Shi Nan Ye
StarPhotinia serratifolia (Desf.) Kalkman
Traditionally used for
- Headaches
- Fertility & vitality
- Pain & joints
- Skin
Cautions & contraindications
- Pregnancy
- Liver conditions
- Kidney conditions
- Toxic — professional use only
☯ TCM Properties
Dispels Wind, dredges the channels and tonifies the Kidneys
Traditional Chinese Uses
Shi Nan Ye (Folium Photiniae) is the dried leaf of Photinia serratifolia, classed among the Wind-extinguishing/Wind-dispelling herbs. Pungent, bitter and neutral (with slight toxicity), it enters the Liver and Kidney channels to dispel Wind, dredge the channels and collaterals, and tonify the Kidneys. This dual action makes it useful where Wind-Damp obstruction coincides with underlying Kidney deficiency.
Classic indications include Wind-Damp painful obstruction (bi syndrome) with rheumatic joint pain and weakness or soreness of the low back and knees, Wind-type headache and migraine, and itchy Wind rashes such as rubella. Owing to its Kidney-warming aspect it is also traditionally given for impotence and spermatorrhea. It is decocted 6-12 g or used in pill/powder form. Because it is warming and drying to Wind, it is contraindicated in Yin deficiency with effulgent fire.
Western Herbalism Properties
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Shi Nan Ye (石楠叶) is the dried leaf of Photinia serratifolia (Desf.) Kalkman (synonym Photinia serrulata Lindl.), an evergreen shrub or small tree in the Rosaceae reaching 4–12 m, widely distributed across central and southern China and cultivated as an ornamental for its brilliant red young growth. The leathery, oblong-elliptic to oblanceolate leaves measure 9–22 cm long with finely sharp-serrate margins and a prominent midrib; mature leaves are glossy dark green above and paler beneath. Flat-topped corymbs of small white five-petaled flowers in spring give rise to small globose red pomes. The dried leaves contain cyanogenic glycosides (notably prunasin) and are historically regarded as mildly toxic in excess; medicinal use is principally for wind-damp painful obstruction, lumbar weakness, and headache, with careful dosing.
Active Constituents
2α,3β,11α,13β-tetrahydroxy-12-ketooleanan-28-oic acid
Oleanane-type triterpenoidConcentration: isolated as a new compound from 15 kg of dried mature leaves; no content determination reported
One of two triterpenoids first described from this species by Song and colleagues, who worked on the mature leaves, which are the part used as Shi Nan. It showed no cytotoxic effect against A-549, HCT-8 or BEL-7402 human tumour cells at concentrations up to 5 micrograms/mL, so it is a chemotaxonomic marker rather than a demonstrated active principle.
3β-hydroxy-12-keto-9(11)-ursen-28,13β-olide
Ursane-type triterpenoid lactoneConcentration: isolated as a new compound from 15 kg of dried mature leaves; no content determination reported
The second new triterpenoid from the mature leaf, previously known only as a synthetic product. Like its oleanane congener it was inactive against three human tumour cell lines up to 5 micrograms/mL. Together these two compounds represent essentially the whole of the published phytochemistry of the medicinal leaf.
10-epi-γ-eudesmol
Sesquiterpene alcoholConcentration: 12.72 per cent of the leaf essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation
The single largest component of the leaf volatile oil, of 71 identified. The whole oil was strongly cytotoxic in vitro against Hela, A-549 and Bel-7402 cells, with IC50 values of 0.0427, 0.0219 and 0.0301 microlitres/mL respectively, and showed DPPH radical-scavenging activity. Note that this is the isolated essential oil, not the decoction that a patient receives.
Pinene, sabinene, α-humulene and α-thujene
Mono- and sesquiterpene hydrocarbonsConcentration: pinene 6.85 per cent, sabinene 5.93 per cent, α-humulene 5.87 per cent and α-thujene 5.47 per cent of the leaf essential oil
The remaining major volatiles of the leaf. Alpha-thujene is worth flagging: thujone-type monoterpenes are the constituents that make several aromatic leaf drugs unsuitable for prolonged or high-dose use, although the thujone content of this oil was not itself determined.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Xiao Ji (Cirsium species)
The Ben Cao Gang Mu entry for Shi Nan states that the leaf is antagonised by Xiao Ji (e xiao ji) and that Wu Jia Pi serves as its envoy. These are classical compatibility rules of the wu and shi type rather than observed pharmacology, and no chemical or clinical basis for the incompatibility has ever been investigated. It is recorded here because it is the only combination restriction attached to this drug in the classical literature and practitioners will encounter it in formula commentaries.
