White Polygonum is the name of a traditional Chinese medicine. It consists of the tuberous roots of the plants *Cynanchum auriculatum Royle ex Wight* and *Cynanchum bungei Decne.* of the Asclepiadaceae family. It is effective in tonifying the liver and kidneys, strengthening tendons and bones, nourishing essence and blood, invigorating the spleen and aiding digestion, and detoxifying and treating sores.It is primarily used to treat aching in the lower back and knees, impotence and nocturnal emissions, dizziness and tinnitus, palpitations and insomnia, loss of appetite, malnutrition in children, insufficient lactation after childbirth, painful boils and abscesses, and venomous snake bites.
White Polygonum
White Polygonum is the name of a traditional Chinese medicine. It consists of the tuberous roots of the plants *Cynanchum auriculatum Royle ex Wight* and *Cynanchum bungei Decne.* of the Asclepiadaceae family. It is effective in tonifying the liver and kidneys, strengthening tendons and bones, nourishing essence and blood, invigorating the spleen and aiding digestion, and detoxifying and treating sores.It is primarily used to treat aching in the lower back and knees, impotence and nocturnal emissions, dizziness and tinnitus, palpitations and insomnia, loss of appetite, malnutrition in children, insufficient lactation after childbirth, painful boils and abscesses, and venomous snake bites.
Chinese Name : 白首乌
Latin Name : Rhizoma Cynanche Bungei
Aliases : Ge Shan Xiao, Bai He Wu, Bai He Shou Wu, Ge Shan Qiao, Bai Mu Xiang, Ye Fan Shu (Zhejiang), Yi Zhong San Xiao (Hunan), He Ping Shen, Shan Hua Qi (Guangdong), Zhang Guo Lao (Jiangxi)
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Sweet and slightly bitter in taste; neutral in nature; enters the Liver, Kidney, Spleen, and Stomach meridians
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
Tonifies the liver and kidneys; strengthens tendons and bones; nourishes essence and blood; fortifies the spleen and aids digestion; detoxifies and treats sores.
Indications
Aches and pains in the lower back and knees; impotence and seminal emission; dizziness and tinnitus; palpitations and insomnia; loss of appetite; malnutrition in children; scant lactation after childbirth; swollen and painful sores and abscesses; venomous snake bites.
Usage and Dosage
Internal use: Decocted as a soup, 6–15 g (double the amount for fresh product); ground into powder, 1–3 g per dose; or steeped in wine. External use: Apply an appropriate amount of fresh product, pounded and applied as a poultice.
Precautions
Do not exceed the recommended dosage for internal use.
Pharmacological Actions
1. Antioxidant Effects:Forced-feeding white Polygonum multiflorum to mice improved a series of physiological impairments caused by ozone (O₃) inhalation—including weight loss, decreased body temperature, reduced physical strength, and diminished cold tolerance—while lowering lipid peroxide levels in the liver, brain, and lungs and reducing brain monoamine oxidase (MAO-B) activity. It also increased red blood cell superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, bringing it close to the control group’s levels.White Polygonum significantly alleviated O₃-induced age-like changes in mice, including desquamation and hyperplasia of the terminal bronchiolar epithelium in the lungs, liver damage, and atrophy of the thymus and spleen. When 15-month-old mice were fed White Polygonum, it was found that, alongside reductions in brain MAO-B activity and lipid peroxide levels, lipofuscin levels in the brain and liver also decreased.Other data indicate that the total glycosides of white Polygonum multiflorum have no inhibitory effect on MAO-B activity in the rat brain. Using an in vitro induction method to generate superoxide anion free radicals and induce lipid peroxidation, it was found that crude steroidal glycosides of white Polygonum multiflorum effectively inhibit the formation of malondialdehyde (MDA).Acute alcohol intoxication caused mouse liver cells to produce large amounts of lipid peroxides; however, after oral administration of crude sterol glycosides from Polygonum multiflorum, lipid peroxidation in the liver was significantly inhibited. 