Zhu Li
StarPhyllostachys nigra (Lodd. ex Lindl.) Munro var. henonis (Mitf.) Stapf ex Rendle
Traditionally used for
- Cough & breathing
- Colds & fever
- Mood & calm
- Nerves & recovery
☯ TCM Properties
Clears Heat and resolves Phlegm; Opens the orifices; Settles fright and stops convulsions; Penetrates the channels and collaterals; Moistens dryness
Traditional Chinese Uses
Zhu Li (bamboo juice, bamboo sap) is a cold, sweet substance derived from fresh bamboo that clears Phlegm-Heat and opens the Heart orifices to revive consciousness. It is used for febrile illness with profuse hot Phlegm obstructing the respiratory tract, causing cough with difficult expectoration, and for Phlegm-Heat disturbing the Heart-Shen with delirium, restlessness, and loss of consciousness. As a food-derived preparation, it is among the gentler Phlegm-clearing substances appropriate for more sensitive patients.
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
Zhu Li is the clear, pale yellow to greenish sap ("bamboo juice") extracted from the freshly cut culms of black bamboo, Phyllostachys nigra (Lodd. ex Lindl.) Munro var. henonis (Bean) Stapf ex Rendle, and related Phyllostachys species. The parent plant is a tall, evergreen, woody bamboo in the Poaceae, reaching 7-18 m, with cylindrical, hollow, jointed culms 3-8 cm in diameter; the wild type matures to glossy black, while var. henonis retains the green coloration. Lance-shaped leaves are arranged in fans on slender lateral branches. To obtain the sap, freshly cut sections of culm are heated over fire so that the liquid exudes from the cut ends; this is collected as Zhu Li and stored as a thin, faintly aromatic liquid.
Active Constituents
Soluble carbohydrates (glucose, fructose, sucrose and related sugars)
Mono- and disaccharidesConcentration: the overwhelmingly dominant dissolved fraction of bamboo sap; measured at up to 191.13 g/L in sap of Phyllostachys edulis. No equivalent assay of sap from P. nigra var. henonis has been published.
Sugars account for the great bulk of the dissolved solids in bamboo sap and for its sweetness and viscosity. No specific expectorant action has been attributed to them; their practical significance is that a sugar-rich oral liquid is a real carbohydrate load, which matters for diabetic patients and for children given repeated doses.
Guaiacyl and syringyl phenolics (3-methoxy-4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, beta-hydroxypropiovanillone, syringic aldehyde, syringate, ferulaldehyde, coniferol, p-E-coumaric acid)
Phenylpropanoid and phenolic aldehyde lignin-degradation productsConcentration: minor components; isolated and quantified from sap of Phyllostachys edulis at concentrations far below the carbohydrate fraction. Not separately quantified in P. nigra var. henonis.
These are lignin-derived phenolics released when the cane is heated to express the sap, and they give Zhu Li its smoky, guaiacol-like odour. Earlier reports identified guaiacol and amino acids as the characteristic odorous constituents. No controlled work has shown that any of them is responsible for the drug's traditional phlegm-transforming action.
Lignan glucosides ((+)-balanophonin, (+)-5-methoxybalanophonin, lyoniresinol-3alpha-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, syringaresinol-4'-O-beta-glucopyranoside)
Lignans and lignan glycosidesConcentration: trace constituents isolated from Phyllostachys edulis sap; not quantified in P. nigra var. henonis
A group of dimeric phenylpropanoid glycosides recovered by column chromatography from fresh bamboo sap. They are structural markers of the drug rather than established actives.
5-(Hydroxymethyl)-2-furaldehyde (HMF)
Furan aldehyde (Maillard/sugar dehydration product)Concentration: minor constituent of fresh bamboo sap (Phyllostachys edulis)
A thermal degradation product of hexoses, consistent with the fact that Zhu Li is obtained by roasting fresh cane over fire. Its presence is a marker of the heating step rather than of the plant.
