Traditionally used for
- Bowel health
Cautions & contraindications
- Pregnancy
- Young children
- Liver conditions
- Kidney conditions
- Toxic — professional use only
☯ TCM Properties
Cools Heat, resolves toxicity, expels Dampness, cools the Blood and kills parasites; Treats malaria; Treats cancer caused by Toxic Heat; Softens hardness
Traditional Chinese Uses
Ya Dan Zi is the ripe fruit of Brucea javanica (Simaroubaceae), an intensely bitter, cold, toxic herb that clears Heat, resolves toxicity, dries Dampness, cools the Blood, and kills parasites. Its two classic indications are chronic and amoebic dysentery with blood and pus, and malaria (jie nue), for which the seed kernels are swallowed whole—wrapped in longan flesh or in capsules rather than decocted—to spare the mouth and gut from irritation. Topically, the crushed white kernel is applied over days to erode warts and corns; it is also used adjunctively for certain Toxic-Heat masses. The herb is toxic with a narrow margin: only a small counted number of seeds is used, never chewed, and overdose causes vomiting, abdominal pain, and liver and kidney injury. It is contraindicated in pregnancy, in weak patients, and in existing liver, kidney, or GI-bleeding disease, and must be given only under expert supervision.
Western Herbalism Properties
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Ya Dan Zi is the ripe dried fruit of Brucea javanica (L.) Merr. (Simaroubaceae), a small evergreen shrub or small tree 1 to 3 m tall of southern China, Taiwan, and tropical Southeast Asia. The plant bears pinnately compound leaves with serrate ovate-lanceolate leaflets and dense panicles of tiny purple-green dioecious flowers that develop into ovoid drupes about 6 to 10 mm long, black-brown when ripe with a thin brittle pericarp enclosing a single oily kernel. WARNING: The fruit is bitter and toxic owing to quassinoids including brusatol and bruceines, which are gastrointestinal irritants. In traditional Chinese medicine it is bitter and cold with toxicity, entering the Large Intestine and Liver channels; it clears heat, dries dampness, kills parasites, and stops dysentery, and is the principal classical drug for amebic dysentery and malaria. The oil is used topically for warts and corns.
Active Constituents
Brusatol
Quassinoid (degraded triterpene lactone)One of the two principal cytotoxic quassinoids of the fruit. It is a potent Nrf2 pathway inhibitor and was among the most cytotoxic constituents screened, with IC50 values of 0.36 microM against PANC-1 and 0.10 microM against SW1990 pancreatic cancer cells. Cytotoxicity at sub-micromolar concentrations is the reason this herb is dosed in whole fruits under supervision rather than in grams.
Bruceine D
Quassinoid (degraded triterpene lactone)A major cytotoxic quassinoid, reported at IC50 1.29 microM against PANC-1 and 2.10 microM against SW1990 cells, and also studied for antidiabetic activity in rodents. Reviewers note that bruceine D has demonstrated adverse reactions and that its safety profile is not adequately characterised.
Bruceines A, B, C, E, F, G and H
QuassinoidsPart of a family of about 79 quassinoids described from the genus. They carry the antimalarial, antiamoebic, antiviral and antitumour activities traditionally ascribed to the drug, and also account for its irritancy to gastrointestinal mucosa.
Bruceosides A-F and yadanziosides
Quassinoid glycosidesGlycosylated quassinoids of the fruit. Bruceosides A and B were shown to be lethally toxic when a methanol extract of Brucea javanica was administered to mice, so these are toxicity-bearing constituents, not inert companions.
Bruceollines H-N
Indole alkaloidsEight alkaloids isolated from the stems. No biological activity data are yet available for them.
Brujavanones A-N
TriterpenoidsFourteen triterpenoids isolated from the twigs of the plant; characterised chemically but with little pharmacological data.
Fixed oil (olein, oleic acid, linoleic acid)
Fatty acid glyceridesThe seed oil is the basis of the Brucea javanica oil emulsion injection (BJOEI) used in Chinese oncology practice. It is a different pharmaceutical entity from the crude fruit taken orally and carries a different risk profile.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Platinum and fluoropyrimidine chemotherapy (e.g. cisplatin, fluorouracil)
Brucea javanica oil emulsion injection has been added to conventional chemotherapy in numerous Chinese randomised trials. Meta-analysis of 21 RCTs in 2,234 advanced NSCLC patients found a higher objective response rate (RR 1.25, 95% CI 1.14-1.36), better Karnofsky scores (RR 1.87, 95% CI 1.63-2.15) and less nausea and vomiting (RR 0.67) and leukopenia (RR 0.63). A separate meta-analysis of 30 RCTs in 2,035 patients with malignant pleural effusion found a higher overall efficacy rate (RR 1.45, 95% CI 1.36-1.54) with reduced leukopenia (RR 0.51) and gastrointestinal reactions (RR 0.70). All included trials carried a moderate risk of bias.
