Tian Kui Zi
StarSemiaquilegia adoxoides (DC.) Makino
Traditionally used for
- Cough & breathing
- Urinary & fluids
- Skin
☯ TCM Properties
Clears Heat and Resolves Toxicity; Disperses Swelling and Dissipates Nodules; Promotes Urination and Relieves Stranguria
Traditional Chinese Uses
Tian Kui Zi (semiaquilegia root) is a cold herb used in Chinese medicine to clear Heat toxin, reduce swellings, and promote urination. It is applied for carbuncles, snake bites, and inflammatory swellings from Heat toxin accumulation, as well as for Damp-Heat skin infections. Its Phlegm-dissolving properties address scrofula and lymph node swellings from Phlegm-Fire. Modern research has investigated its applications in inflammatory and anti-tumor protocols.
Western Herbalism Properties
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Semiaquilegia adoxoides, muskroot or Tian Kui Zi, is a small perennial herb in the Ranunculaceae family, native to central and southern China, Korea, and Japan, where it grows in shaded grassy slopes and woodland edges. It reaches 10-30 cm tall, arising from a small spindle-shaped to ovoid black-skinned tuberous root 1-3 cm long. Basal leaves are ternately compound with three lobed, rounded leaflets resembling those of Aquilegia, on slender petioles. Small nodding flowers, white tinged pink to pale purple, 4-6 mm across, are borne on branched scapes in spring, producing follicular fruits. Roots are dug in early summer after the aerial parts wither.
Active Constituents
Magnoflorine
Quaternary aporphine alkaloidConcentration: isolated from the root tuber; no validated content figure published
One of the three principal small molecules isolated from the roots of this species. As a permanently charged quaternary alkaloid it is poorly absorbed after oral dosing, so its contribution to the effect of a decoction is likely to be limited.
Lithospermoside
Cyclopentenoid cyanogenic glycosideConcentration: isolated from the root tuber; not quantified in the published work
A cyanogenic glycoside of the cyclopentenoid type, isolated alongside griffonilide from the roots. It is the reason the drug is described in the literature as cyanogenic; the amount of hydrogen cyanide liberated at therapeutic doses has not been measured, so the practical hazard is undefined rather than excluded.
Griffonilide
Butenolide (five-membered unsaturated lactone)Concentration: isolated from the root tuber; not quantified
A butenolide that characteristically co-occurs with lithospermoside in this species. It is used as a chemical marker for the drug rather than as a documented active principle.
E-semiaquilegin and Z-semiaquilegin
ent-Kaurane diterpenoidsConcentration: isolated from the dried roots; not quantified
Two geometric isomers of a novel ent-kaurane diterpenoid described from the dried root, reported together with eight previously known compounds. No pharmacology has been published for either isomer.
SA02B
Pectic polysaccharideConcentration: isolated fraction; content of the crude drug not reported
A structurally defined pectin from the root that is fermented by human gut bacteria in vitro. Polysaccharides of this size are not absorbed intact, so any effect is mediated through the gut rather than systemically.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Aconitum tubers (Chuan Wu, Cao Wu) - misidentification hazard
One of the standard traditional aliases of this drug is ye wu tou zi, literally wild aconite seed, which records that the small, dark, wrinkled root tuber resembles a small aconite tuber. The two drugs have no pharmacological relationship whatever: Semiaquilegia is a low-toxicity Ranunculaceae root, while Aconitum tubers carry diester diterpenoid alkaloids with a narrow margin and cardiotoxic, potentially fatal overdose. No published survey has quantified how often the substitution actually occurs, so this is recorded as an identity hazard rather than a documented adulteration.
Clinical note: Buy from a supplier who authenticates by macroscopic and microscopic characters. Genuine Tian Kui Zi is 1 to 3 cm long, 0.5 to 1 cm across, grey-white in the cortex and yellowish-white in the wood, soft and easily broken, and it does not produce the tongue-numbing sensation typical of unprocessed aconite.