Clinical note: Follow the classical restriction if you prescribe within that tradition, but do not present it to a patient as a pharmacological interaction. There is no evidence either way.
Photinia x fraseri and other ornamental Photinia hybrids (substituted drug)
Photinia serratifolia is one parent of Photinia x fraseri, the red-tip Photinia planted as a hedge across warm-temperate regions and vastly more abundant than the wild species. The hybrid is itself described in the literature as a medicinal plant, and its leaves are visually similar to those of Photinia serratifolia once dried, so material of hybrid origin can enter the supply chain without deliberate fraud. Since the entire published phytochemistry of the drug amounts to two triterpenoids and one essential-oil analysis, all performed on Photinia serrulata Lindl., which is the synonym under which Photinia serratifolia appears in that literature, there is no basis for assuming the hybrid is equivalent.
Clinical note: Source Shi Nan Ye from suppliers who identify the botanical origin to species, and be aware that Photinia serrulata Lindl. on a label is the accepted synonym of Photinia serratifolia and is the correct drug, whereas Photinia x fraseri is not.
Any concurrently prescribed drug, in the absence of safety data
The Ben Cao Gang Mu grades Shi Nan leaf as acrid and bitter, neutral, and toxic (you du), and adds a warning that those who take it and then indulge sexually will become weak and blame the drug. Against that classical toxicity grading, a search of the indexed literature finds no toxicology study, no pharmacokinetic data, no in vivo pharmacology and no clinical trial for this species; the only pharmacological data are in vitro cytotoxicity of the isolated leaf essential oil against three tumour cell lines. This is a drug for which absence of reported interactions reflects absence of study, not absence of risk.
Clinical note: Prescribe short courses at conventional doses, avoid in pregnancy and in hepatic or renal impairment, and do not use alongside narrow-therapeutic-index drugs. Record and report any adverse event, since the case literature for this drug is empty.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 10–15 g | Daily | — | — | Standard oral dose per Xi S, Gong Y. Essentials of Chinese Materia Medica and Medical Formulas. Academic Press/Elsevier, 2017, pp. 124–126. Exact wording: Normally, 10–15 g is decocted with water as an oral |
Evidence Tier
Limited evidence · 2 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
2
0 verified · 2 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
Two New Triterpenoids from Photinia serrulata
Two new triterpenoids, one oleanane-type and one ursane-type lactone, were isolated from the mature leaves of Photinia serrulata Lindl., the synonym under which Photinia serratifolia appears in the chemical literature. Structures were established spectroscopically. Both compounds were inactive against A-549, HCT-8 and BEL-7402 human tumour cell lines at up to 5 micrograms/mL. The paper records the traditional use of the mature leaves for nephropathy, rheumatism and spermatorrhoea, and notes that the tender leaves are eaten as a vegetable in China.
Chemical composition, cytotoxic and antioxidant activity of the leaf essential oil of Photinia serrulata
Hydrodistilled leaf essential oil was analysed by GC and GC-MS, identifying 71 components dominated by 10-epi-gamma-eudesmol at 12.72 per cent, pinene 6.85 per cent, sabinene 5.93 per cent, alpha-humulene 5.87 per cent and alpha-thujene 5.47 per cent. The oil was strongly cytotoxic to Hela, A-549 and Bel-7402 cells with IC50 values of 0.0427, 0.0219 and 0.0301 microlitres/mL, and showed DPPH radical-scavenging activity. The cytotoxicity is a property of the concentrated volatile oil and should not be read across to the decocted leaf.
⚠ Safety & Contraindications
- Pregnancy
- Liver conditions
- Kidney conditions
- Toxic — professional use only
Contraindications
Its use is prohibited in patients with vigorous fire due to yin deficiency.
Source: Xi S, Gong Y. Essentials of Chinese Materia Medica and Medical Formulas. Academic Press/Elsevier, 2017, pp. 124–126.
Historical Texts
Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing
Han dynastyMing Yi Bie Lu
Compiled around 500 CE from Han and Wei period recordsBen Cao Gang Mu
Ming dynasty, 1596References
- Li H. The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Photinia × fraseri, a medicinal plant and phylogenetic analysis . Mitochondrial DNA Part B (2021) [DOI]
- Wang Y, Chen S, Chen J, Chen C, Lin X, Peng H, Zhao Q, Wang X. Characterization and phylogenetic analysis of the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Photinia serratifolia . Scientific Reports (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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