2. Regulation of Immune Function: Gastric administration of 200 mg/kg of total phospholipids from Polygonum multiflorum for 10 consecutive days significantly increased both the relative and absolute proportions of acid naphthylesterase (ANAE)-positive lymphocytes (i.e., T lymphocytes) in the peripheral blood of normal mice, demonstrating a certain preventive and therapeutic effect against cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppression.Gavage administration of water-soluble extract or total glycosides of Polygonum multiflorum to normal mice significantly enhances both cellular and humoral immune functions. Total glycosides of Polygonum multiflorum also counteract thymus atrophy induced by N-acetylbenzohydrazide.Oral administration of Polygonum multiflorum powder to mice counteracts thymus and spleen atrophy caused by inhalation of O₃ and induces lymphocyte proliferation in the thymus and spleen.Total glycosides of Polygonum multiflorum significantly increased the spleen index, the percentage and total number of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, the phagocytic rate and phagocytic index of peritoneal macrophages, the total number of peripheral blood lymphocytes, the percentage of ANAE-positive lymphocytes, and the T-helper/T-suppressor cell ratio in mice inoculated with Lewis lung cancer.the number of hemolytic plaque-forming cells (PFC) and antigen-binding cells (ABC) in the specific rose bengal test were also significantly higher than those in the control group; the total glycosides of Polygonum multiflorum significantly counteracted the inhibitory effects of cyclophosphamide on the aforementioned parameters.Both Polygonum multiflorum and its compound formulation significantly enhanced the production of interleukin-2 (IL-2) by rat spleen cells stimulated with concanavalin A (ConA); however, both Polygonum multiflorum and its compound formulation promoted the production of serum IL-2 inhibitory factors. Other reports indicate that total glycosides of Polygonum multiflorum inhibit IL-2 production in vitro. 3. Antitumor Effects: Intraperitoneal injection of Polygonum multiflorum steroidal glycosides at doses of 25 mg/kg, 125 mg/kg, and 250 mg/kg exhibited significant therapeutic effects against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma in mice, with tumor inhibition rates of 34%, 40%, and 42%, respectively.Intraperitoneal injection of 125 mg/kg of Polygonum multiflorum sterol glycosides prolonged the survival of EAC-bearing mice by 33%; this compound may exert a blocking effect on the S phase.Intraperitoneal injection of total Polygonum multiflorum glycosides at 225 mg/kg exhibited a certain inhibitory effect on subcutaneously transplanted Lewis lung cancer in mice, with a tumor suppression rate of 38.68%. It also enhanced the inhibitory effect of cyclophosphamide on Lewis lung cancer, increasing the number of G1-phase cells and reducing the number of S-phase cells in Lewis lung cancer solid tumors.Total glycosides of Polygonum multiflorum exhibit a certain degree of direct cytotoxic activity against in vitro cultured mouse EAC and mouse sarcoma (S180) ascites tumor cells, and can inhibit their DNA biosynthesis.Intraperitoneal injections of Polygonum multiflorum steroid glycosides at doses of 62.5 mg/kg, 125 mg/kg, and 250 mg/kg also exhibited an inhibitory effect on mouse S180 solid tumors, with tumor inhibition rates of 24.8%, 53.1%, and 69.9%, respectively.Using the 3H-TdR incorporation method into cellular DNA, the sensitivity of different types of tumor cells (EAC, S180), mouse liver cancer (H-22), human liver cancer (H-7402), andhuman nasopharyngeal carcinoma (CNE2) to the white rehmannia steroid ester glycoside. Among these, H-22 was the most sensitive, with an ED₅₀ < 3 μg/well, while the ED₅₀ for the other tumor cell lines ranged from 12 to 25 μg/well.When cultured tumor cells were observed under an inverted microscope, most cells in the treatment group appeared swollen with loose nuclear structure; intranuclear and cytoplasmic vacuoles were visible, and some tumor cells exhibited ruptured membranes with cytoplasmic leakage. 