Chun Pi (Ailanthus Bark or Root Bark)

Chinese Herb Actions

Chinese Herb Dosage

• What is the typical dosage of Chun Pi?

  Owner’s notes give roughly 3–6 g internally in decoction, and roughly 9–18 g for external use. These are reference figures only, not dosing advice.

  Note: Published English-language materia medica commonly list a somewhat higher internal decoction range than the owner’s notes. Flagged for practitioner confirmation of the exact range and preparation before any published dosage guidance.

  Source: owner’s Five Branches notes (1–1.5 qian internal, 3–5 qian external). Reference only — not a prescription.

Chinese Herb Contraindications & Cautions

• Are there cautions or contraindications for Chun Pi?

  Use with care in Spleen/Stomach deficiency cold and in Kidney yin deficiency, per the owner’s notes. As a stabilize-and-bind herb it addresses the manifestation, not the root: it is not suitable for exterior conditions or for internal stagnation / heat from constraint, which it may prolong or exacerbate, and should be combined with root-treating herbs. Not for use in pregnancy without practitioner guidance. (Flagged for practitioner confirmation — pregnancy status not specified in the owner’s notes.)

  Source: owner’s Five Branches notes; general stabilize-and-bind category cautions.

Chinese Herb Toxicity & Overdose

• Not food-grade — flagged for careful practitioner review. The bark contains quassinoids (notably ailanthone) that show cytotoxic activity in laboratory studies, and the comprehensive review below explicitly covers the herb’s toxicology alongside its pharmacology. Upper-dose limits and duration of use warrant practitioner review; the herb should not be presented as freely food-grade. Human toxicity data specific to the medicinal bark preparation are limited.

  Source: PMID 33862103 (comprehensive review incl. toxicology). Research context, not a safety claim.

Herb-Drug Interactions

• No well-established clinical herb–drug interactions are documented in the sources consulted. Given the antibacterial, antiviral, and cytotoxic activities reported for its quassinoid constituents in preclinical work (below), practitioner caution is reasonable, but no specific interaction can be asserted. (Flagged as unverified — absence of documented interactions is not proof of safety.)

Western / Biomedical Research

Chinese Herb Clinical Studies & Research

Provided as research context — a summary of published biomedical study, not a therapeutic or medical claim.

• Is there modern research on Chun Pi (Ailanthus altissima bark)?

  Yes, but it is largely preclinical and partly non-bark. A comprehensive review of Ailanthus altissima bark (“Chunpi”) catalogues roughly 221 isolated compounds — predominantly quassinoids, alkaloids, triterpenoids, and flavonoids — and summarizes reported antibacterial, antiviral, antimalarial, anti-inflammatory, and cytotoxic activities, together with pharmacokinetics, quality control, and toxicology; the evidence is largely in vitro and animal-based. Broader work on the species reports antibacterial activity chiefly against Gram-positive bacteria, but several of those studies use leaf or samara (seed) material rather than the medicinal bark, so they are supporting context rather than direct evidence for Chun Pi. Human clinical evidence is lacking; claims should stay in the traditional-use / preclinical register.

  Sources: PMID 33862103 / DOI 10.1016/j.jep.2021.114121 (comprehensive bark review); PMC 10451179 (leaf extract, supporting context, not bark); PMC 7730543 (samara/seed, supporting context, not bark). Research context, not a therapeutic claim.

Chinese Herb Notes

• How is Chun Pi different from the other intestine-binding astringents?

  Chun Pi is the cold, heat-clearing astringent — the one chosen when dampness or damp-heat is the cause of chronic diarrhea. Among the intestine-binding astringents (He Zi, Wu Mei, Ying Su Ke, Rou Dou Kou, Chi Shi Zhi, Yu Liang Shi), its combined cold-and-astringent profile sets it apart from the warming astringents: it clears and dries damp-heat while it binds, rather than simply astringing.

  • vs Chi Shi Zhi — Chi Shi Zhi warms and augments qi and suits cold-type binding; Chun Pi is cold, clears heat, and suits damp-heat presentations.

  Common combinations: within Gu Jing Wan (Stabilize the Menses Pill) and Qing Re Zhi Beng Tang (Clear Heat and Stop Excessive Uterine Bleeding Decoction) — Sacred Lotus-listed formulas — where it contributes its bleeding-and-discharge–checking action in a heat-clearing context. Traditionally it is also paired with other heat-clearing, damp-drying, and astringent herbs for damp-heat leukorrhea and damp-heat diarrhea/dysentery. (Specific classical pairings beyond the two Sacred Lotus formulas are not itemized in the owner’s notes and are left un-elaborated rather than guessed.)

  Source: owner’s Five Branches notes (differentiation set & combinations); Sacred Lotus–listed formulas.