Herb

Ji Xue Teng

Spatholobus Stem | 鸡血藤

Also known as:

Milletia Root & Vine , Suberect spatholobus stem , Spatholobus root

Ji Xue Teng

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Properties

Blood-invigorating and stasis-dispelling herbs (活血化瘀药) · Warm

Traditionally supports*

Menstrual Health Joint and Muscle Pain Relief Circulation Support Blood Nourishment

Parts Used

Stem (茎 jīng)

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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About This Herb

Traditional Chinese Medicine background and properties

Herb Description

Ji Xue Teng (Spatholobus stem) is a widely used herb in Chinese medicine valued for its gentle ability to both nourish the Blood and improve its circulation. It is most commonly used for menstrual problems such as painful, irregular, or absent periods, and for joint or muscle pain accompanied by numbness or stiffness. Its name, meaning "chicken blood vine," comes from the blood-red juice that flows when its stem is cut.

Herb Category

Blood-invigorating and stasis-dispelling herbs (活血化瘀药)

Main Actions

  • Invigorates Blood and tonifies Blood
  • Regulates Menstruation and Alleviates Pain
  • Relaxes the Sinews and Unblocks the Collaterals

How These Actions Work

'Invigorates Blood and tonifies Blood' means Ji Xue Teng can both get stagnant Blood moving and nourish Blood that is depleted. This is a rare and valuable dual action. Most herbs that move Blood tend to be drying or drastic, but Ji Xue Teng is gentle in nature. It moves without breaking and tonifies without causing stagnation. This makes it especially suited for conditions where Blood Deficiency and Blood Stasis coexist, such as a pale complexion with sharp menstrual cramps. It is considered a key herb for gynaecological conditions where the Blood needs both replenishing and freeing.

'Regulates menstruation and stops pain' refers to its strong affinity for the Liver channel, which governs the smooth flow of Blood and is closely tied to the menstrual cycle. Because Ji Xue Teng can both invigorate and nourish Blood, it addresses painful periods (dysmenorrhoea), irregular periods, or absent periods (amenorrhoea) regardless of whether the root cause is Blood Deficiency or Blood Stasis. It is regarded as a primary herb for menstrual regulation in Chinese medicine.

'Relaxes sinews and unblocks collaterals' means this herb can ease stiffness, numbness, and pain in the muscles, tendons, and joints. The collaterals (luò) are the fine branches of the channel network. When Blood fails to nourish the sinews, or when stagnation blocks the collaterals, numbness, weakness, or joint pain can result. Ji Xue Teng's warming nature and Blood-moving action help restore circulation through these fine networks, making it useful for conditions like Wind-Damp painful obstruction (bì zhèng), limb numbness, and even paralysis.

Patterns Addressed

In TCM, symptoms cluster into recognizable patterns of disharmony that reveal what's out of balance in the body. Ji Xue Teng is traditionally associated with these specific patterns.

The following describes this herb's classification within Traditional Chinese Medicine theory and is provided for educational purposes only.

Why Ji Xue Teng addresses this pattern

Ji Xue Teng directly nourishes the Blood through its sweet taste and warm nature, entering the Liver channel where Blood is stored. When Blood is insufficient, the body shows signs of pallor, dizziness, and scanty menstruation. Ji Xue Teng's tonifying action replenishes the Blood while its gentle invigorating quality ensures that newly formed Blood circulates properly rather than pooling. This dual action makes it particularly well-suited for Blood Deficiency where there is also an element of poor circulation.

A practitioner would look for one or more of these signs

Dull Pale Complexion

Sallow or pale face from insufficient Blood

Dizziness

Dizziness from Blood failing to nourish the head

Irregular Menstruation

Scanty or delayed periods due to Blood Deficiency

Skin Numbness

Numbness in the limbs from Blood failing to nourish the sinews

TCM Properties

Temperature

Warm

Taste

Bitter (苦 kǔ), Sweet (甘 gān)

Channels Entered
Heart Liver Kidneys
Parts Used

Stem (茎 jīng)

This is partial information on the herb's TCM properties. More detailed information is available on the herb's dedicated page

Product Details

Manufacturing, supplier, and product specifications

Product Type

Granules

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Botanical & Sourcing

Quality Indicators

Good quality Ji Xue Teng drug material comes as elliptical, oblong, or irregularly shaped slices, 0.3 to 1 cm thick. The outer bark (cork layer) should be greyish-brown, sometimes with greyish-white patches, with the inner surface showing reddish-brown where the bark has fallen away. The cross-section is the key indicator: the wood portion should be reddish-brown or brown with numerous visible vessel pores, and the phloem (inner bark) should contain abundant resinous secretions that appear reddish-brown to dark brown. These resinous layers should alternate with the wood in 3 to 8 eccentric semicircular rings, which is the most characteristic identifying feature. The pith is small and offset to one side. The herb should be hard and firm in texture, with a faint smell and an astringent taste. The traditional quality maxim is: the more eccentric resin rings visible on the cut surface and the more abundant the dark resinous secretions, the better the quality.

Primary Growing Regions

The primary producing regions are Guangxi (广西), Guangdong (广东), and Yunnan (云南) provinces of southern China, which are considered the authentic terroir (道地药材) areas for this herb. It is also found in Fujian province. Spatholobus suberectus grows wild in tropical and subtropical forests and has historically depended almost entirely on wild harvesting. Due to decades of unsustainable collection, high-quality wild resources within China have declined significantly, and much commercial supply now comes from neighboring Southeast Asian countries including Vietnam, Myanmar, and Laos.

Harvesting Season

Autumn and winter (秋、冬二季). The vine stems are harvested, stripped of branches and leaves, cut into slices or sections, and sun-dried.