4. Effects on the Heart: Ren’s solution containing 0.1 g of total phospholipids from Polygonum multiflorum exhibited a marked cardiotonic effect on Yagi’s isolated frog hearts. However, Yagi’s solution containing 5–50 mg% of total C21-steroidal glycosides from Polygonum multiflorum(alcohol-soluble) in Tai’s solution for 20 minutes significantly shortened the action potential duration (APD90) of guinea pig ventricular myocytes and significantly inhibited myocardial contractility. The effects of C21 total glycosides (water-soluble) were similar to those of the alcohol-soluble total glycosides, but slightly weaker.A dose of 200 mg/kg of Polygonum multiflorum C21 total steroidal glycosides reduced the average oxygen consumption in mice by 33.3% and prolonged survival time by 54%. A solution of Polygonum multiflorum total steroidal ester glycosides significantly reduced oxygen consumption in a suspension of cardiomyocytes, exhibiting a dose-response relationship with drug concentration.However, neither the total C21-steroidal glycosides of Polygonum multiflorum nor the crude steroidal glycosides of Polygonum multiflorum had a significant effect on the electrical activity of rabbit sinoatrial node cells or on the levels of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG) in human red blood cells. 5. Lipid-lowering effect: Tests on a rat hyperlipidemia model demonstrated that both the fraction of total Polygonum multiflorum glycosides and the crude drug powder can significantly reduce serum total cholesterol. The lipid-lowering effect was more pronounced at a dose of 200 mg/kg of total glycosides or 5 g/kg of crude drug powder. This effect may be related to the regulation of the activity of enzymes such as ATPase,succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), and glucose-6-phosphatase. The total glycosides of Polygonum multiflorum also exhibit certain lipid-lowering effects and promote the proliferation of arterial smooth muscle cells. 6. Effects on a Hemolytic Anemia Model: In rats with hemolytic anemia induced by N-acetylbenzohydrazide (a model of blood deficiency syndrome), oral administration of total glycosides of Polygonum multiflorum significantly improved the animals’ general symptoms and signs. It also modulated changes in liver tissue damage caused by N-acetylbenzohydrazide, as well as alterations in the activity of various enzymes in liver tissue—including SDH, acid phosphatase(ACP), glucose-6-phosphatase, ATPase, and nonspecific esterase (NSE), as well as changes in liver glycogen and ribonucleic acid (RNA). It also reduced the formation of lipid peroxidation products in serum and liver tissue and had a certain weight-increasing effect on the thymus and adrenal glands. 7. Promotion of hair growth: Observation of hair shafts and follicles on the lateral aspect of the ear of domestic rabbits using the skin-slice microprojection method revealed that topical application of total phospholipids from Polygonum multiflorum promotes ear hair growth, increases the diameter of hair shafts and follicles, shifts the distribution curve to the right, and reduces the distance between follicle clusters.
Relevant Discussions
1. *Compendium of Materia Medica*: “Treats abdominal distension and food stagnation.”
2. *Convenient Formulas for Herbs and Plants*: “Grind with vinegar and apply topically to treat tinea.”
3. *Classified Properties of Herbs*: “Eliminates food stagnation, promotes lactation, and tonifies weakness.”
4. *Shandong Traditional Chinese Medicine*: “It serves as a nourishing, fortifying, and blood-tonifying herb, and can also consolidate vital energy, darken the beard and hair. It treats chronic debility, anemia, premature graying of the beard and hair, chronic rheumatic arthralgia, soreness and weakness in the lower back and knees, sexual neurasthenia, hemorrhoids, intestinal bleeding, chronic malaria due to yin deficiency, and chronic non-healing ulcers.The fresh form also has a laxative effect, making it suitable for constipation in the elderly.”
5. *Jiangxi Herbal Medicine*: “Clears heat and detoxifies; regulates qi and stops dysentery. Used for venomous snake bites, stomach pain, dysentery, and high fever in children.”
6. *Manual of Commonly Used Chinese Herbs in Northeast China*: “Tonifies the liver and kidneys; strengthens tendons and bones. Primarily used to treat neurasthenia, impotence, nocturnal emissions, pain in the lower back and legs, and stiff joints.”
7. *Shaanxi Chinese Herbs*: “Treats stomach pain and abdominal distension, lower back pain due to kidney deficiency, masses in children, leukorrhea, and insufficient breast milk.”
8. *Collection of Folk Remedies from Guizhou*: “For external use to treat toxic sores and fish-mouth sores.”
