Eden Apothecary · Herb Profile
Corydalis yanhusuo
Also known as Yan Hu Suo
Pronounced Corydalis: kor-ih-DAY-lis (also kuh-RID-uh-lis). Yan Hu Suo: yen hoo swaw. Latin: kor-ih-DAY-lis yan-hoo-SWAW.
Warm, moving, and penetrating: the supreme mover that breaks up static blood and stuck qi so that fixed, stabbing pain finally lets go.
Avoid. Contraindicated in pregnancy (AHPA Botanical Safety Handbook class 2b (not verified against AHPA)). Traditionally a blood-invigorating, menstrual-moving herb that may stimulate uterine activity; controlled human safety data are lacking.
Avoid. Insufficient human lactation data; AHPA precautionary class 2c (not verified against AHPA). Potent isoquinoline alkaloids, including tetrahydropalmatine, may transfer into milk, and effects on a nursing infant have not been studied.
Not recommended without qualified professional supervision. No pediatric safety data exist, and the rhizome contains potent centrally acting alkaloids; avoid in infants and young children.
A potent alkaloid analgesic. Higher doses can cause drowsiness, dizziness, and, rarely, tremor or other dopaminergic effects because tetrahydropalmatine is a dopamine antagonist. Rare hepatotoxicity has been reported, mostly with multi-ingredient supplements. Use caution in the debilitated, the frankly deficient, and those with liver disease. Sedation may impair driving or operating machinery.
Pregnancy. Blood or yin deficiency without stasis. Concurrent use with sedatives, CNS depressants, or alcohol. Discontinue before surgery due to potential effects on bleeding and sedation.
Not at conservation risk. Corydalis yanhusuo is cultivated at commercial scale, principally in Zhejiang province, China, and is not a wild-harvested or United Plant Savers listed species. Choose cultivated, vinegar-processed rhizome from a reputable supplier and confirm botanical identity, since several Corydalis species circulate in trade.
Not in canonical biblical texts. A Chinese materia medica herb native to eastern China (chiefly Zhejiang), first documented in the Tang dynasty (Ben Cao Shi Yi, c. 720 CE) and elaborated by Li Shizhen in the Ben Cao Gang Mu (1596).
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