Xie Bai
StarAllium macrostemon Bge.
Traditionally used for
- Cough & breathing
- Digestion
- Pain & joints
- Heart & circulation
Cautions & contraindications
- Bleeding disorders
- Before surgery
☯ TCM Properties
Unblocks Chest Yang and Disperses Bound Knots; Moves Qi and Resolves Stagnation; Warms the Lungs and Transforms Phlegm-Fluids; Relieves distension and alleviates pain
Traditional Chinese Uses
Xie Bai (薤白) is the bulb of Allium macrostemon Bge. and A. chinense G. Don (Amaryllidaceae), Bulbus Allii Macrostemonis, Chinese chive or long-stamen onion. It is acrid and bitter and warm, entering the Heart, Lung, Stomach and Large Intestine channels. It unblocks the Yang of the chest and disperses bound knots, moves Qi and resolves stagnation, and warms the Lungs to transform Phlegm-Fluids.
It is the defining herb of chest painful obstruction (胸痹) — the constricting, oppressive pain in the chest, sometimes radiating to the back, with shortness of breath, that arises when Yang fails to move in the chest and Phlegm and Qi bind there. It heads Gua Lou Xie Bai Bai Jiu Tang and Gua Lou Xie Bai Ban Xia Tang with Gua Lou, the pairing being the classical treatment for the pattern. It is also used for cough and wheezing with copious thin sputum, and for Qi stagnation in the Intestines with tenesmus in dysenteric disorders.
It is acrid, warm and dispersing, so it is used with care in Qi deficiency without stagnation and in Yin deficiency with Heat; it can cause belching and heartburn in sensitive patients.
Western Herbalism Properties
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Allium macrostemon Bunge (Amaryllidaceae), known as Chinese garlic chive or long-stamen onion, is a small bulbous perennial herb native to East Asia and growing wild on grassy slopes, in fields and along roadsides in China, Korea, Japan and parts of Russia. It arises from a slender, ovoid to subglobose bulb 1 to 2 cm in diameter, covered with grayish-black or yellowish membranous tunics, often producing small bulbils. The leaves are basal, two to five, narrowly linear, semi-cylindrical and hollow, 2 to 4 mm wide and 20 to 40 cm long, with a strong onion or garlic odor when bruised. The flowering scape is solitary, slender, erect, 30 to 70 cm tall, terminating in a hemispherical umbel 1.5 to 3 cm across; the umbel often bears purple-tinged bulbils mixed with or replacing the flowers, and individual flowers are bell-shaped with six pale purple to pinkish tepals and conspicuously exserted stamens. The dried bulbs, harvested in early summer, constitute Xie Bai.
Active Constituents
Macrostemonoside A
Furostanol steroidal saponinConcentration: Characteristic marker saponin of the bulb (content varies with origin and processing)
A representative steroidal saponin of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus. Macrostemonosides inhibit platelet aggregation, promote fibrinolytic (plasminogen-activator) activity and lower serum lipids, supporting the herb's traditional use for thoracic bi-obstruction (chest painful obstruction/angina).
Laxogenin / spirostanol saponins
Spirostanol steroidal saponinConcentration: Major saponin fraction
Spirostanol saponins are the characteristic constituents of the bulb and contribute antioxidant, antiplatelet and reported cytotoxic (antitumour) activity in vitro.
Diosgenin
Steroidal sapogeninConcentration: Aglycone released on hydrolysis of saponins
The sapogenin backbone of the bulb's saponins; associated with lipid-lowering and anti-atherosclerotic effects.
Methyl allyl trisulfide and related organosulfur volatiles
Sulfur-containing volatile oilConcentration: Principal component of the pungent essential oil
Allium-type sulfur volatiles give the bulb its acrid odour and contribute antiplatelet, antibacterial and antioxidant activity.
Adenosine
Nitrogenous compound (nucleoside)Concentration: Minor nitrogenous constituent
A nitrogenous constituent that inhibits platelet aggregation, complementing the saponin and organosulfur antiplatelet actions.
Prostaglandin-like/free fatty acids
LipidsConcentration: Minor
Reported to contribute to vasodilatory and antiplatelet effects relevant to cardiovascular use.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs (warfarin, aspirin, clopidogrel, heparin)
Steroidal saponins, organosulfur volatiles and adenosine in the bulb inhibit platelet aggregation and enhance fibrinolytic (plasminogen-activator) activity in preclinical studies, which may add to the effect of anticoagulant or antiplatelet medication.
Clinical note: Extrapolated from pharmacology; no human interaction reports. Use caution and monitor for bruising/bleeding when combined with anticoagulants, especially around surgery.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 5–10 g | Daily | — | — | 中国药典 2020 【用法与用量】5～10g。 【性味与归经】辛、苦，温。归心、肺、胃、大肠经。 — Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020, quoted verbatim; route and cautions preserved. Replaces a cleared category-filler value. |
Preparation Methods
Decoction (Tang)
Parts: dried bulb
Typical adult dose 5-10 g of the dried bulb decocted in water. Combined with Gua Lou (Trichosanthes) and Ban Xia in classic chest-bi formulas (e.g., Gualou Xiebai Banxia Tang) to unblock chest yang.
Wine-fried (Jiu Chao)
Parts: dried bulb
Stir-frying the bulb with rice wine is used traditionally to strengthen its action of moving qi and unblocking chest yang for painful obstruction of the chest.
Fresh/culinary
Parts: fresh bulb
The fresh bulb is eaten as a vegetable or pickled; as a food it is generally well tolerated but the pungent bulb may cause epigastric discomfort or heartburn in those with weak digestion.
Dui Yao — Herb Pairs
The classical two-herb combinations this herb appears in, each with an action neither herb has alone.
Loosens the chest and transforms phlegm while unblocking yang qi, dispersing phlegm obstruction of chest yang.
Chest impediment (xiong bi) with chest pain radiating to the back and shortness of breath.
Core pair of a classical formula — Gua Lou Xie Bai Bai Jiu Tang, Jin Gui Yao Lue (Zhang Zhongjing)
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
Two New Steroidal Saponins from Allium macrostemon Bunge and Their Cytotoxicity on Different Cancer Cell Lines
Isolated two new steroidal saponins from the bulb and demonstrated cytotoxic activity against several human cancer cell lines, illustrating the steroidal-saponin basis of the herb's reported antitumour action. Human clinical data for the single herb are lacking; clinical use is chiefly within Gualou-Xiebai formulas for chest bi/angina.
Historical Texts
Shennong Bencao Jing (Divine Husbandman's Classic of Materia Medica)
Han dynasty (c. 200 CE)Jin Gui Yao Lüe (Essentials from the Golden Cabinet), Zhang Zhongjing
Eastern Han (c. 200 CE)Ben Cao Gang Mu (Compendium of Materia Medica), Li Shizhen
Ming dynasty (1578)References
- Yao Z, Qin Z, Dai Y, Yao X. Phytochemistry and pharmacology of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus, a traditional Chinese medicine . Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines (2016) [DOI]
- Wang M, Huang H, Wang C, et al.. Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus: A Comprehensive Review of Ethnopharmacology, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology . Molecules (2023) [DOI]
- Chen HF, Wang GH, Luo Q, Wang NL, Yao XS. Two New Steroidal Saponins from Allium macrostemon Bunge and Their Cytotoxicity on Different Cancer Cell Lines . Molecules (2009) [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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