Clinical note: This applies to the injectable oil emulsion given in an oncology setting, not to the crude fruit dispensed in a decoction. Do not extrapolate. Any use alongside chemotherapy belongs with the treating oncology team.
Hepatotoxic drugs (e.g. methotrexate, isoniazid, high-dose paracetamol)
Brucea javanica oil has been associated with elevated liver enzymes on prolonged use or at high dose, with jaundice, dark urine, fatigue and abdominal pain reported; regular liver function monitoring is advised for regular users. Standard TCM prescribing guidance independently contraindicates the crude fruit where liver or kidney disease is present and warns that large or prolonged doses may injure the stomach, intestines, kidneys or liver.
Clinical note: Check baseline LFTs before use and avoid stacking with other hepatotoxic agents. Stop at the first sign of jaundice or unexplained fatigue.
Gastric irritants (NSAIDs, corticosteroids) and any drug in a patient with GI bleeding
The quassinoids are cytotoxic at low concentrations and are directly irritant to mucosa; externally applied, the fruit is caustic to normal skin. Traditional practice never gives the fruit as a tea or decoction and instead encloses the seeds in longan flesh or a capsule specifically so that they do not contact the mouth, throat or stomach lining. It is contraindicated where there is nausea and vomiting, spleen or stomach deficiency, and must be stopped if gastrointestinal bleeding occurs.
Clinical note: Ya Dan Zi is a Pharmacopoeia-graded toxic drug. It is contraindicated in pregnancy and in small children, must be given only briefly and at minimal dose (conventionally counted in individual fruits, roughly 10-30, not in grams), always enclosed so it does not touch mucosa, and it is not a herb for unsupervised use.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| capsule | 0.5–2 g | — | — | — | ChP 2025. 用龙眼肉包裹或装入胶囊吞服 — swallowed wrapped in longan flesh or in capsules, never chewed and not decocted. Corrected from a generic 6-15g decoction filler value generated from tcm_category. |
| topical | Appropriate amount | — | — | — | ChP 2025. 外用适量。 |
Evidence Tier
Strong 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
1
1 verified · 0 unverified
Randomized controlled trial
0
Other clinical trial
0
Observational / case report
0
In vitro / animal
0
Other / unclassified
1
1 verified · 0 unverified
Verified: design read from PubMed for a DOI that resolves to the cited paper Unverified: taken from the study's recorded description
Clinical Studies
The Efficacy of Brucea javanica Oil Emulsion Injection as Adjunctive Therapy for Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis
Meta-analysis of 21 randomised controlled trials in 2,234 patients with advanced NSCLC. Adding Brucea javanica oil emulsion injection to chemotherapy improved objective response rate (RR 1.25, 95% CI 1.14-1.36), improved Karnofsky performance status (RR 1.87, 95% CI 1.63-2.15) and reduced nausea and vomiting (RR 0.67, 95% CI 0.46-0.98) and leukopenia (RR 0.63, 95% CI 0.52-0.75). Thrombocytopenia was not significantly reduced. All included trials had a moderate risk of bias.
Investigation on the efficiency of Brucea javanica oil emulsion injection with chemotherapy for treating malignant pleural effusion: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Meta-analysis of 30 randomised controlled trials in 2,035 patients (1,033 treatment, 1,002 control). The combination of Brucea javanica oil emulsion injection with chemotherapy gave a higher overall efficacy rate for malignant pleural effusion (RR 1.45, 95% CI 1.36-1.54), improved Karnofsky scores (RR 1.54, 95% CI 1.41-1.68) and reduced leukopenia (RR 0.51, 95% CI 0.43-0.61) and gastrointestinal reactions (RR 0.70, 95% CI 0.57-0.87).
⚠ Safety & Contraindications
- Pregnancy
- Young children
- Liver conditions
- Kidney conditions
- Toxic — professional use only
Contraindications
Contraindicated in pregnancy, in children, and in hepatic or renal impairment.
Safety Warnings
- Traditionally swallowed wrapped (in longan flesh or a capsule) to spare the gastric mucosa, not chewed.
- Not for prolonged use.
⚠ Toxicity Information
Nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain; the drug irritates the gastric mucosa directly, and hepatic and renal injury are reported in overdose.
Historical Texts
Ben Cao Gang Mu Shi Yi
Qing dynastyReferences
- Zhang Y, et al.. Major Constituents From Brucea javanica and Their Pharmacological Actions . Frontiers in Pharmacology (2022) [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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