Dong Qing Ye (Ilex)

Chinese Herb Actions

Chinese Herb Dosage

• What is the typical dosage of Dong Qing Ye?

  Commonly 10–30 g in decoction — reference ranges vary somewhat, with some sources citing 15–30 g and others extending to 15–60 g for internal use. Externally, fresh leaves are pounded fresh or a strong decoction is applied topically, or used as a wash, for sores, burns, scalds, and ulcers.

  Note: Published dosage ceilings range from 30 g to 60 g depending on the source; this likely reflects differing internal-vs-topical-emphasis monographs rather than a true disagreement. The lower, more consistently cited range (10–30 g) is presented as primary.

  Source: multiple online sources (10–30 g; Si Ji Qing 15–30 g decocted); multiple online sources drug database entry for 四季青 (15–60 g). Reference only — not a prescription.

Chinese Herb Contraindications & Cautions

• Are there cautions for Dong Qing Ye?

  Dong Qing Ye is cold and astringent by nature, so it is traditionally avoided in spleen-stomach deficiency-cold with loose stools or diarrhea — the same logic that applies to most cold, bitter heat-clearing herbs. Reference sources also note it should not be used by individuals with a known allergy to the herb.

  • Spleen/Stomach deficiency-cold, loose stools — use with caution or avoid; the herb's cold, astringent nature can aggravate digestive weakness.
  • Known allergy/sensitivity — avoid; injectable and topical Si Ji Qing preparations used in Chinese clinical practice have documented allergic-type reactions in sensitive individuals (see Toxicity).

  Source: multiple online sources, Si Ji Qing (contraindications); general TCM cold/bitter-herb caution logic. Reference only, not medical advice — use under a qualified practitioner.

Chinese Herb Toxicity & Overdose

• Low. Dong Qing Ye is generally regarded as non-toxic to low-toxicity in classical and modern Chinese pharmacology references at standard oral dosage; the current Sacred Lotus record for this herb notes "None Noted." The main documented adverse-event signal is not systemic toxicity from the crude leaf but occasional allergic-type reactions associated with injectable or concentrated topical Si Ji Qing preparations used in Chinese hospital practice, which is a formulation/route issue rather than a property of the raw herb.

  Source: multiple online sources (Si Ji Qing, allergy caution), reporting no significant toxicity at standard dosage. Reference note, not a safety guarantee.

Herb-Drug Interactions

• No well-established clinical herb–drug interactions are documented for Dong Qing Ye specifically. Because related Ilex species (e.g., Ilex pubescens/Mao Dong Qing) have documented antiplatelet and vasodilatory pharmacology, and Dong Qing Ye itself is traditionally used for coronary heart disease/angina in Chinese clinical practice (see Research), practitioner awareness is reasonable for patients on antiplatelet, anticoagulant, or antihypertensive therapy — this is precautionary, based on genus-level pharmacology and traditional cardiovascular use, not a demonstrated clinical interaction for this species. (Flagged for practitioner confirmation.)

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 Dong Qing Ye (Ilex chinensis)?

  Yes — phytochemical and preclinical research on Ilex chinensis leaves is active, and Chinese pharmacology/clinical literature describes traditional use for coronary heart disease angina, though a PubMed-indexed clinical trial specific to this herb was not located in this review. Early phytochemical work isolated protocatechuic acid, caffeic acid, syringin, rotundic acid, and pedunculoside from the leaves.

