Eden Apothecary · Herb Profile
Bupleurum chinense
Also known as Chai Hu
Pronounced Bupleurum = boo-PLOOR-um; Chai Hu = chai hoo; Bupleurum chinense = boo-PLOOR-um chin-EN-see
Cool, dry, and dispersing: a bitter-acrid qi-mover that unbinds constrained Liver qi, harmonizes alternating fever, cools the liver and gallbladder, and lifts sinking yang.
Avoid. Modern references advise against use in pregnancy: safety and efficacy have not been established, Bupleurum has qi- and blood-moving (emmenagogue) activity, and high-dose saikosaponins are potentially hepatotoxic. Sources: WebMD Bupleurum monograph; Drugs.com Bupleurum monograph; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, About Herbs: Sho-saiko-to (not recommended in pregnancy).
Avoid. Safety during lactation has not been established and no adequate human data exist. Sources: WebMD Bupleurum monograph; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, About Herbs: Sho-saiko-to (not recommended while nursing).
No established pediatric dosing for Western use. In TCM, Bupleurum appears in pediatric fever formulas only under a qualified practitioner. Given the interstitial-pneumonitis and hepatotoxicity signals associated with Bupleurum-containing formulas, reserve internal use in children for professional supervision. No modern pediatric safety studies were located.
Bitter, acrid, dispersing, and yang-raising: in excess it can consume yin and stir Liver yang, causing headache, dizziness, or nausea. High doses of the root or its saikosaponins have caused hepatotoxicity in animal studies and some human reports, so avoid high-dose or prolonged solo use and monitor in liver disease. Rarely, Bupleurum-containing formulas (sho-saiko-to) have caused interstitial pneumonitis, which can be fatal, especially with interferon or low platelet counts. Nausea and vomiting can occur at higher doses.
Avoid in pregnancy and lactation (insufficient data; emmenagogue activity and potential hepatotoxicity). Contraindicated during interferon therapy and used only with caution alongside immunosuppressants and corticosteroids (pneumonitis and steroid-potentiation signals with Bupleurum-containing formulas). Avoid or use cautiously in yin-deficiency with ascendant Liver yang, in Liver fire, and in significant liver disease. Best used within a professionally formulated combination rather than as a high-dose simple.
Not on the United Plant Savers list (a North American register). Wild Bupleurum chinense in China faces harvest pressure from heavy TCM demand, and market adulteration with related or toxic Bupleurum species (notably B. longiradiatum) is documented. Prefer verified, correctly identified, cultivated root from a reputable supplier.
Not named in the canonical biblical texts and not a Mediterranean herb. Bupleurum is an East Asian materia medica first recorded as Chai Hu in the Shennong Ben Cao Jing (c. 200 CE) and carried into Japanese Kampo (as saiko, in sho-saiko-to). It is native to the grasslands and field margins of China and neighboring East Asia.
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