Zi Bei Tian Kui (Begonia fimbristipula Hance)
Zi bei tian kui is a recognised alias of the Semiaquilegia root tuber, but it is also the standing Chinese name of Begonia fimbristipula, a Begoniaceae herb whose purple-backed leaves are sold in Guangdong as a cooling beverage. The two are a classic same-name, different-substance pair: one is a Ranunculaceae root containing alkaloids and cyanogenic glycosides, the other an anthocyanin-rich leaf. Nothing in the chemistry transfers between them.
Clinical note: Prescribe by the binomial and by plant part. If a supplier ships purple-backed leaves rather than small brown root tubers, it is Begonia and not the drug intended.
Dong Kui Zi (Malva verticillata seed)
Several unrelated Chinese drugs carry a kui zi element in their names. Dong Kui Zi is the mucilaginous seed of Malva verticillata, used to promote urination and lactation; Tian Kui Zi is the root tuber of Semiaquilegia adoxoides, used to clear heat-toxin and disperse nodules. Despite the shared zi, meaning seed, Tian Kui Zi is not a seed at all. Neither shares constituents or actions with the other.
Clinical note: Check that a prescription written as Kui Zi has been dispensed as the intended species; a Malva seed will not treat the nodular heat-toxin patterns Tian Kui Zi is prescribed for.
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、苦，寒。归肝、胃经。 — Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020, quoted verbatim; route and cautions preserved. Replaces a cleared category-filler value. |
Evidence Tier
Moderate evidence · 3 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
3
1 verified · 2 unverified
Show 3 studies
- Exploring chemical constituents and anti-inflammatory mechanisms of Semiaquilegiae Radix via an integrated strategy combining UHPLC-Q-TOF–MS analysis, network pharmacology and molecular docking
- A novel peptidoglycan isolated from Semiaquilegia adoxoides inhibits Aβ42 production via activating autophagy
- A structure defined pectin SA02B from Semiaquilegia adoxoides is metabolized by human gut microbes
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
Exploring chemical constituents and anti-inflammatory mechanisms of Semiaquilegiae Radix via an integrated strategy combining UHPLC-Q-TOF–MS analysis, network pharmacology and molecular docking
Profiled the constituents of the Semiaquilegia root by UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS and used network pharmacology and docking to predict anti-inflammatory targets. The work is a computational and analytical study, not a demonstration of clinical anti-inflammatory effect.
A novel peptidoglycan isolated from Semiaquilegia adoxoides inhibits Aβ42 production via activating autophagy
A peptidoglycan purified from the root reduced amyloid-beta 42 production in cell models by activating autophagy. This is an isolated macromolecular fraction assayed in cells, and has no bearing on how the crude decocted drug is used.
A structure defined pectin SA02B from Semiaquilegia adoxoides is metabolized by human gut microbes
Characterised the pectin SA02B from the root and showed it is fermented by human faecal microbiota in vitro. Establishes a gut-microbial route of action for the polysaccharide fraction rather than any systemic effect.
Historical Texts
Fen Lei Cao Yao Xing
Qing dynastyReferences
- QuanBin Han, Bei Jiang, ShuangXi Mei, Gang Ding, HanDong Sun, JingXi Xie, YanZe Liu. Constituents from the roots of Semiaquilegia adoxoides . Fitoterapia (2001) [DOI]
- Yan-Fang Su, Zhen-Xia Zhang, Cheng-Yun Guo, De-An Guo. Note: A novel cyanogenic glycoside from Semiaquilegia adoxoides . Journal of Asian Natural Products Research (2005) [DOI]
- YanFang Su, ZhenXia Zhang, ChengYun Guo. A new nitroethylphenolic glycoside from Semiaquilegia adoxoides . Fitoterapia (2004) [DOI]
- Feng Niu, Hai-Tao Chang, Yong Jiang, Zheng Cui, Fa-Kui Chen, Jiu-Zhi Yuan, Peng-Fei Tu. New diterpenoids from Semiaquilegia adoxoides . Journal of Asian Natural Products Research (2006) [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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