Applications
Related Compatibility
1. For lower back and leg pain, and stiff joints: 15 g of White Polygonum multiflorum, 6 g of Achyranthes root, 9 g of Dodder seed, 6 g of Psoralea seed, and 9 g of Goji berries. Decoct in water and take orally. (*Medicinal Herbs of Shanxi*)
2. For erectile dysfunction: 9–12 g each of Epimedium, Cynomorium, Chinese yam, and Codonopsis. Decoct in water and take orally.(*Selected Medicinal Herbs of Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and Qinghai*)
3. For neurasthenia, erectile dysfunction, and nocturnal emissions: 15 g of White Polygonum multiflorum, 9 g of Ziziphus jujuba seed, 9 g of Prince Ginseng, and 12 g of Goji berries. Decoct in water and take orally. (*Medicinal Herbs of Shanxi*)
4. For treating fatigue in the limbs, difficulty urinating, lack of sexual function, and early signs of edema: 1 qian each of Angelica sinensis, White Polygonum multiflorum, Alpinia officinarum, Dried Ginger, Green Tangerine Peel, Dried Tangerine Peel, Cyperus rotundus, and Amomum villosum; 2 jujubes. Decoct in water and take orally. (From *Dongyi Shoushi Baoyuan*: Angelica and White Polygonum Decoction)
5. For children with spleen-stomach deficiency, indigestion, food stagnation, and diarrhea: Equal parts of Ge Shan Qiao, glutinous rice grass, and chicken-dung vine; grind into powder and set aside. Take 9g each time, mix with 18g of rice flour, steam until cooked, and consume.
6. For food stagnation and epigastric and abdominal distension: 30g of Ge Shan Qiao, 30g of Tu Dang Gui (apricot leaves and Fangfeng),30g of Malva. Decoct in water and take orally. (Formulas 5–6 are from *Chronicle of Sichuan Chinese Medicinal Herbs*, 1982)
7. For food stuck in the diaphragm and difficulty swallowing: 2 liang of Ge Shan Xiao, 1 liang of chicken gizzard skin, 1 liang each of ox bile-processed Pinellia and cinnabar, and 2 qian of Acute-seeded Plant. Grind into a powder, mix with refined honey to form pills the size of a small bean. Take 1 qian per dose with light ginger soup.(From *Compendium of Materia Medica*, citing *Collected Effective Formulas by Sun Tianren*)
8. For stomach pain caused by qi stagnation that has persisted for a long time without healing: 6g of Ge Shan Xiao, 3g of Wannianqiao. Grind into a fine powder; take 3g three times daily, swallowing with boiling water each time. (From *Manual of Commonly Used Folk Herbs*, Guizhou)
9. For stomach pain and abdominal pain due to dysentery: 9g each of White Polygonum multiflorum and Dandelion.Decoct in water and take orally. (Anhui Chinese Herbal Medicine)
10. For Taiyin syndrome characterized by abdominal pain, spontaneous diarrhea, and absence of thirst: 2 qian each of White He Wu, White Atractylodes, White Peony, Roasted Ginger, and Dried Ginger; 1 qian each of Tangerine Peel and Fried Licorice. Decoct in water and take orally. (Dongyi Shoushi Baoyuan, Bai He Wu Lizhong Decoction)
Processing & Preparation
Harvesting & Processing
Harvest the tuberous roots in early spring or autumn, wash off the soil, remove residual stems and fibrous roots, and sun-dry; alternatively, slice while fresh and sun-dry. Use fresh material immediately after harvesting.
Processing Methods
Take the raw herbal material, remove impurities, wash thoroughly, moisten thoroughly, cut into thick slices, and dry.
Storage Methods
Store in a dry container in a cool, dry place.
Crude Drug Identification
Properties of Crude Drugs
1. Niupixiao: The root is oblong-cylindrical, long spindle-shaped, or nodular-cylindrical, slightly curved, 7–15 cm long, and 1–4 cm in diameter. The surface is light brown, with distinct longitudinal wrinkles and long transverse lenticels; areas where the cork has peeled off are earthy yellow or light yellow-brown, with a reticulate texture.The texture is hard; the cross-section is off-white, powdery, and features bright yellow radial patterns. It has a faint odor and a slightly sweet taste followed by bitterness.
