Zhu Ru
StarPhyllostachys nigra (Lodd.) Munro var. henonis (Mitf.) Stapf ex Rendle
Traditionally used for
- Cough & breathing
- Digestion
- Mood & calm
- Heart & circulation
☯ TCM Properties
Clears Heat and Transforms Phlegm; Clears Stomach Heat and stops vomiting; Eliminates Irritability; Cools the Blood and Stops Bleeding
Traditional Chinese Uses
Zhu Ru (bamboo shavings) is a cool herb that clears heat and transforms phlegm in the Lungs and Stomach. It is used for coughs with yellow, sticky phlegm associated with Lung Heat, and for nausea, vomiting, and hiccup caused by Stomach Heat or Phlegm-Heat obstructing the middle burner. Its cooling, descending quality also extends to calming restlessness and palpitations when heat disturbs the Heart.
Western Herbalism Properties
Used In Formulas (16)
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
Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis is a large, fast-growing, running bamboo in the Poaceae family, native to China and widely cultivated for timber and medicinal use. It forms open groves of erect, woody culms reaching 7-18 meters in height and 5-10 cm in diameter at the base, with internodes 25-40 cm long. Unlike the type variety with black culms, this variety retains green to yellow-green stems throughout life, becoming slightly grooved above each branched node. The branches bear narrowly lanceolate leaves, 6-10 cm long and 1-1.5 cm wide, with finely serrate margins and tessellated venation. Flowering is rare and gregarious, occurring at long intervals. For TCM use, sections of fresh young culm are taken; the green outer epidermis is scraped away and the underlying pale-green inner stem is shaved into thin curling strips (Zhu Ru). Zhu Ru is classified as a sweet, slightly cold herb that clears heat and resolves phlegm.
Active Constituents
p-Coumaric acid
Hydroxycinnamic acidConcentration: Described as a major active compound of the drug and used as the plasma pharmacokinetic marker in the one controlled human trial of a Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis extract.
Given orally to mice before cigarette smoke exposure, p-coumaric acid reduced bronchoalveolar inflammatory cell counts, pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemokine and protease levels and nuclear factor kappa B protein, reproducing much of the whole-extract effect. It is measurable in human plasma after oral dosing of the extract, so it is the one constituent for which human exposure has actually been demonstrated.
Ferulic acid
Hydroxycinnamic acidConcentration: Identified as a blood-absorbed prototype constituent in rat plasma after dosing of the Zhi Shi and Zhu Ru herb pair.
The second hydroxycinnamic acid of the drug, recovered intact from rat plasma after oral dosing and picked out by targeted network pharmacology as one of the key bioactive compounds of the Fructus Aurantii Immaturus and Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam pair against chronic gastritis. Its own activity in this drug has not been isolated experimentally.
Lignin of the culm middle layer
Phenylpropanoid cell-wall polymerConcentration: Structural bulk of the shaved green middle layer; not standardised.
Lignin extracted from the Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis stem shows antioxidant activity in vitro. It is a structural polymer rather than an absorbable drug substance, so it is best read as a marker of what the shaving physically is rather than as an active principle.
Lyoniresinol glucosides and bambulignan A
Lignan glycosidesConcentration: Isolated from the Bambusa tuldoides form of the drug, not from Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis.
Ten lignans, three of them new, were isolated from bamboo shavings, with the lyoniresinol glucosides showing strong radical scavenging and reducing power in DPPH and ferric reducing assays. The material studied was Bambusa tuldoides Munro, a different accepted botanical source of the same drug name, so this chemistry should not be assumed identical for the Phyllostachys shaving.
Pentacyclic triterpenoids of the shaving
Pentacyclic triterpenoidConcentration: Enriched by supercritical CO2 extraction of Bambusa tuldoides shavings, not quantified in Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis.
A triterpenoid-rich supercritical CO2 extract of bamboo shavings prolonged weight-loaded swimming and climbing times in mice and shifted serum urea nitrogen, hepatic glycogen and blood lactate. As with the lignans, the source plant was Bambusa tuldoides, so the finding attaches to that botanical source of the drug.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Tian Zhu Huang (bamboo tabasheer, Bambusae Concretio Silicea)
Zhu Ru and Tian Zhu Huang are both called bamboo drugs and are both classed as phlegm-transformers, but they are physically different substances from different parts of the plant. Zhu Ru is the shaved green middle layer of the culm, taken after the outer skin is removed and dried in strips. Tian Zhu Huang is a siliceous concretion that forms in the culm cavity, largely mineral rather than phenolic, and is directed at phlegm-heat obstructing the Heart with convulsion and childhood fright rather than at Stomach heat with vomiting. The chemistry described in this record belongs to the shaving and cannot be read across to the concretion.
