Herb

Tian Kui Zi

Semiaquilegia root | 天葵子

Also known as:

Zǐ Bèi Tiān Kuí Zǐ (紫背天葵子) , Qiān Nián Lǎo Shǔ Shǐ (千年老鼠屎) , Jīn Hào Zǐ Shǐ (金耗子屎)

Tian Kui Zi

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Properties

Heat-clearing herbs · Cold

Traditionally supports*

Abscess Support Breast Health Lymphatic Health Urinary Health

Parts Used

Tuber (块茎 kuài jīng / 块根 kuài gēn)

*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

Tiān Kuí Zǐ is a cold-natured herb used to clear infections, reduce swelling, and break down hard lumps or nodules. It is most commonly used for skin infections like boils and abscesses, breast inflammation, swollen lymph nodes, and painful urinary conditions. It is one of the five herbs in the well-known classical formula Wǔ Wèi Xiāo Dú Yǐn (Five Ingredient Toxin-Eliminating Decoction).

Herb Category

Heat-clearing herbs Herbs that clear Heat and resolve Toxicity (清热解毒药)

Main Actions

  • Clears Heat and Resolves Toxicity
  • Disperses Swelling and Dissipates Nodules
  • Promotes Urination and Relieves Stranguria

How These Actions Work

'Clears Heat and resolves toxins' means Tiān Kuí Zǐ counteracts inflammatory, infectious conditions caused by Heat toxins accumulating in the body. Its cold nature and bitter taste give it a strong ability to drain Heat and neutralize toxicity. This is why it is widely used for boils, abscesses (known as 'yōng zhǒng' in TCM), infected sores, and venomous snakebites. It is a core herb in surgical (external medicine) practice for any condition with redness, swelling, heat, and pain.

'Reduces swelling and disperses nodules' means this herb can soften and break down hardened lumps and swollen masses. Through its Liver and Stomach channel entry, it targets nodules in the neck (scrofula), breast (breast abscess or masses), and other areas where Phlegm and Heat congeal into firm swellings. Classical texts like the Diān Nán Běn Cǎo specifically highlight its ability to treat breast lumps 'as hard as stone.'

'Promotes urination and frees strangury' means Tiān Kuí Zǐ helps clear Heat from the urinary tract and encourages the flow of urine. This action is used for painful urination with a burning sensation (Heat strangury) or urinary stones (stone strangury). Its cold nature clears the Heat that is causing obstruction, while its bitter taste helps to drain downward and promote elimination.

Patterns Addressed

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

Tiān Kuí Zǐ's cold nature and bitter-sweet taste directly counteract the accumulation of Heat toxins in the body. When Heat toxins become trapped under the skin or in the flesh, they produce boils, abscesses, and deep-rooted sores with redness, swelling, heat, and pain. Through its Liver and Stomach channel entry, this herb clears Heat toxins from both the Qi level and the Blood level, reducing the inflammatory process at its source. Its ability to both resolve toxicity and reduce swelling makes it particularly suited for this pattern.

A practitioner would look for one or more of these signs

Boils

Painful boils with redness and heat

Skin Abscess

Deep-rooted abscesses with swelling

Snakebite

Venomous snakebite with local swelling

Sore Throat

Throat pain and swelling from Heat toxins

TCM Properties

Temperature

Cold

Taste

Sweet (甘 gān), Bitter (苦 kǔ)

Channels Entered
Liver Stomach
Parts Used

Tuber (块茎 kuài jīng / 块根 kuài gēn)

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 Tian Kui Zi roots are dry, relatively large (1–3 cm long, 0.5–1 cm wide), with a dark brown to blackish-brown exterior that is rough with irregular longitudinal grooves and horizontal wrinkles. The cross-section should show a distinct contrast: a whitish cortex (outer layer) and a yellow to yellowish-brown wood (inner layer), with yellow vascular bundles arranged in a radial pattern. The texture should be somewhat brittle and easy to snap. The taste should be initially sweet, then turning bitter and slightly acrid. The smell is faint. Avoid roots that are shriveled, hollow, overly fibrous, or retain excessive rootlets and soil.

Primary Growing Regions

Primary production areas (主产) are Jiangsu, Hunan, and Hubei provinces. It is also produced in Anhui, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Sichuan, Fujian, and southern Shaanxi. The herb is distributed widely across central and southeastern China, as well as Korea and Japan. No single dao di (道地) region dominates, but Jiangsu and Hubei are traditionally considered key sources.

Harvesting Season

Early summer (May–June), when the aboveground parts begin to wither but before they fully die back. Cultivated plants are typically harvested in the 3rd year after transplanting.

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

9–15g

Maximum

Up to 15g in standard decoction. Some folk prescriptions use up to 30g externally in poultice preparations. Do not exceed standard oral dosages without practitioner supervision due to slight toxicity.