2. Spear-leaved Niupixiao: The tuberous roots are irregularly lumpy or nearly round, 1.5–7 cm long, and approximately 5 cm in diameter. The surface is brown or brownish-gray, uneven, with longitudinal wrinkles and elongated transverse lenticels. The texture is hard; the cross-section is off-white, powdery, and has sparse yellow radial patterns.
Those with large tubers and a high powder content are considered superior.
Botanical Information
Botanical Classification
The species *Niu Pi Xiao* and *Spear-leaved Niu Pi Xiao* belong to the genus *Niu Pi Xiao* in the family Asclepiadaceae.
Morphological Characteristics
1. Niupixiao: A climbing subshrub. Contains latex. The root is thick, nearly cylindrical, with a blackish-brown surface and a white cross-section. The stem is covered with fine soft hairs. Leaves are opposite; petioles are 3–9 cm long;leaf blades are cordate to ovate-cordate, 4–12 cm long and 3–10 cm wide, with a short acuminate apex, a deeply cordate base, auriculate lobes curving inward on both sides, entire margins, dark green above, gray-green below, and covered with fine hairs. The inflorescence is a corymbose corym; axillary; the peduncle is cylindrical, 10–15 cm long, bearing about 30 flowers;The calyx is nearly 5-lobed, with ovate-oblong lobes that are reflexed; the corolla is radiate, deeply 5-lobed, with reflexed lobes that are white and sparsely pubescent inside; the corona is shallowly cup-shaped, with elliptical lobes longer than the gynostemium, and each lobe bears a triangular, tongue-shaped scale in the middle of its inner surface;There are 5 stamens, attached at the base of the corolla; the filaments are fused into a tube; the anthers are 2-celled, attached around the stigma, with one oblong, pendulous yellow pollen mass in each cell; the pistil consists of 2 free carpels, with a conical stigma that is 2-lobed at the apex.The capsule is paired, narrow at the base, cylindrical in the middle, and gradually tapering at the top; it is approximately 8 cm long and 1 cm in diameter. The seeds are ovate-elliptic to inversely wedge-shaped, with narrow wings along the margins and a tuft of long, lustrous white villi at the apex. Flowering occurs from June to September, and fruiting from July to November. 2. Spear-leaved Cowhage: A climbing subshrub. Contains latex. Each plant typically produces 3–4 tuberous roots, though as many as 5–6 may be present; these are often connected in a rosary-like arrangement. The stems are slender and tough, covered with fine hairs.Leaves are opposite; leaf blades are lanceolate, 3–8 cm long, 1–5 cm wide at the base, with a gradually tapering apex and a cordate base; both surfaces are covered with coarse, stiff hairs, denser on the upper surface; there are approximately 6 lateral veins on each side. Umbellate corymbs are axillary and shorter than the leaves; calyx lobes are lanceolate, with usually no or only a few glands on the inner surface of the base;the corolla is radiate, white or yellowish-green hairy; the lobes reflex when open, with the basal inner surface covered with fine soft hairs; the coronoid lobes are longer than the gynostemium. The seeds have numerous white, long, silky hairs at the apex, approximately 4 cm long. Flowering period: June–July; fruiting period: July–October.
Distribution Area
1. *Cynoglossum officinale*: Distributed in East China, Central and South China, as well as Hebei, Shaanxi, Gansu, Taiwan, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan. Cultivated in Shandong and Jiangsu. 2. *Cynoglossum lanceolatum*: Distributed in Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Shandong, and Henan.
Growth Habits
Niupixiao is highly adaptable, with an optimal growth temperature of 25–30°C; it prefers well-ventilated conditions and ample sunlight. It is best cultivated in loose, fertile, well-drained sandy loam.
Propagation Methods
Propagate by root division.
Cultivation Techniques
Propagation by root division: Select medium-sized roots with a diameter of 1–1.5 cm and a length of 6 cm for planting. Plant in late March in the south and mid-April in the north. Dig holes with a row and plant spacing of (30–40) cm × (15–20) cm, apply farmyard manure as a base fertilizer, and after planting, cover with approximately 3 cm of soil and firm it down.
Pest and Disease Control
Pests include the Chinese morning glory leaf beetle. Control measures include crop rotation, plowing the soil before winter, and spraying the plants and ground with 5% carbaryl powder during the outbreak period.