Herb

Mu Hu Die

Indian trumpet flower seed | 木蝴蝶

Also known as:

Qian Zhang Zhi (千张纸) , Yu Hu Die (玉蝴蝶)

Mu Hu Die

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Properties

Herbs that relieve coughing and wheezing (止咳平喘药) · Cool

Traditionally supports*

Throat Health Respiratory Health Digestive Health Throat and Voice Care

Parts Used

Seed (种子 zhǒng zǐ / 子 zǐ / 仁 rén)

*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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$45.00 ($0.45/g)
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About This Herb

Traditional Chinese Medicine background and properties

Herb Description

Mu Hu Die is a delicate, butterfly-shaped seed best known for soothing sore throats, restoring a lost or hoarse voice, and calming coughs caused by heat in the Lungs. It also gently eases upper abdominal and flank pain related to stress and emotional tension. Commonly brewed as a simple tea, it is a go-to remedy for teachers, singers, and anyone dealing with throat irritation.

Herb Category

Herbs that relieve coughing and wheezing (止咳平喘药) Heat-clearing and throat-soothing herbs

Main Actions

  • Clears the Lungs and Benefits the Throat
  • Harmonizes the Liver and Stomach
  • Stops Cough
  • Benefits the Throat and Restores the Voice
  • Promotes Tissue Regeneration and Heals Sores

How These Actions Work

'Clears the Lungs and benefits the throat' means this herb cools down excessive heat in the Lung system that causes sore throat, swollen tonsils, and hoarseness. Its bitter taste helps drain heat downward, while its cool nature directly counteracts the inflammation. It is especially useful when a person has a hot, scratchy throat with voice loss after a cold or from overuse of the voice.

'Soothes the Liver and harmonizes the Stomach' refers to the herb's ability to gently ease the flow of Qi through the Liver and Stomach channels. When emotional stress causes Liver Qi to become stuck, it can invade the Stomach, producing pain in the flanks and upper abdomen, bloating, and poor appetite. Mu Hu Die's mild bitter and sweet flavours help relax this stagnation and restore comfortable digestion.

'Opens the voice' is one of this herb's most well-known uses. The throat is the gateway of the Lung, and when Lung Heat or Wind-Heat blocks it, the voice becomes raspy or lost entirely. Mu Hu Die's light, thin, papery quality gives it an ascending and dispersing nature that reaches the throat directly, helping to restore a clear voice.

'Promotes wound healing' applies to its external use. When ground into powder and applied to chronic non-healing sores or ulcers, Mu Hu Die can encourage the skin to close and regenerate.

Patterns Addressed

In TCM, symptoms cluster into recognizable patterns of disharmony that reveal what's out of balance in the body. Mu Hu Die 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 Mu Hu Die addresses this pattern

Mu Hu Die is cool in nature and bitter in taste, giving it a direct heat-clearing action on the Lung channel. When pathogenic heat lodges in the Lungs, it scorches Lung fluids and constricts the throat, producing a hot, dry cough and sore, swollen throat. Mu Hu Die's cooling property clears this Lung Heat, while its light, ascending quality carries the herb's action upward to the throat and voice box, relieving inflammation and restoring the voice.

A practitioner would look for one or more of these signs

Sore Throat

Hot, dry sore throat with swelling

Hoarseness

Voice loss or hoarseness from Lung Heat

Hypochondrial Pain That Is Worse On Coughing And Breathing

Dry cough or cough with sticky yellow phlegm

Tonsillitis

Swollen, inflamed tonsils

TCM Properties

Temperature

Cool

Taste

Bitter (苦 kǔ), Sweet (甘 gān)

Channels Entered
Lungs Liver Stomach
Parts Used

Seed (种子 zhǒng zǐ / 子 zǐ / 仁 rén)

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 Mu Hu Die seeds are butterfly-shaped thin slices, 5 to 8 cm long and 3.5 to 4.5 cm wide. The surface should be pale yellowish-white, with the wing portions semi-transparent and displaying a silky lustre with clearly visible radiating lines. The body should be extremely light. When the seed coat is peeled away, two butterfly-shaped cotyledons should be visible, yellowish-green or yellow in colour, about 1 to 1.5 cm across. The herb should have little or no smell and a slightly bitter taste. Avoid material that shows black spots or mould (signs of moisture damage), is heavily fragmented, or has lost its translucency and silky sheen.