Notes

Standard decoction dose is 9–15g. When taken as powder (ground herb), the dose is much lower: 1.5–3g per dose. For wine-steeping preparations (浸酒), traditional sources recommend using the herb steeped in rice wine for conditions like scrofula and chronic nodules. External use has no strict dose limit — fresh or dried herb is crushed and applied as a poultice with honey as needed. Lower doses (9g) are appropriate for mild Heat-clearing purposes; higher doses (up to 15g) for more severe toxic Heat conditions such as abscesses and breast lumps.

Processing Methods

Processing method

The dried tubers are soaked in rice wine (huáng jiǔ) or grain alcohol for an extended period, typically one week or more.

How it changes properties

Wine-soaking does not change the cold thermal nature but enhances the herb's ability to move through the channels. Wine promotes blood circulation and helps carry the herb's active properties deeper into the tissues, increasing its power to disperse nodules and reach areas of stagnation. Classical texts note this form is 'stronger' for treating scrofula and malignant sores.

When to use this form

Preferred for treating deep-seated, chronic nodular conditions like scrofula, stubborn breast lumps, and internal Phlegm-Fire accumulation. The Běn Cǎo Qiú Yuán specifically notes that soaking in wine makes this herb more effective for treating internal injury from Phlegm-Fire and for dissolving scrofula.

Toxicity Classification

Slightly toxic

Tian Kui Zi is classified as slightly toxic (小毒) in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia and traditional sources. It belongs to the Ranunculaceae family, which contains many plants with toxic alkaloids. The root contains alkaloids (including magnoflorine), lactones, coumarins, and cyano-containing compounds. At standard dosages (9–15g in decoction), toxicity is not a significant concern. The Dian Nan Ben Cao recorded that overdose can cause profuse sweating and loss of consciousness, and recommended Gan Cao (licorice) as an antidote. Clinical reports of toxicity at therapeutic doses are very rare. The herb should not be used long-term in large doses without practitioner supervision.

Contraindications

Caution

Spleen and Stomach deficiency cold (脾胃虚寒): The cold nature of this herb can aggravate symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, and poor appetite in people with cold-type digestive weakness.

Caution

Clear, copious urination without Heat signs: Since this herb clears Heat and promotes urination, it should not be used when urinary symptoms lack Heat signs, as it may further deplete Fluids and Yang.

Caution

Loose stools or chronic diarrhea due to Spleen deficiency: The cold, bitter properties can worsen diarrhea in patients with underlying Spleen Qi deficiency.

Caution

Pregnancy: As a cold-natured herb with slight toxicity belonging to the Ranunculaceae family, caution is advised during pregnancy. Safety in pregnancy has not been established.

Special Populations

Pregnancy

Caution advised. Tian Kui Zi is classified as slightly toxic and belongs to the Ranunculaceae family, which includes plants with alkaloids that may affect uterine tissue. No specific reproductive toxicity studies have been published, but given its cold nature and slight toxicity classification, it is generally considered prudent to avoid use during pregnancy unless clearly indicated and supervised by a qualified practitioner.

Breastfeeding

No specific safety data for breastfeeding exists. Given its slight toxicity classification and alkaloid content (including magnoflorine), there is a theoretical concern about transfer of bioactive compounds through breast milk. It is prudent to avoid use during breastfeeding or to use only under practitioner supervision when clearly indicated.

Pediatric Use

Tian Kui Zi has been used historically for pediatric conditions including childhood febrile convulsions (小儿热惊) and childhood asthma. In the 1970s, Tian Kui Zi injection was used clinically for pediatric upper respiratory tract infections in China with reported effectiveness. Dosage for children should be proportionally reduced based on age and body weight — typically one-third to one-half of the adult dose for school-age children, and less for younger children. Use only under qualified practitioner guidance due to the slight toxicity classification.

Drug Interactions

No well-documented pharmaceutical drug interactions have been reported in the literature for Tian Kui Zi. However, based on its known chemical constituents:

  • Magnoflorine (an aporphine alkaloid present in the root) has demonstrated hypotensive effects in pharmacological studies. Theoretically, concurrent use with antihypertensive medications could have an additive blood-pressure-lowering effect. Monitoring is advisable.
  • The herb's diuretic action could theoretically affect the clearance or efficacy of drugs that are sensitive to fluid balance or renal excretion (e.g., lithium, certain cardiac glycosides).

These interactions remain theoretical. No clinical case reports of adverse herb-drug interactions with Tian Kui Zi have been published.

Dietary Advice

As a cold-natured herb used for Heat conditions, avoid eating cold, raw, or greasy foods during treatment to prevent hindering digestion and the herb's therapeutic action. If the herb is being taken for toxic sores or abscesses, it is traditionally advised to avoid alcohol, spicy foods, and shellfish, which are considered "发物" (fa wu) — foods that may aggravate inflammatory conditions.

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.