Zhu Ye
StarPhyllostachys nigra (Lodd. ex Lindl.) Munro var. henonis (Mitf.) Stapf ex Rendle
☯ TCM Properties
Clears Heat and relieves irritability; Generates fluids and alleviates thirst; Promotes urination and clears Heat from the Heart via the Small Intestine; Clears upper Burner Heat
Traditional Chinese Uses
Zhu Ye (bamboo leaf) is a cool, sweet-bitter herb used in Chinese medicine to clear mild excess Heat from the Heart and Stomach, relieve irritability and restlessness during feverish illness, and promote urination. It addresses mouth sores, thirst, dark urination, and Heat-type restlessness — all manifestations of Heat in the Heart or Stomach. Its light, gentle nature makes it one of the most approachable herbs for mild heat complaints, suitable as a daily tea for those with heat-type constitutional tendencies.
Botanical Description
Zhu Ye is the leaf of black bamboo, Phyllostachys nigra (Lodd. ex Lindl.) Munro var. henonis (Bean) Stapf ex Rendle, a tall, evergreen, woody bamboo in the Poaceae native to China and widely cultivated across East Asia. The plant forms running clumps of hollow, cylindrical, jointed culms 7-18 m tall and 3-8 cm in diameter, green in this variety. Each node of the slender lateral branches bears 2-5 narrow, lance-shaped leaves 6-12 cm long and 1-2 cm wide, with finely tapered tips, rounded asymmetrical bases, smooth dark green upper surfaces, paler glaucous undersides, and entire margins finely serrated only under magnification. Leaves are collected throughout the year and air-dried for medicinal use.
Active Constituents
Orientin
C-glycosyl flavone (luteolin-8-C-glucoside)Concentration: Major flavonoid
A principal C-glycosyl flavone of bamboo leaf with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and free-radical-scavenging activity that underlies the herb's heat-clearing, irritability-relieving reputation.
Isoorientin (homoorientin)
C-glycosyl flavone (luteolin-6-C-glucoside)Concentration: Major flavonoid
An isomer of orientin and one of the four dominant bamboo-leaf C-glycosides; contributes antioxidant, hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory activity.
Vitexin
C-glycosyl flavone (apigenin-8-C-glucoside)Concentration: Major flavonoid
An apigenin C-glycoside contributing antioxidant and mild antihypertensive/cardioprotective activity attributed to bamboo leaf extracts.
Isovitexin
C-glycosyl flavone (apigenin-6-C-glucoside)Concentration: Major flavonoid
Together with vitexin, orientin and isoorientin makes up the characteristic flavone-C-glycoside profile responsible for much of the leaf's antioxidant capacity.
Tricin
O-methylated flavoneConcentration: Minor
A methoxylated flavone reported in bamboo leaf with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity.
Chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid
Hydroxycinnamic (phenolic) acidsConcentration: Minor to moderate
Phenolic acids that provide strong free-radical scavenging and contribute to the extract's antioxidant and heat-clearing effects.
Luteolin-7-glucoside
Flavone O-glycosideConcentration: Minor
An identified antioxidant constituent of Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis leaf extract contributing to radical-scavenging activity.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 6-15g | Daily | — | — | — |
Preparation Methods
Decoction
Parts: leaf
Typical adult dose 6-15 g of the dried leaf, briefly decocted. Used to clear heat, relieve restlessness and irritability, and promote urination to drain heart-fire via the small intestine.
Infusion (steeped as a tea)
Parts: leaf
The leaf may be steeped in hot water and taken as a cooling beverage to generate fluids, quench thirst and clear summer-heat, a milder delivery that spares the heat-sensitive flavonoids.
Fresh leaf juice / combined use
Parts: fresh leaf
Often combined with gypsum (Shi Gao) or reed rhizome (Lu Gen) in classical heat-clearing, fluid-generating formulas; fresh leaf can be expressed for a cooling juice.
Clinical Studies
Evaluation of Antioxidant and Prooxidant Activities of Bamboo Phyllostachys nigra Var. Henonis Leaf Extract in Vitro
Solvent-extracted leaf of Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis - the botanical source of Zhu Ye - contained chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid and luteolin-7-glucoside and showed concentration-dependent free-radical scavenging and antioxidant activity in vitro (with prooxidant behaviour only under specific conditions), giving a chemical basis for the leaf's traditional heat-clearing use.
Historical Texts
Ming Yi Bie Lu (Miscellaneous Records of Famous Physicians)
Han-Wei / Six Dynasties (c. 3rd-6th century CE)Shang Han Lun / Jin Gui Yao Lue, Zhang Zhongjing
Eastern Han (c. 200 CE)Ben Cao Gang Mu (Compendium of Materia Medica), Li Shizhen
Ming (1596)References
- Hu C, Zhang Y, Kitts DD. Evaluation of Antioxidant and Prooxidant Activities of Bamboo Phyllostachys nigra Var. Henonis Leaf Extract in Vitro . Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2000) [DOI]
- Lu B, Wu X, Tie X, Zhang Y, Zhang Y. Toxicology and safety of anti-oxidant of bamboo leaves. Part 1: Acute and subchronic toxicity studies on anti-oxidant of bamboo leaves . Food and Chemical Toxicology (2005) [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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