Supplier Information

Treasure of the East

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Miscellaneous Info

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Usage & Safety

How to use this herb and important safety information

Important Medical Disclaimer

The information provided here is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice or to replace consultation with a qualified healthcare professional. This herb is a dietary supplement and has not been evaluated by the FDA. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, have a medical condition, or are taking other medications. Discontinue use and consult your healthcare provider if you experience any adverse reactions.

Recommended Dosage

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Traditional Dosage Reference

Standard

9-15g

Maximum

Up to 30g in standard decoction for conditions like anemia or severe Blood deficiency; up to 60g daily has been reported in clinical practice for treating severe anemia and leukopenia, under practitioner supervision only.

Notes

Use lower doses (9-15g) for general Blood-nourishing and menstrual-regulating purposes. Use higher doses (15-30g) for more significant Blood stasis conditions, wind-damp impediment pain, or numbness and paralysis. For treating leukopenia (low white blood cell count), particularly that associated with chemotherapy or radiation therapy, clinical reports often use 30-60g per day. The herb can also be prepared as a wine infusion (浸酒) for joint pain and rheumatic conditions, or boiled into a concentrated paste (膏) for long-term tonic use. When using large doses, practitioners typically monitor for signs of excessive Blood movement.

Processing Methods

Processing method

The sliced herb is stir-fried with rice wine (huáng jiǔ) until the wine is fully absorbed and the slices are slightly darker.

How it changes properties

Wine-processing enhances the herb's Blood-invigorating and collateral-opening actions by leveraging wine's ascending and dispersing nature. The warming effect is slightly amplified, and the herb's ability to penetrate the channels and relieve pain is strengthened. The Blood-tonifying action remains but is secondary to the enhanced movement of Blood.

When to use this form

Preferred when Blood Stasis is the primary problem, such as severe dysmenorrhoea with dark clots, fixed joint pain, or numbness from stagnant Blood in the collaterals. The wine-processed form is stronger for moving Blood and relieving pain than the raw form.

Toxicity Classification

Non-toxic

Ji Xue Teng is classified as non-toxic in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Toxicological studies in mice showed that its tolerance dose was approximately 200 times the therapeutic dose, and the LD50 exceeded 100 g/kg by injection, indicating a very wide safety margin. No reports of toxicity or significant adverse reactions have been documented in the available Chinese medical literature at standard dosages. No special processing is required to render it safe for internal use.

Contraindications

Avoid

Pregnancy. Ji Xue Teng activates Blood circulation and has demonstrated anti-early-pregnancy effects in pharmacological studies. Its Blood-moving properties may pose risk to the fetus.

Caution

Heavy menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia). As a Blood-invigorating herb, it may worsen excessive menstrual flow. Should only be used in menorrhagia if Blood stasis is the confirmed underlying cause and combined with appropriate hemostatic herbs.

Caution

Blood Heat with reckless bleeding (blood-heat patterns with active hemorrhage). The warm nature of this herb may aggravate heat in the Blood, potentially worsening bleeding from Heat.

Caution

Yin deficiency with internal Heat. The warm nature of Ji Xue Teng may exacerbate symptoms such as tidal fever, night sweats, and dry mouth in Yin-deficient patients.

Caution

Concurrent use with anticoagulant or antiplatelet medications without medical supervision. Pharmacological studies show Ji Xue Teng has antiplatelet activity through inhibition of the glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor, which may potentiate the effects of blood-thinning drugs.

Special Populations

Pregnancy

Contraindicated during pregnancy. Ji Xue Teng is a Blood-activating herb with demonstrated effects on uterine tissue metabolism and circulation. Pharmacological studies have noted anti-early-pregnancy effects. Its Blood-moving and warming properties may stimulate uterine contractions, potentially leading to miscarriage or disruption of fetal development. Pregnant women should avoid this herb entirely.

Breastfeeding

No specific studies exist on the transfer of Ji Xue Teng constituents into breast milk. Given its Blood-activating properties, it should be used with caution during breastfeeding and only under practitioner guidance. The herb's isoflavonoid content (including compounds with structural similarity to phytoestrogens such as formononetin and daidzein) warrants caution regarding potential hormonal effects during lactation.

Pediatric Use

Ji Xue Teng is not commonly prescribed for young children. When used in older children or adolescents (particularly for menstrual irregularities in adolescent girls), the dosage should be reduced proportionally, typically to one-third to one-half of the adult dose. There is limited specific pediatric safety data. Use in children should be guided by a qualified practitioner.

Drug Interactions

Anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications (e.g. warfarin, aspirin, clopidogrel): Pharmacological studies demonstrate that Ji Xue Teng has significant antiplatelet activity through inhibition of the glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor. Concurrent use with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs may increase the risk of bleeding. Patients on blood-thinning medications should consult their healthcare provider before using this herb.

Estrogen-related medications (e.g. hormone replacement therapy, oral contraceptives): Ji Xue Teng contains isoflavonoid compounds such as formononetin and daidzein, which have phytoestrogenic activity. Theoretical interaction with hormonal therapies is possible, though no specific clinical reports of adverse interactions have been documented. Caution is advised in patients with estrogen-receptor-positive cancers or those taking hormonal medications.

Dietary Advice

The classical text Bencao Gangmu Shiyi specifically advises avoiding sour and cold foods (忌食酸冷) while taking Ji Xue Teng preparations. Cold and raw foods may counteract the herb's warming, Blood-activating properties. Warm, nourishing foods that support Blood production (such as red dates, dark leafy greens, and lean meats) complement its therapeutic effects.

Cautions & Warnings

Although this formula is typically safe for most individuals, it may cause side effects in some people. Pregnant women, nursing mothers, postpartum women, and those with liver disease should use the formula with caution.

As with any Chinese herbal remedy, it is advisable to seek guidance from a qualified TCM practitioner before beginning treatment.