Traditionally used for
- Nose & throat
- Digestion
- Bowel health
- Urinary & fluids
- Menstrual & women's health
- Skin
- Liver & jaundice
Cautions & contraindications
- Liver conditions
- Kidney conditions
- Toxic — professional use only
☯ TCM Properties
Clears Heat and removes toxicity; Cools the Blood and stops bleeding; Promotes urination; Relieves constipation; Eliminates parasites
Traditional Chinese Uses
Yang Ti (Radix Rumicis Japonici) is the root of Rumex japonicus (Japanese dock), a bitter, sour, cold blood-regulating herb entering the Heart, Liver, and Large Intestine channels. It clears Heat and resolves toxicity, cools the Blood to stop bleeding, and drains Heat downward. It is used internally for reckless bleeding from Blood-Heat such as nosebleed, blood in the stool or urine, uterine bleeding, and vomiting of blood, as well as for constipation and jaundice, its anthraquinones giving a mild purgative effect.
Externally, the fresh root juice or paste is a classic remedy for tinea, scabies, ringworm, eczema, and suppurative skin sores, reflecting its parasite-killing and detoxifying action. Typical decoction dose is 9-15 g; large doses may loosen the stool.
Western Herbalism Properties
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Yang Ti is the dried root of Rumex japonicus Houtt. or related Rumex species (Polygonaceae), Japanese dock, a stout perennial herb of moist disturbed ground throughout China, Japan, and Korea reaching 50 to 150 cm tall. The plant bears a thick yellow-orange branched taproot, alternate lanceolate to oblong leaves with crisped margins, and tall terminal panicles of small greenish flowers that mature into three-winged red-brown achenes characteristic of the dock genus. The root, rich in anthraquinones such as chrysophanol, emodin, and physcion together with naphthalenes, is closely related to the Western herbal yellow dock (R. crispus). In traditional Chinese medicine the root is bitter and cold, entering the Heart, Liver, and Large Intestine channels; it clears heat, cools blood, stops bleeding, kills parasites, and moves the bowels, used for hematemesis, epistaxis, uterine bleeding, constipation with heat, and scabies and ringworm topically.
Active Constituents
Chrysophanol
AnthraquinoneOne of the three principal free anthraquinones of the root, isolated together with emodin and physcion from the dichloromethane fraction. It contributes to the antimicrobial and mild purgative character of the drug.
Emodin
AnthraquinoneA major free anthraquinone of the root with antifungal and anti-inflammatory activity; against Trichophyton rubrum its minimum inhibitory concentration was 3.9 micrograms per millilitre. Emodin is also the constituent behind the laxative and the long-term genotoxicity concerns that attach to anthraquinone drugs generally.
Physcion
AnthraquinoneThe third of the major free anthraquinones. Its content in the plant is strongly environment-dependent; growth in alkaline soil raised physcion by 58.21% at one sampling stage, which is one reason batch-to-batch potency varies.
Rhein
AnthraquinonePresent in the root and the most potent of the anthraquinones tested against dermatophytes, with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 1.9 micrograms per millilitre against Trichophyton rubrum. It supports the classical topical use of the herb for tinea and scabies.
Aloe-emodin
AnthraquinoneAn anthraquinone isolated from the root alongside rhein and emodin, active against dermatophytes in vitro.
Emodin-8-O-beta-D-glucoside and chrysophanol-8-O-beta-D-glucoside
Anthraquinone glycosidesThe glycosidic reservoir of the anthraquinones. Like other anthranoid laxative drugs, these pass to the colon largely intact and are cleaved by gut bacteria to the free aglycones, which is why the purgative effect is delayed by several hours.
Nepodin (musizin) and musizin-8-O-beta-D-glucoside
Naphthalene derivativeA characteristic naphthalenic marker of Rumex roots, used as one of the identifying peaks in HPLC fingerprints of this species. Its presence helps distinguish Rumex from Rheum material.
Rutin and quercetin
Flavonol and flavonol glycosidePhenolic constituents identified in the fingerprint of the drug and in the leaves, contributing antioxidant activity to the extract.
Oxalic acid and soluble oxalates
Organic acid and its saltsRumex species accumulate oxalate, most heavily in the leaves; fatal acute oxalate poisoning has been recorded in grazing sheep. This is the reason the root, not the aerial parts, is the medicinal drug and the reason large or prolonged doses are inappropriate in patients prone to stones.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Rhubarb (Da Huang, Rheum palmatum and Rheum tanguticum) as substituted or adulterating material
Rumex japonicus circulates in the trade as a rhubarb-type drug and is one of the Polygonaceae species that DNA-based authentication work has had to separate from Rheum. A barcode-DNA high-resolution melting study characterised 63 rhubarb samples spanning Rheum tanguticum, Rheum palmatum, Rheum officinale and Rumex japonicus precisely because rhubarb products have been subjected to an unparalleled level of adulteration as wild Rheum resources decline. The two drugs are not interchangeable: the Rumex root carries the same anthraquinone aglycones but a different overall profile and a much weaker purgative action.
Clinical note: If a prescription intends Da Huang, insist on Rheum-authenticated material; conversely do not escalate the dose of Yang Ti to reach a rhubarb-like purge. Ask for ITS2 barcoding or a fingerprint on bulk purchases.
Digoxin and other cardiac glycosides
The herb is an anthranoid laxative drug: its anthraquinone glycosides are cleaved by colonic bacteria to active aglycones and it is used traditionally for constipation. Chronic stimulant laxative use causes hypokalaemia, which increases myocardial sensitivity to digoxin. This mechanism is a class effect of anthranoid laxatives rather than something demonstrated for Rumex japonicus specifically.
Clinical note: Keep courses short, and check potassium if the herb is used for more than about a week in a patient on digoxin.