Clinical note: Confirm which bamboo drug is actually in the dispensary tin before substituting. If a formula calls for Zhu Ru to settle Stomach heat and vomiting, a siliceous concretion is not an equivalent.
Zhu Ru sourced from Bambusa tuldoides or Sinocalamus beecheyanus var. pubescens
The drug name Bambusae Caulis in Taenia covers shavings from more than one grass species, and the published literature splits along genus lines. The Korean respiratory and human growth work, including the only controlled human trial, was done on Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis, the species named for this record. The lignan chemistry and the anti-fatigue triterpenoid work were done on Bambusa tuldoides Munro. Batches sold under the same name may therefore differ in composition, and a study on one genus is not automatically evidence for the other.
Clinical note: Ask the supplier which species the shavings came from when a specific published effect is the reason for prescribing. For ordinary traditional use the substitution is accepted, but do not cite Bambusa research as evidence for a Phyllostachys product.
Lipid-lowering drugs (statins, ezetimibe)
A methanol extract of Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam lowered total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in rats made hyperlipidaemic with Triton WR-1339 and a high-cholesterol diet, and inhibited LDL oxidation and human ACAT-1 and ACAT-2 dose-dependently. An additive lipid-lowering effect alongside a statin is therefore conceivable, but there is no human pharmacokinetic or lipid-panel data at all, and no evidence of a cytochrome P450 or transporter interaction.
Clinical note: No dose change is indicated. If a patient on lipid-lowering therapy takes bamboo shaving preparations long term, an ordinary lipid panel at the next routine check is sufficient.
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】甘，微寒。归肺、胃、心、胆经。 — Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020, quoted verbatim; route and cautions preserved. Replaces a cleared category-filler value. |
Dui Yao — Herb Pairs
The classical two-herb combinations this herb appears in, each with an action neither herb has alone.
Dries damp phlegm and descends counterflow while clearing heat from phlegm and calming the stomach, for gallbladder-stomach disharmony with phlegm-heat.
Irritability, insomnia, palpitations easily startled, nausea or vomiting.
Core pair of a classical formula — Wen Dan Tang, San Yin Ji Yi Bing Zheng Fang Lun (Chen Yan, 1174)
Regulates qi and harmonizes the stomach while clearing heat and descending counterflow, stopping hiccup and vomiting from stomach deficiency with heat.
Core pair of a classical formula — Ju Pi Zhu Ru Tang, Jin Gui Yao Lue (Zhang Zhongjing)
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
1
0 verified · 1 unverified
Other clinical trial
0
Observational / case report
0
In vitro / animal
5
4 verified · 1 unverified
Show 5 studies
- Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam extract reduces ovalbumin-induced airway inflammation and T helper 2 responses in mice
- p-Coumaric Acid, a Major Active Compound of Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam, Suppresses Cigarette Smoke-Induced Pulmonary Inflammation
- Original Research: Extract of Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam inhibits cigarette smoke-induced pulmonary and intestinal inflammation
- Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam modulates neuroprotective and anti-neuroinflammatory effects in hippocampal and microglial cells via HO-1- and Nrf-2-mediated pathways
- Effects of Aqueous Extract of Phyllostachyos Caulis in Taeniam on Longitudinal Bone Growth in Adolescent Rats
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
Development of p-Coumaric Acid Analysis in Human Plasma and Its Clinical Application to PK/PD Study
A 12-week double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled pilot trial in 34 children aged 6 to 11 years with height below the fifth percentile, given capsules of Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis inner-bark extract, 258 mg per capsule, three capsules twice daily after meals, against placebo. The primary interest, height gain, did not reach significance at 1.43 cm versus 1.03 cm over three months. Insulin-like growth factor 1 and osteocalcin both rose significantly in the treated group. No adverse findings were reported. This is the only controlled human study of the species and it addresses growth, not any traditional phlegm or Stomach-heat indication.
Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam extract reduces ovalbumin-induced airway inflammation and T helper 2 responses in mice
Ovalbumin-sensitised and nebulised BALB/c mice treated with bamboo shaving extract showed reduced eosinophil counts in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, less inflammatory cell infiltration on lung histology, and lower interleukin 4 in lavage fluid and immunoglobulin E in serum, with shifted interferon gamma and interleukin 4 production in splenocyte culture. This is the closest preclinical analogue of the traditional cough and phlegm indication, but it is an allergic asthma model in mice.
p-Coumaric Acid, a Major Active Compound of Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam, Suppresses Cigarette Smoke-Induced Pulmonary Inflammation
Mice received the whole shaving extract or isolated p-coumaric acid orally two hours before cigarette smoke exposure. Both reduced bronchoalveolar inflammatory cell counts, pro-inflammatory cytokine, chemokine and protease levels, and nuclear factor kappa B protein on Western blot, with lung histology improved. The study is the basis for treating p-coumaric acid as the drug's principal anti-inflammatory constituent.
