of Toll-like receptors 2 and 4, blocking MyD88 recruitment and downstream NF-kappaB signalling without affecting TLR3 or TLR9. It also has a directly antithrombotic profile: in human plasma it prolonged clotting time at concentrations comparable with rivaroxaban, reduced factor Xa catalytic activity and inhibited ADP- and U46619-induced platelet aggregation via PLC-gamma2/PKC and calcium mobilisation. It is not unique to Sparganium stoloniferum and has also been obtained from the sedge Scirpus yagara, which is the commonest market substitute for this drug.
Diferuloyl and feruloyl acylated sucrose esters
Phenylpropanoid (hydroxycinnamoyl) sucrose esterTwo acetylated feruloyl-sucrose esters were isolated from the rhizome by Shirota and colleagues, and further sucrose esters have been reported since. They are among the characteristic phenylpropanoid markers of the drug, but no pharmacological activity has been convincingly assigned to them individually.
Diarylheptanoids
DiarylheptanoidOne of roughly eight compound classes catalogued in the 2021 Journal of Ethnopharmacology review of Sparganii Rhizoma, which lists approximately 180 identified compounds spanning phenylpropanoids, flavonoids, anthraquinones, organic acids, alkaloids, steroids, volatile oils and diarylheptanoids. Class-level activity for the crude drug is described as anti-tumour, antithrombotic and oestrogen-antagonistic; individual diarylheptanoid activities are not yet established.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Warfarin and other oral anticoagulants
Sparstolonin B, an isocoumarin isolated from this species, prolonged the clotting time of human platelet-poor plasma at concentrations comparable with the clinical anticoagulant rivaroxaban, reduced factor Xa catalytic activity and production by endothelial cells, and reduced thrombus number, size and related mortality in mouse thromboembolism models. The 2021 review of Sparganii Rhizoma likewise classes antithrombotic activity among the established pharmacological effects of the crude drug. There is no human interaction study; the risk is extrapolated from an isolated constituent and from crude-drug antithrombotic data.
Clinical note: Do not add San Leng to warfarin, a direct factor Xa inhibitor or a direct thrombin inhibitor without monitoring. Check INR within 1-2 weeks of starting or stopping the herb in warfarin patients, and ask about bruising, gum bleeding and dark stools.
Antiplatelet drugs (aspirin, clopidogrel, ticagrelor)
Sparstolonin B inhibited human platelet aggregation induced by ADP and by the thromboxane A2 analogue U46619, blocked the phosphorylation of PLC-gamma2 and PKC and intracellular calcium mobilisation required for aggregation, and suppressed P-selectin and PAC-1 expression. These are the same pathways targeted by clinical P2Y12 and thromboxane-directed antiplatelet drugs, so the effects are expected to be additive. The data are in vitro and in mice, not in patients.
Clinical note: Treat as an additive antiplatelet exposure. Withhold San Leng before surgery, dental extraction or neuraxial anaesthesia, and avoid stacking it with dual antiplatelet therapy.
Scirpus yagara (Bolboschoenus yagara, Jing San Leng) supplied as San Leng
The commonest market substitution for Sparganii Rhizoma is the tuber of the sedge Scirpus yagara, sold under the overlapping trade name Jing San Leng, and the two are further confused by the shared vernacular Hei San Leng. Sparstolonin B has been obtained from both species, so an in vitro result attributed to sparstolonin B does not by itself confirm the botanical identity of a sample; the remainder of the two profiles is not equivalent. Authentic Sparganium rhizome is dense, hard, yellowish-white when peeled and starch-bearing on microscopy, whereas the sedge tuber is dark, light enough to float and starch-free.
Clinical note: Buy on macroscopic and microscopic authentication, not on the pinyin name alone. If a batch floats or is corky and dark, it is not Sparganium stoloniferum.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 5–10 g | Daily | — | — | 中国药典 2020 【用法与用量】5～10g。 【注意】孕妇禁用；不宜与芒硝、玄明粉同用。 【性味与归经】辛、苦，平。归肝、脾经。 — 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.
Together they break blood stasis and move qi strongly, dissolving accumulations and masses; one is stronger on blood, the other on qi.
Abdominal masses, amenorrhea from stasis and food accumulation with pain. Harsh, draining pair: contraindicated in pregnancy and used with caution in deficiency.
