Traditionally used for
- Digestion
- Pain & joints
- Skin
☯ TCM Properties
Dispels Wind and Dampness and opens the channels and collaterals; Discharges Stagnancy and removes toxic factors
Traditional Chinese Uses
Yi Tiao Gen ('one-stick root'), also called Qian Jin Ba, is the taproot of Flemingia philippinensis (syn. Moghania philippinensis; Radix Moghaniae), a Fabaceae medicinal used especially in Taiwan and southern China. Pungent in flavour and warm in nature, entering the Liver and Kidney channels, it belongs to the herbs that dispel Wind-Dampness. It dispels Wind and Damp and frees the channels and collaterals, and disperses stagnation while resolving toxicity.
Its principal use is for Wind-Cold-Damp painful obstruction (bi syndrome), particularly of the lower back and legs: rheumatic and arthritic joint pain, bone pain, sciatica, and heaviness or weakness of the hips and knees. It is also applied to traumatic injury and, topically or internally, to sores and swellings. Commonly decocted or steeped in wine, it is used cautiously in those with weak digestion (Spleen-Qi deficiency). Modern studies note anti-inflammatory and bone-protective flavonoids consistent with its traditional anti-rheumatic role.
Relationships
Full-screen graph →Click a node for details · double-click to expand it · Ctrl/⌘ + scroll or two fingers to zoom and pan.
Botanical Description
Yi Tiao Gen (一條根, literally 'one-stick root') is a folk Pinyin name applied to several unrelated Chinese herbal materials across different regions, most commonly to taproots of Moghania philippinensis (Fabaceae) in Taiwan and southern Fujian, but also to roots of Berchemia, Smilacina, and other genera in other locales. Because no single accepted Linnaean identity can be established with confidence in standard TCM materia medica such as Bensky & Gamble or the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, all substantive fields except tradition are left null. The name is associated in folk practice with dispelling wind-damp, relieving pain, and treating injuries, but verified botanical identity is necessary before assigning slugs.
Active Constituents
Genistein
IsoflavoneConcentration: Isolated from the root; xanthine oxidase IC50 25.0 micromolar
The unprenylated parent isoflavone of the root's characteristic series. A well-known phytoestrogen and weak xanthine oxidase inhibitor, and the reference compound against which the prenylated congeners of this species are usually judged.
Auriculasin
Prenylated isoflavoneConcentration: Isolated from the root; xanthine oxidase IC50 within the 7.8 to 36.4 micromolar range reported for the series
The most studied single constituent of this species, with reported effects on reactive oxygen species generation, apoptosis and VEGF receptor 2 signalling in cell and zebrafish models. All of that work is preclinical.
6,8-Diprenylorobol
Prenylated isoflavoneConcentration: Isolated from the root; the most potent xanthine oxidase inhibitor of the series, IC50 7.8 micromolar
A mixed-type reversible inhibitor of xanthine oxidase with a Ki of about 5.5 micromolar, comparable in the same assay to allopurinol. The catechol B-ring is the structural feature responsible.
Flemiphilippinin A
Prenylated isoflavoneConcentration: Isolated from the root; xanthine oxidase IC50 14.8 micromolar
A pyrano-isoflavone formed by oxidative cyclisation of a prenyl group. Named for the species, and useful as a chemical marker of authentic root material.
8-gamma,gamma-Dimethylallylwighteone
Prenylated isoflavoneConcentration: Isolated from the root; xanthine oxidase IC50 16.9 micromolar
Illustrates the structure-activity pattern of the series: adding a prenyl group to the resorcinol A-ring increases xanthine oxidase inhibition relative to genistein.
Osajin
Prenylated isoflavoneConcentration: Isolated from the root
One of nine isoflavones recovered from the root in the xanthine oxidase and LDL oxidation screen. Also known from Maclura pomifera, so it is not diagnostic for this species on its own.
Flemingsin
Prenylated isoflavoneConcentration: Isolated from the root
A genus-characteristic prenylated isoflavone. Together with flemiphilippinin A it anchors the chemical identity of Radix Moghaniae.
alpha-Glucans
PolysaccharideConcentration: Two fractions of differing molecular weight structurally characterised from the root
The root's polysaccharide fraction, reported to have immune-enhancing activity in cyclophosphamide-treated mice through gut microbiota modulation. Preclinical only, but relevant because the drug is given as a water decoction in which glucans are extracted.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Xanthine oxidase inhibitors (allopurinol, febuxostat)
All nine prenylated isoflavones isolated from the root inhibited xanthine oxidase in vitro with IC50 values of 7.8 to 36.4 micromolar, the most potent behaving as a mixed-type reversible inhibitor with a Ki near 5.5 micromolar and a potency comparable to allopurinol in the same assay. Whether these concentrations are reached in plasma after an oral decoction has not been studied, so the interaction is theoretical. No human data exist.
