Ting Li Zi (Descurainia Seeds)

Chinese Herb Actions

Chinese Herb Dosage

• What is the typical dosage of Ting Li Zi?

  About 3–9 g in decoction — sources give a standard range of 3–9 g, with some materia medica allowing 6–10 g for more severe phlegm-fluid congestion or marked edema. Because the seeds are very small and gritty, they are traditionally wrapped in cloth for decoction (包爱, bāo jiān) rather than boiled loose with the other herbs.

  • Two clinical grades — the more strongly draining “bitter” type (Ku Ting Li, from Lepidium apetalum) is most commonly used and is sometimes dry-fried/scorched to soften its harshness; the “sweet” type (Tian Ting Li, from Descurainia sophia) is considered gentler and easier on the Stomach.
  • Powder form — when taken as a ground powder rather than decocted, a smaller daily amount (roughly 3–6 g, divided) is used since the concentrated powder is more potent gram-for-gram.
  • Duration — classically used only for the course of the excess presentation, then discontinued (see Cautions).

  Source: materia medica consensus (Bensky 3rd ed.; Chen & Chen); Chinese Pharmacopoeia preparation convention. Reference only — not a prescription.

Chinese Herb Contraindications & Cautions

• Are there cautions for Ting Li Zi?

  Ting Li Zi is a harshly draining, very cold herb reserved for excess patterns and is not suited to deficiency. Materia medica sources contraindicate it in wheezing from Lung deficiency, edema from Spleen deficiency, or urinary difficulty from Bladder-qi deficiency, unless it is combined with qi-tonifying herbs to offset its drastic action.

  • Not for long-term use — the classical Ming Yi Bie Lu (Supplementary Records of Famous Physicians) warns that prolonged use depletes the body’s righteous qi; traditional practice stops the herb once the excess phlegm-fluid or edema has resolved rather than continuing it as maintenance therapy.
  • Digestive protection — its cold, draining nature can injure Spleen/Stomach qi, which is why it is traditionally combined with Da Zao (jujube) or other Spleen-protective herbs.
  • Professional supervision — given its potency and the cardiac-glycoside constituents documented in its source plants (see Toxicity), Ting Li Zi is a practitioner-supervised herb, not a self-prescribed remedy.

  Source: Bensky 3rd ed.; Chen & Chen; classical texts as cited in materia medica secondary sources.

Chinese Herb Toxicity & Overdose

• Low-to-moderate at classical doses, but the source plants contain cardiac glycosides (cardenolides), which is the key safety fact to know. Both botanical sources of Ting Li Zi — Descurainia sophia and Lepidium apetalum — have been shown to contain cardenolide-type cardiac glycosides, including evomonoside, a compound also studied for cytotoxic activity. These are the same general class of compound as pharmaceutical digitalis/digoxin.

  • Animal toxicity data — a phytochemical/pharmacological review of Descurainia sophia reports an LD50 up to 2,500 mg/kg body weight in animal testing and describes the seed as comparatively safe at studied doses, with headache as the most commonly reported adverse effect.
  • Theoretical cardiac-glycoside risk — because cardenolide glycosides can affect cardiac rhythm and contractility (the same mechanism as digitalis), doses well above traditional ranges, or use in patients with cardiac conduction issues, carry a theoretical risk of glycoside-type toxicity (nausea, arrhythmia). This is a constituent-chemistry caution rather than a documented pattern of poisoning cases at standard TCM dosing.

  Source: PMID 27462549 (phytochemical/pharmacological review, animal LD50 data); PMID 7617779 (evomonoside isolation, Lepidium apetalum); PMID 25898564 (toxicity section, materia medica review). Reference note, not a safety guarantee.

Herb-Drug Interactions

• No well-established clinical herb–drug interaction is documented in the literature reviewed. However, because both source plants contain cardenolide-type cardiac glycosides chemically related to digitalis (see Toxicity), practitioner awareness is reasonable for patients taking cardiac glycoside medications (e.g., digoxin) or other drugs affecting cardiac rhythm — a theoretical additive effect based on constituent chemistry, not a demonstrated clinical interaction. (Flagged for practitioner confirmation; not a substitute for a full medication review.)