  • Phytochemistry (foundational) — a 1993 study characterized protocatechuic acid, caffeic acid, syringin, rotundic acid, and pedunculoside from Ilex chinensis Sims leaves.
  • Triterpenoids/triterpenoid saponins (preclinical) — two 2018 phytochemistry papers isolated new triterpenes and triterpenoid saponins (ilexchinenins, ilexchinenosides) from the leaves; several showed hepatoprotective activity against APAP-induced injury in HepG2 cells in vitro, and one compound showed modest inhibition of nitric-oxide production in LPS-stimulated macrophages (an anti-inflammatory marker). Cell-based, not clinical, evidence.
  • Traditional/modern cardiovascular use (Chinese-language sources) — Chinese pharmacology and clinical references describe Si Ji Qing/Dong Qing Ye as clinically used for coronary heart disease angina, attributing an anti-anginal effect to protocatechuic-acid-family phenolics that are reported to increase coronary flow and protect against ischemic myocardial injury. Wikipedia's entry on Ilex chinensis independently corroborates traditional use for angina, high blood pressure, and chest congestion, and lists it among "50 fundamental herbs" in Chinese medicine.
  • Related-compound mechanistic context — protocatechuic aldehyde, a related phenolic reported in some Chinese phytochemical profiles of this herb, has documented cardioprotective mechanisms (reducing infarct size and inflammatory markers in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury; protecting cardiomyocytes via nuclear PKM2 regulation) — but this compound is chiefly studied as a constituent of Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza), not as an Ilex chinensis extract, so these findings are mechanistic background, not species-specific evidence.
  • Botanical identity — a 2021 chloroplast-genome study confirms Ilex chinensis Sims as the source plant of "Si Ji Qing," used in China for acute laryngopharyngitis, bronchitis, dysentery, burns, and topical treatment of skin ulcers.

  Note: The cardiovascular/coronary-heart-disease use is well attested in Chinese-language pharmacology and reference literature and independently echoed by Wikipedia, but this review did not find an English, PubMed-indexed clinical trial of Ilex chinensis/Si Ji Qing extract itself for angina or coronary disease. It is presented here as a documented traditional/pharmacological-reference use, not as clinical-trial-proven efficacy.

  Sources: PMID 8216789 (phytochemistry, Ilex chinensis Sims leaves); DOI 10.1016/j.phytochem.2018.01.008 (new triterpenoids, NO-inhibition, Phytochemistry 2018); DOI 10.1016/j.fitote.2018.10.007 (new triterpenoid saponins, hepatoprotective activity, Fitoterapia 2018); PMC 8008935 (chloroplast genome / traditional-use confirmation); PMID 23269534 and PMID 34900536 (protocatechuic aldehyde cardioprotective mechanisms — Danshen-sourced compound research, cited as mechanistic background only); Wikipedia, Ilex chinensis. Research context, not a therapeutic claim.

Chinese Herb Notes

• Is Dong Qing Ye the same as Si Ji Qing, and how is it different from Mao Dong Qing?

  Dong Qing Ye and Si Ji Qing are the same herb — both names refer to the dried leaf of Ilex chinensis Sims (syn. Ilex purpurea Hassk.), the purple-flower holly; this site’s own record records Si Ji Qing as an alternate name. It is a different herb from Mao Dong Qing (毛冬青, the root of Ilex pubescens), which shares the "Dong Qing" (holly) name but is a different plant part of a different Ilex species, used mainly for its blood-vessel-dilating, anti-thrombotic action in cardiovascular disease.

  • Dong Qing Ye / Si Ji Qing (leaf, Ilex chinensis) — clears heat-toxin, cools blood, stops bleeding, heals sores/burns topically; also used clinically for coronary heart disease/angina (see Research).
  • Mao Dong Qing (root, Ilex pubescens) — a related but distinct herb, emphasized for dilating blood vessels and improving circulation in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular conditions.

  Name meaning: "Dong Qing" (冬青) literally means "winter green" (evergreen holly); this site’s own translation record records it as "Blue-Green Leaves In Winter." A traditional topical combination for burns pairs Dong Qing Ye with Zi Cao (Radix Arnebiae) and Jin Yin Hua (Flos Lonicerae), sometimes with Bing Pian (borneol). (Traditional formula context, not treatment advice.)

  Source: this site’s own record (translations fields); Wikipedia, Ilex chinensis (synonymy, "50 fundamental herbs"); multiple online sources (Ilex / Mao Dong Qing differentiation); multiple online sources, Si Ji Qing (burn combination).