Named pairing — Lü Jingshan, Shi Jinmo Dui Yao
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
- Inhibition of factor Xa activity, platelet aggregation, and experimentally induced thrombosis by Sparstolonin B
- Reproductive toxicity of Rhizoma Sparganii (Sparganium stoloniferum Buch.-Ham.) in mice: Mechanisms of anti-angiogenesis and anti-estrogen pharmacologic activities
- Characterization of Sparstolonin B, a Chinese Herb-derived Compound, as a Selective Toll-like Receptor Antagonist with Potent Anti-inflammatory Properties
- Sparstolonin B Inhibits Pro-Angiogenic Functions and Blocks Cell Cycle Progression in Endothelial Cells
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
Inhibition of factor Xa activity, platelet aggregation, and experimentally induced thrombosis by Sparstolonin B
Sparstolonin B, the isocoumarin from Sparganium stoloniferum and Scirpus yagara, prolonged clotting time of human platelet-poor plasma at concentrations comparable with rivaroxaban, inhibited ADP- and U46619-induced human platelet aggregation, blocked PLC-gamma2/PKC phosphorylation and calcium mobilisation, suppressed P-selectin and PAC-1, and reduced factor Xa catalytic activity and endothelial factor Xa production. Injected sparstolonin B also reduced thrombus formation time, number, size and related mortality in mouse thromboembolism models. The work was done on the isolated compound, not the decoction.
Reproductive toxicity of Rhizoma Sparganii (Sparganium stoloniferum Buch.-Ham.) in mice: Mechanisms of anti-angiogenesis and anti-estrogen pharmacologic activities
Pregnant ICR mice given 100, 200 or 400 mg/kg of Rhizoma Sparganii extract produced offspring with a range of pathological findings. Embryos in the 400 mg/kg group had significantly depressed FGF-1 and VEGF expression and showed dysplasia of the heart (12.9 percent), craniofacial region (18.3 percent) and vertebrae (32.5 percent); ER-alpha expression was inversely proportional to FGF-1 within the same embryo. The authors conclude the drug has anti-angiogenic and anti-oestrogenic toxicity in pregnant rodents. This is the experimental basis for the classical prohibition in pregnancy. An erratum to this paper was published in 2012; the paper has not been retracted.
Characterization of Sparstolonin B, a Chinese Herb-derived Compound, as a Selective Toll-like Receptor Antagonist with Potent Anti-inflammatory Properties
The paper that isolated sparstolonin B from Sparganium stoloniferum and showed it selectively blocks TLR2- and TLR4-mediated inflammatory signalling, suppressing NF-kappaB activation and inflammatory cytokine production in macrophages, while leaving TLR3- and TLR9-driven signalling essentially intact. This is the reference point for the anti-inflammatory claims made for San Leng.
Sparstolonin B Inhibits Pro-Angiogenic Functions and Blocks Cell Cycle Progression in Endothelial Cells
Sparstolonin B inhibited endothelial cell proliferation, migration and tube formation and arrested the cell cycle, supporting an anti-angiogenic mechanism for the compound. Read alongside the mouse reproductive toxicity data, this anti-angiogenic activity is the plausible link between the herb's traditional mass-dispersing use and its embryotoxicity.
⚠ Safety & Contraindications
- Pregnancy
- Bleeding disorders
- Before surgery
Contraindications
Its use is prohibited in pregnant women or patients with profuse menstruation, and not suited to use together with Natrii Sulfas ( mang xiao ) or Natrii Sulfas Exsiccatus ( xuan ming fen ).
Source: Xi S, Gong Y. Essentials of Chinese Materia Medica and Medical Formulas. Academic Press/Elsevier, 2017, pp. 252–255.
⚠ 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.
Incompatibilities (十八反 / 十九畏)
- 十九畏: San Leng × Xiao — avoid combining with Mang Xiao / Ya Xiao / Mirabilite / Po Xiao
Pregnancy
Avoid strong blood-breaker
Historical Texts
Ben Cao Shi Yi
Tang dynasty, 8th centuryBen Cao Gang Mu
Ming dynasty, 1578Yi Xue Zhong Zhong Can Xi Lu
Republican era, 1918-1934References
- Jia Jia, Li Xiang, Ren Xueyang, Liu Xiaoyun, Wang Yu, Dong Ying, Wang Xiaoping, Sun Siqi, Xu Xiao, Li Xiao, Song Ruolan, Ma Jiamu, Yu Axiang, Fan Qiqi, Wei Jing, Yan Xin, Wang Xiuhuan, She Gaimei. Sparganii Rhizoma: A review of traditional clinical application, processing, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicity . Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2021) [DOI]
- Shirota Osamu, Sekita Setsuko, Satake Motoyoshi, Ni Yan, Weiyi Hua. Chemical Constituents of Chinese Folk Medicine “Sân Léng”, Sparganium stoloniferum . Journal of Natural Products (1996) [DOI]
- Shirota Osamu, Sekita Setsuko, Satake Motoyoshi. Two phenylpropanoid glycosides from Sparganium stoloniferum . Phytochemistry (1997) [DOI]
- Zong Qi, Xiong Ying, Deng Kezhong. Two new sucrose esters from the rhizome of Sparganium stoloniferum Buch.-Ham. . Natural Product Research (2017) [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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