Adenosine
Purine nucleosideConcentration: minor constituent isolated from fresh bamboo sap (Phyllostachys edulis)
Recovered as one of 26 compounds isolated from fresh bamboo sap. Present at trace level; no dose-relevant systemic activity has been demonstrated for the amount delivered in a normal dose of the drug.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Benzoic acid, sorbic acid and ethylparaben (preservatives added to marketed bamboo-sap oral liquids)
An analysis of nine bamboo-juice oral liquids registered with China's National Medical Products Administration found levels of benzoic acid, ethylparaben and sorbic acid the authors described as potentially harmful. The same authors noted that the cough-relief effect of these commercial preparations may owe more to the added preservatives than to the sap itself, since the sap is almost entirely carbohydrate. This is a formulation hazard, not a property of the raw drug.
Clinical note: Where possible use freshly expressed sap rather than a bottled oral liquid, and check the excipient list before prescribing repeated courses to children or in pregnancy.
Insulin and oral hypoglycaemic agents (sulfonylureas, metformin)
Quantitative analysis of bamboo sap (Phyllostachys edulis) found soluble carbohydrate at up to 191.13 g/L, far exceeding every other constituent. A syrupy sap or oral liquid taken several times daily therefore delivers a non-trivial sugar load. No interaction study has been performed; the inference is from the measured composition.
Clinical note: Count Zhu Li oral liquid as a sugar-containing preparation when advising diabetic patients, and prefer sugar-free vehicles where a phlegm-transforming action is wanted.
Bamboo drugs sold under overlapping names (Zhu Ru, bamboo shavings, and Tian Zhu Huang, the siliceous bamboo concretion)
Zhu Li is the liquid sap expressed by fire-roasting fresh cane; Zhu Ru is the shaved intermediate layer of the same or related canes, and Tian Zhu Huang is a silica-rich concretion formed inside the internode. They share the bamboo source but not the composition, and commercial bamboo-sap products are in practice drawn from whichever Phyllostachys species is locally available (P. edulis and P. glauca are both used) rather than specifically from P. nigra var. henonis. The published chemistry of bamboo sap is from P. edulis, so composition data cannot be transferred to the nominal source species without qualification.
Clinical note: Specify the plant part and, where it matters, the binomial when ordering; do not assume a bamboo-sap oral liquid was made from P. nigra var. henonis.
Dui Yao — Herb Pairs
The classical two-herb combinations this herb appears in, each with an action neither herb has alone.
Cold, slippery phlegm-clearing is combined with warm, dispersing juice, which helps it reach the channels and tempers its coldness against the stomach.
Phlegm-heat cough, and phlegm obstructing the orifices in wind-stroke.
Named pairing — Zhongyaoxue national textbook
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
Identification and quantitation of the actual active components in bamboo juice and its oral liquid by NMR and UPLC-Q-TOF-MS
Twenty-six compounds were isolated from fresh bamboo sap of Phyllostachys edulis (not P. nigra var. henonis) and identified by NMR, then quantified by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS. Carbohydrates dominated at up to 191.13 g/L, with phenolics, lignan glucosides, adenosine and HMF as minor components. Nine marketed Chinese bamboo-juice oral liquids were found to contain benzoic acid, ethylparaben and sorbic acid at levels the authors judged potentially harmful, and they concluded the cough-relief effect of these products may be attributable to the preservatives rather than the sap.
Historical Texts
Ming Yi Bie Lu
Southern and Northern Dynasties, c. 500 CEBei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang
Tang dynasty, 7th centuryBen Cao Gang Mu
Ming dynasty, 1596References
- Gao Q, Wang D, Shao S, Xue Y, Zhang Y, Chen C, Tang F, Sun J, Li Y, Guo Q. Identification and quantitation of the actual active components in bamboo juice and its oral liquid by NMR and UPLC-Q-TOF-MS . Scientific Reports (2020) [DOI]
- Hu C, Zhang Y, Kitts DD. Evaluation of Antioxidant and Prooxidant Activities of BambooPhyllostachys nigraVar.HenonisLeaf Extract in Vitro . Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2000) [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 Zhu Li.
No notes yet.