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 Ting Li Zi (Descurainia sophia / Lepidium apetalum)?

  Yes — research is preclinical and computational (cell, animal, and network-pharmacology studies), with no controlled human clinical trials identified. Findings center on the seeds’ cardiac glycoside chemistry and its relevance to the herb’s traditional cardiotonic/diuretic reputation and its signature formula, Ting Li Da Zao Xie Fei Tang.

  • Cardenolide chemistry — evomonoside, a cytotoxic cardiac glycoside (a digitoxigenin-type cardenolide), was isolated and characterized from Lepidium apetalum seeds; a broader phytochemical review confirms cardiac glycosides as a defining constituent class of the source plants, alongside flavonoids and sulfur glycosides.
  • Network pharmacology / molecular docking (Tinglizi, chronic heart failure) — a 2022 study modeled Tinglizi’s active compounds (including quercetin, kaempferol, β-sitosterol) against heart-failure-related targets (core targets ADRB2, HMOX1), proposing multi-target mechanisms; the authors explicitly note this is computational prediction requiring experimental confirmation.
  • Animal model (isoproterenol-induced cardiomyopathy) — a 2022 rat study found that combining astragaloside IV with Descurainia sophia seed extract improved cardiomyopathy markers (via the sarcomeric myosin motor) more than either alone; preclinical, not clinical evidence.
  • Formula-level research (Ting Li Da Zao Xie Fei Tang) — a 2021 study combined network pharmacology with an in-vivo rat heart-failure model (coronary artery ligation) and reported that the two-herb decoction improved cardiac function and reduced injury markers via PI3K/Akt and MAPK signaling pathways — animal-model evidence for the classical formula discussed under Notes.

  All of this is mechanistic/preclinical support for a long traditional reputation, not clinical proof of efficacy in humans; see Toxicity for the cardiac-glycoside safety implications of the same chemistry.

  Sources: PMID 7617779 (evomonoside isolation); PMID 27462549 (phytochemical/pharmacological review); PMID 25898564 (materia medica review, Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi); PMID 35035498, DOI 10.1155/2022/2152399 (Tinglizi network pharmacology, chronic heart failure); PMID 36034815, DOI 10.3389/fphar.2022.939483 (astragaloside IV + Descurainia sophia, rat cardiomyopathy); PMID 34868332, DOI 10.1155/2021/6645878 (Ting Li Da Zao Xie Fei Tang, network pharmacology + in-vivo rat heart-failure model). Research context, not a therapeutic claim.

Chinese Herb Notes

• What is Ting Li Da Zao Xie Fei Tang, and how is Ting Li Zi combined with other herbs?

  Ting Li Zi’s signature formula is Ting Li Da Zao Xie Fei Tang (“Lepidium/Descurainia and Jujube Decoction to Drain the Lung”), a two-herb formula from Zhang Zhongjing’s Jin Gui Yao Lue (Synopsis of the Golden Chamber, Han dynasty) that pairs Ting Li Zi with Da Zao (jujube) for severe phlegm-fluid congestion of the Lung — wheezing, inability to lie flat, facial puffiness, and scanty urine, historically associated with Lung abscess.

  • Da Zao (jujube) — sweet and warm; its role is to protect the Spleen/Stomach qi and cushion Ting Li Zi’s harsh, cold draining action, so the pair achieves strong Lung-draining and diuretic effect without unduly damaging digestion.
  • Sweet vs. bitter Ting Li Zi — formulas may specify the milder sweet type for patients with weaker constitutions, or the stronger bitter type for robust excess.

  (Traditional formula context, not treatment advice. This classical formula is not yet a separate entry in the Sacred Lotus formulas database.)

  Source: Jin Gui Yao Lue (classical text, via secondary materia medica sources); Bensky 3rd ed.; Chen & Chen.