Tu Si Zi (Chinese Dodder Seeds)

Chinese Herb Actions

Chinese Herb Dosage

• What is the typical dosage of Tu Si Zi?

  6–15 g in decoction (owner’s notes give roughly 3–5 qian). The seeds are small and hard, so they are commonly crushed or decocted in a cloth bag, and they are often used in pills and powders.

  Source: owner’s Five Branches notes; standard materia medica ranges. Reference only — not a prescription.

Chinese Herb Contraindications & Cautions

• Are there cautions or contraindications for Tu Si Zi?

  Tu Si Zi is well tolerated but supports yang, so it is used with care in yin deficiency with heat (fire from deficiency). It is traditionally not the first choice where there are signs such as dry stools, scanty dark urine, or hot/bloody urinary conditions.

  Source: owner’s Five Branches notes.

Chinese Herb Toxicity & Overdose

• Low. No significant toxicity is reported at normal therapeutic doses; the seeds of Cuscuta chinensis have a long history of use as a safe tonic.

  Source: materia medica consensus; no toxicity signal in the reviewed research.

Herb-Drug Interactions

• No well-established clinical herb–drug interactions are documented. Given the effects on reproductive hormones (LH, FSH, testosterone) seen in animal research below, practitioner caution is reasonable alongside hormone therapies. (Flagged for practitioner confirmation — 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 Tu Si Zi (Cuscuta chinensis)?

  Yes, but it is largely preclinical. A systematic review of Cuscuta chinensis catalogues its main constituents — flavonoids (such as quercetin, kaempferol and hyperoside), phenolic acids, lignans and polysaccharides — and its traditional use as an anti-aging, anti-inflammatory and reproductive tonic. In animal studies, Cuscuta flavonoids raised luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone and testosterone and reduced oxidative sperm damage, and other work reports bone-protective effects in postmenopausal-osteoporosis models. Human clinical evidence remains limited.

  Sources: PubMed 25281912 (J Ethnopharmacol 2014, systematic review of ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry & pharmacology); PubMed 36966614 (Cuscuta flavonoids & sperm quality, mice); PubMed 40154899 (postmenopausal osteoporosis model). Research context, not a therapeutic claim.

Chinese Herb Notes

• How does Tu Si Zi compare to similar herbs, and what is it combined with?

  Tu Si Zi is a gentle, balanced Kidney–Liver tonic that supports both yang and yin without being warming or drying — which is why it suits long-term use and pregnancy where harsher yang tonics do not.

  Key differentiation:

  • vs Sha Yuan Zi (Sha Yuan Ji Li) — both tonify the Kidneys, retain the essence, nourish the Liver and brighten the eyes; Tu Si Zi tonifies more broadly, while Sha Yuan Zi is more focused on improving vision.

  Common combinations:

  • With Gou Qi Zi, Fu Pen Zi, Wu Wei Zi and Che Qian Zi (Wu Zi Yan Zong Wan) for impotence, infertility and frequent urination from Kidney deficiency.
  • With Sang Ji Sheng, Xu Duan and E Jiao (Shou Tai Wan) to calm a restless fetus and support threatened miscarriage.

  Source: owner’s Five Branches notes (differentiation set & seed-tonic group); standard formula sources.