Bupleurum chinense Seeds | Chai Hu
LATIN NAME: Bupleurum chinense
COMMON NAME: Chai Hu, Thorowax Root
Plant Profile
Chai Hu is an upright perennial, 40-80 cm tall, with narrow, grass-like leaves and small yellow umbels in late summer. The root is the medicinal part: long, thin and brown, with a slightly aromatic smell when broken.
The plant grows in dry grassland and on stony slopes in northern China, and it is cultivated as a field crop in several provinces. It is one of the most widely used herbs in Chinese practice, appearing in dozens of classic formulas.
Bupleurum chinense comes from northern China, and the genus is a large one with species across Europe and Asia. The European Bupleurum falcatum is used in a similar way, and the two are sometimes substituted in trade.
Science & Biotechnology
The root contains triterpenoid saponins known as saikosaponins, chiefly saikosaponin A and D, along with flavonoids and volatile oils. Saikosaponins have been studied for anti-inflammatory, antiviral and hepatoprotective activity, and the herb is one of the most researched in Chinese pharmacology.
The traditional use is for what is described as shaoyang syndrome, a pattern of alternating chills and fever, and the herb is almost always used in combination rather than alone. That formula-based approach makes it difficult to attribute effects to a single plant in clinical work.
Bupleurum is also a plant with a real safety question: the herb has been linked to drug-induced liver injury in a small number of cases, usually in combination with other herbs or with alcohol. That is a reason for professional supervision rather than casual use.
Uses & Benefits
The root is used in Chinese medicine in formulas for fever, for liver complaints and for menstrual problems. It is also used in Japanese kampo medicine, where it appears in several well-known prescriptions.
In the garden the plant is grown for its umbels and its fine texture, and as a herb crop. Commercially the root is a major traded herb, and the seed is sold to growers. It is not a culinary plant. In Japanese kampo the root appears in formulas for fever and for liver complaints, and it is among the most frequently prescribed herbs in that tradition.
Growing from Seed
Sow in autumn or stratify for four weeks at 3-5°C, then sow 1 cm deep at 15-18°C. Germination is slow, three to six weeks, and the seedlings are small in their first year.
Plant out at 25 cm apart in full sun and well-drained, preferably light soil. Water through the first summer, then only in drought; the plant resents wet ground. The roots are lifted in autumn of the second or third year, washed and dried in a warm, airy place. Leave a few plants to seed if you want to keep the strain. Dry the roots whole, since slicing before drying loses the volatile fraction.
Our Take
A field herb rather than a garden one, and a good example of why the strongest medicinal plants are the ones that need the most care.
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