Original Research: Extract of Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam inhibits cigarette smoke-induced pulmonary and intestinal inflammation
C57BL/6 mice exposed to cigarette smoke for 90 minutes a day for three weeks were given bamboo shaving extract orally two hours before each exposure. Bronchoalveolar cell counts and inflammatory mediators fell in both lung and large bowel, supporting a shared pulmonary and intestinal anti-inflammatory effect. The paper states the drug is derived from the inner bark of Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis, matching the species of this record.
Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam modulates neuroprotective and anti-neuroinflammatory effects in hippocampal and microglial cells via HO-1- and Nrf-2-mediated pathways
An ethyl acetate fraction of the shaving protected HT22 hippocampal cells against glutamate cytotoxicity and suppressed lipopolysaccharide-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines in BV2 microglia, in both cases through heme oxygenase 1 induction downstream of nuclear factor erythroid 2 related factor 2. Selective heme oxygenase inhibition abolished the effect, establishing the pathway.
Effects of Aqueous Extract of Phyllostachyos Caulis in Taeniam on Longitudinal Bone Growth in Adolescent Rats
Three-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats given 200 mg/kg of the aqueous shaving extract orally showed longer total tibial length, taller proliferative and hypertrophic growth plate zones, more bromodeoxyuridine-positive proliferative cells, and higher serum osteocalcin, growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 than controls. This is the animal groundwork for the later paediatric growth trial, and again is not a traditional indication for the drug.
⚠ Safety & Contraindications
Contraindications
Its use is prohibited in patients with cough and panting due to cold phlegm, vomiting due to stomach cold or diarrhea due to spleen deficiency.
Source: Xi S, Gong Y. Essentials of Chinese Materia Medica and Medical Formulas. Academic Press/Elsevier, 2017, pp. 267–277.
Historical Texts
Jin Gui Yao Lue (Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet), Zhang Zhongjing
Eastern Han dynasty, c. 220 CEMing Yi Bie Lu (Miscellaneous Records of Famous Physicians), attributed to Tao Hongjing
Han to Wei period, text as compiled c. 500 CEBei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang (Essential Formulas for Emergencies Worth a Thousand Gold Pieces), Sun Simiao
Tang dynasty, 652San Yin Ji Yi Bing Zheng Fang Lun (Treatise on Three Categories of Causes of Disease), Chen Yan
Southern Song dynasty, 1174References
- Choi Hyo Jae; Gwak Yugyeong; Lee Ji Yeon; Kwun Min Jung; Choi Jun-Yong; Joo Myungsoo. Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam Applicable for Medical Indications Associated with Inflammation . Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine (2023) [DOI]
- Sun Jia; Yu Jin; Zhang Pei-Cheng; Tang Feng; Yue Yong-De; Yang Ya-Nan; Feng Zi-Ming; Guo Xue-Feng. Isolation and Identification of Lignans from Caulis Bambusae in Taenia with Antioxidant Properties . Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2013) [DOI]
- Zhang Yu; Yao Xiaobao; Bao Bili; Zhang Ying. Anti-fatigue activity of a triterpenoid-rich extract from Chinese bamboo shavings (Caulis bamfusae in taeniam) . Phytotherapy Research (2006) [DOI]
- Ham Inhye; Yang Gabsik; Lee Jaejun; Lee Kyung-jin; Choi Ho-Young. Hypolipidemic effect of MeOH extract of Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam in hyperlipidemia induced by Triton WR-1339 and high cholesterol diet in rats . Immunopharmacology and Immunotoxicology (2009) [DOI]
- Ma Yinghua; Xie Weiwei; Song Jing; Qin Yabin; Zhao Yile. Unraveling the Bioactive Compounds and Multi-Target Mechanisms of the Fructus Aurantii Immaturus-Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam Herb Pair Against Chronic Gastritis: Integrating Identification of Absorbed Constituents, Targeted Network Pharmacology, and Computational Validation . Food Science & Nutrition (2026) [DOI]
- Yang Seung-Hwa; Choi Moon-Hee; Shin Hyun-Jae. Antioxidant Activities of Lignin Extracted from Domestic Bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra var. Henonis) Stem . KSBB Journal (2018) [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 Ru.
No notes yet.