Clinical note: No dose change is indicated. If the herb is used long-term in a patient on urate-lowering therapy, check serum urate at the next routine review rather than pre-emptively.
Aromatase inhibitors (anastrozole, letrozole, exemestane) and hormone-sensitive conditions
Root constituents of Flemingia philippinensis inhibit aromatase in vitro (Sun et al. 2017), while the root simultaneously contains genistein and related isoflavones with intrinsic oestrogen receptor activity. The two effects point in opposite directions and neither has been characterised in humans, so the net endocrine consequence is genuinely unknown rather than small. That uncertainty is itself the reason to record it.
Clinical note: Avoid in patients on endocrine therapy for hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer until human data exist, on the grounds that the direction of effect cannot be predicted.
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
2 verified · 1 unverified
Show 3 studies
- Flemingia philippinensis Flavonoids Relieve Bone Erosion and Inflammatory Mediators in CIA Mice by Downregulating NF-κB and MAPK Pathways
- Integrating serum pharmacochemistry, network pharmacology, metabolomics and 16S rRNA sequencing to explore the mechanism of total flavonoids from Flemingia philippinensis in treating collagen induced arthritis rats
- Xanthine Oxidase Inhibition and Anti-LDL Oxidation by Prenylated Isoflavones from Flemingia philippinensis Root
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
Flemingia philippinensis Flavonoids Relieve Bone Erosion and Inflammatory Mediators in CIA Mice by Downregulating NF-κB and MAPK Pathways
Flavonoids extracted from the dried root were given orally to C57BL/6 mice with collagen-induced arthritis for 39 days as a prophylactic model. Treatment reduced paw swelling and arthritic score, inflammatory infiltration, pannus formation, cartilage destruction and osteoclast infiltration, and lowered MMP-9 and cathepsin K expression in the ankle joint, anti-collagen II antibody in plasma, and NF-kappaB p65 and MAPK phosphorylation in the paws. Directly relevant to the traditional wind-damp indication, but an animal prophylaxis model rather than treatment of established disease.
Integrating serum pharmacochemistry, network pharmacology, metabolomics and 16S rRNA sequencing to explore the mechanism of total flavonoids from Flemingia philippinensis in treating collagen induced arthritis rats
Total flavonoids from the root tested in collagen-induced arthritis rats, combining serum pharmacochemistry to identify absorbed constituents with network pharmacology, metabolomics and gut microbiota sequencing. Extends the 2019 mouse work by establishing which compounds actually reach the circulation, which is the missing link in most preclinical claims for this drug.
Xanthine Oxidase Inhibition and Anti-LDL Oxidation by Prenylated Isoflavones from Flemingia philippinensis Root
Nine isoflavones were isolated from the root - genistein, auriculasin, 6,8-diprenylorobol, flemiphilippinin A, 8-gamma,gamma-dimethylallylwighteone, osajin, flemingsin and two further prenylated isoflavones - and all inhibited xanthine oxidase with IC50 values of 7.8 to 36.4 micromolar in mixed-type reversible fashion. The most active compounds also inhibited copper-mediated LDL oxidation, one of them 40-fold more potently than genistein.
Historical Texts
Zhi Wu Ming Shi Tu Kao (Illustrated Investigation of the Names and Natures of Plants), Wu Qijun
Qing dynasty, 1848Ling Nan Cai Yao Lu (Record of Medicinal Herbs Gathered in Lingnan)
Republican period, early 20th centuryReferences
- Eun-Mi Ahn; Norio Nakamura; Teruaki Akao; Katsuko Komatsu; Ming-Hua Qui; Massao Hattori. Prenylated flavonoids from Moghania philippinensis . Phytochemistry (2003) [DOI]
- Hua Li; Meihua Yang; Jianhua Miao; Xiaojun Ma. Prenylated isoflavones from Flemingia philippinensis . Magnetic Resonance in Chemistry (2008) [DOI]
- Jeong Yoon Kim; Yan Wang; Zia Uddin; Yeong Hun Song; Zuo Peng Li; Janar Jenis; Ki Hun Park. Competitive neutrophil elastase inhibitory isoflavones from the roots of Flemingia philippinensis . Bioorganic Chemistry (2018) [DOI]
- Fang Sun; Qin Li; Jin Xu. Chemical Composition of Roots Flemingia philippinensis and Their Inhibitory Kinetics on Aromatase . Chemistry & Biodiversity (2017) [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.
📝 Notes
Public notes from the community and your own private notes on Yi Tiao Gen.
No notes yet.