Loop and thiazide diuretics, and corticosteroids
Same anthranoid laxative mechanism as above, compounding drugs that already waste potassium. There is no interaction study on this species; the class basis is well established for anthraquinone laxatives.
Clinical note: Avoid prolonged use with potassium-wasting drugs; prefer the topical route for the skin indications, where systemic anthraquinone exposure is minimal.
Calcium supplements, and drugs used in patients with renal stones or renal impairment
Rumex species accumulate oxalic acid and soluble oxalates, most heavily in the leaves; fatal acute oxalate poisoning of sheep grazing Rumex has been recorded. The medicinal root carries a lower burden than the foliage, but the genus-level hazard is the reason large or prolonged internal dosing is unwise in stone formers.
Clinical note: Do not use the fresh aerial parts internally. In a patient with a history of calcium oxalate stones or reduced renal function, use the root only short-term and with good fluid intake, or choose another herb.
Hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic drugs during prolonged courses
Toxicology of Rumex seed extracts in rats found adverse changes in organ weights and biochemical and haematological parameters with long-term anthraquinone administration, focused on liver, lung and kidney, most of which reverted after a 15-day recovery period. The signal is for the anthraquinone class and for a different plant part, but it argues against open-ended dosing.
Clinical note: Treat this as a short-course herb. If a longer course is unavoidable alongside hepatotoxic or nephrotoxic drugs, monitor liver and renal function.
Evidence Tier
Moderate evidence · 6 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
6
0 verified · 6 unverified
Show 6 studies
- Study on the chemical composition and anti-fungi activities of anthraquinones and its glycosides from Rumex japonicus Houtt.
- Study on HPLC Fingerprint, Network Pharmacology, and Antifungal Activity of Rumex japonicus Houtt
- Rumex japonicus Houtt. Extract Suppresses Colitis-Associated Colorectal Cancer by Regulating Inflammation and Tight-Junction Integrity in Mice
- Rumex japonicus Houtt. alleviates dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis by protecting tight junctions in mice
- Rumex japonicus Houtt. leaves: the chemical composition and anti-fungal activity
- Preparative Isolation of Three Anthraquinones from Rumex japonicus by High-Speed Counter-Current Chromatography
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
Study on the chemical composition and anti-fungi activities of anthraquinones and its glycosides from Rumex japonicus Houtt.
Vinegar extraction and alcohol precipitation followed by HPLC and NMR yielded seven anthraquinones and glycosides from the drug: chrysophanol, physcion, aloe-emodin, emodin, rhein, emodin-8-O-beta-D-glucoside and chrysophanol-8-O-beta-D-glucoside. Extracts were active against the dermatophytes Trichophyton rubrum and Microsporum canis, with minimum inhibitory concentrations against Trichophyton rubrum of 1.9 micrograms per millilitre for rhein, 3.9 for emodin and a comparable value for aloe-emodin, and activity extended to fungal biofilms.
Study on HPLC Fingerprint, Network Pharmacology, and Antifungal Activity of Rumex japonicus Houtt
An HPLC fingerprint built from ten batches of five-year-old material from different habitats gave 18 common peaks, ten of them characteristic: rutin, quercetin, aloe-emodin, nepodin, emodin, musizin-8-O-beta-D-glucoside, chrysophanol, emodin-8-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, chrysophanol-8-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside and aloin. Anti-Candida albicans activity was confirmed by Oxford cup assay, and network pharmacology linked the constituents to psoriasis targets.
Rumex japonicus Houtt. Extract Suppresses Colitis-Associated Colorectal Cancer by Regulating Inflammation and Tight-Junction Integrity in Mice
In C57BL/6N mice given azoxymethane and dextran sulfate sodium, root extract at 100 mg/kg for four weeks reduced colonic tumour number, limited colon shortening, improved tight-junction protein expression and lowered inflammatory cytokines, supporting the traditional use of the root for gut disorders.
Rumex japonicus Houtt. alleviates dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis by protecting tight junctions in mice
Methanolic root extract given for 14 days to mice with dextran sulfate sodium colitis preserved colon length, reduced inflammatory cytokine expression and protected epithelial tight junctions on immunohistochemistry and Western blot.
Rumex japonicus Houtt. leaves: the chemical composition and anti-fungal activity
Seven monomers were obtained from the leaves rather than the root: the anthraquinones rhein, emodin and aloe-emodin, the polyphenols ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid, and the flavonoids rutin and quercetin. The leaf preparation inhibited Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Trichophyton rubrum and Candida albicans and disrupted biofilm, with leakage of nucleic acid and protein. The medicinal drug in Chinese practice is the root, so this describes a related but different plant part.
Preparative Isolation of Three Anthraquinones from Rumex japonicus by High-Speed Counter-Current Chromatography
Emodin, chrysophanol and physcion were purified from the dichloromethane extract of Rumex japonicus by high-speed counter-current chromatography, confirming the three free anthraquinones as the principal lipophilic markers of the drug.
Historical Texts
Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing
Han dynastyBen Cao Gang Mu
Ming dynasty, 1596References
- Sun Y, Lenon GB, Yang AWH. Rumex japonicus Houtt.: A phytochemical, pharmacological, and pharmacokinetic review . Phytotherapy Research (2019) [DOI]
- Shen L, Zhang M, Qiu Y, Yang L, Lu Y, Li H, Zhang L, Tang F, Wang F, Zhu C, Bao H, Ding Y. DNA barcoding combined with high-resolution melting analysis to discriminate rhubarb species and its traditional Chinese patent medicines . Frontiers in Pharmacology (2024) [DOI]
- Zhao Y, Zuo X, Gong Y, You J, Chen X. Potential of Rumex japonicus Houtt. in alkaline soil management . Scientific Reports (2026) [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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