Primary Growing Regions

The primary medicinal production regions are Guangxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou provinces in southern China. It is also found in Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, Hainan, and Sichuan. Yunnan (particularly the Jinsha River dry-hot valley region) is considered the most traditional source area, reflecting its earliest documentation in the Yunnan-based text Dian Nan Ben Cao. The tree also grows widely across Southeast Asia, India, and the Himalayan foothills, though these regions supply different traditional medicine systems (Ayurveda) rather than the Chinese herbal market.

Harvesting Season

Autumn and winter (October to December), when the fruits have fully matured and the pods begin to split open.

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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Instructions for safe storage and consumption

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Traditional Dosage Reference

Standard

1.5–3g (in decoction); 6–9g when using larger pieces steeped as tea

Maximum

Up to 9g in decoction for severe throat conditions, under practitioner guidance. Standard use rarely exceeds 3g due to the extremely light weight of the seeds.

Notes

Because the seeds are extremely light and voluminous, even a small weight (1.5 to 3g) fills a significant volume. For throat conditions (sore throat, hoarseness, voice loss), the standard dose of 1.5 to 3g in decoction is typical, and it is often simply steeped in hot water as a tea. When taken as ground powder, 1.5 to 3g is used. For Liver-Stomach Qi pain, the classical method from the Ben Cao Gang Mu Shi Yi involves dry-roasting 20 to 30 thin pieces until crisp, grinding to fine powder, and taking with warm wine. External use for non-healing sores involves applying the thin seed directly as a poultice over the wound.

Processing Methods

Processing method

Stir-fried with salt water (approximately 10g salt dissolved in a small amount of water per 500g of herb) until the pieces turn light yellow.

How it changes properties

Salt-processing guides the herb's action downward toward the Kidneys, adding a mild ability to nourish Kidney Yin. The cool nature is preserved but the directional focus shifts. The throat-benefiting action is maintained, with the added benefit of addressing throat dryness rooted in Kidney Yin deficiency.

When to use this form

When chronic hoarseness or throat dryness is linked to underlying Kidney Yin deficiency rather than simple Lung Heat, such as in elderly patients with a persistent dry, scratchy throat and lower back weakness.

Toxicity Classification

Non-toxic

Mu Hu Die is classified as non-toxic in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia and has a long history of safe use at standard doses. No toxic components have been identified in the seeds at therapeutic dosages. The seeds should be stored in a dry place, as they are prone to moulding or developing black spots when exposed to moisture, which could compromise quality and safety.

Contraindications

Caution

Spleen and Stomach deficiency cold (脾胃虚寒): People with cold-type digestive weakness, characterized by loose stools, poor appetite, and sensitivity to cold, should use this herb with caution because its cool nature may worsen these symptoms.

Caution

Lung cold with cough: When cough is caused by external cold or internal cold rather than heat, Mu Hu Die's cooling and heat-clearing properties are inappropriate and may aggravate the condition.

Caution

Yin deficiency without heat signs: In pure Yin deficiency without obvious heat, the bitter and cool nature of this herb may further damage Yin fluids without providing benefit.

Special Populations

Pregnancy

No specific contraindication during pregnancy is documented in classical or modern Chinese pharmacopoeia sources. However, as with most herbs, use during pregnancy should be guided by a qualified practitioner. The cool nature of the herb warrants caution in pregnant women with underlying Spleen-Stomach cold deficiency.

Breastfeeding

No specific concerns regarding breastfeeding have been documented in Chinese pharmacopoeia or materia medica references. The herb is mild in nature and used at low doses. Nevertheless, nursing mothers should consult a qualified practitioner before use.

Pediatric Use

Mu Hu Die is mild and generally considered suitable for children at reduced doses. For sore throat and hoarseness in children, it is commonly used as a tea infusion at roughly half the adult dose or less, depending on age. A practitioner should determine appropriate dosage for young children.

Drug Interactions

No well-documented pharmaceutical drug interactions have been established for Mu Hu Die seeds at standard therapeutic doses. The seeds contain flavonoids such as baicalein, chrysin, and oroxylin A, which have demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity via NF-κB pathway inhibition in laboratory studies. Theoretically, concentrated extracts of these flavonoids could interact with anti-inflammatory or immunosuppressive medications, but this has not been confirmed at the low doses used in traditional practice. As a general precaution, patients taking prescription medications should inform their healthcare provider before using this herb.

Dietary Advice

When using Mu Hu Die for throat or Lung heat conditions, avoid spicy, fried, and heavily seasoned foods that may aggravate heat in the throat. Favour cooling, moistening foods such as pears, white radish, and honey. When using for Liver-Stomach Qi pain, avoid alcohol and greasy foods that may worsen Liver Qi stagnation and Stomach disharmony.

Cautions & Warnings

Although this herb 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.