Xu Duan (Japanese Teasel Root)

Chinese Herb Actions

Chinese Herb Dosage

• What is the typical dosage of Xu Duan?

  9–18 g in decoction (about 3–6 qian); standard materia medica ranges extend to roughly 21 g. It is also applied externally as a powder over injuries and fractures.

  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 Xu Duan?

  Xu Duan is generally well tolerated. No strong contraindications are recorded in the owner’s notes. As a warm Liver–Kidney tonic it is best matched to deficiency patterns rather than acute heat or excess. A dose-related caution in pregnancy is noted separately under Toxicity.

  Source: owner’s Five Branches notes; standard materia medica.

Chinese Herb Toxicity & Overdose

• Low at normal therapeutic doses. Xu Duan is regarded as a safe herb in customary use. One nuance from research: in animal studies, high-dose Dipsacus asper administration adversely affected maternal health and embryo–fetal development — so although Xu Duan is traditionally used to calm the fetus, excessive doses in pregnancy should be avoided. This is a laboratory finding, not a concern at ordinary doses.

  Source: PubMed 32348843 (Tao et al., J Ethnopharmacol 2020 review; DOI 10.1016/j.jep.2020.112912). Research context, not medical advice.

Herb-Drug Interactions

• No well-established clinical herb–drug interactions are documented. (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 Xu Duan (Dipsacus asper)?

  Yes, but it is largely preclinical. More than 100 compounds — chiefly triterpenoid saponins and iridoids — have been isolated from the root. Its marker compound, asperosaponin VI, shows bone-protective activity in vitro and in animals, promoting osteoblast differentiation and countering bone loss, consistent with the herb’s traditional use for fractures and weak bones. Animal studies also report neuroprotective and cardioprotective effects. Human clinical evidence remains limited.

  Source: PubMed 32348843 (Tao, Chen & Yan, J Ethnopharmacol 2020; review of traditional uses, phytochemistry & pharmacology; DOI 10.1016/j.jep.2020.112912). Research context, not a therapeutic claim.

Chinese Herb Notes

• What is the difference between Xu Duan and Du Zhong?

  Both tonify the Liver and Kidneys, ease low-back pain, and calm a restless fetus — but they are chosen differently. Du Zhong is preferred when the back and knee problem is primarily deficiency; Xu Duan is favored when low-back pain combines wind-damp with Kidney deficiency, and — unlike Du Zhong — it also invigorates blood to heal fractures and traumatic injury without causing stagnation.

  How it sits among its neighbors:

  • vs Du Zhong — Du Zhong is the more purely deficiency-directed Liver/Kidney tonic; Xu Duan adds blood-moving, injury-healing action and suits back pain with a wind-damp element.

  Common combinations: with Du Zhong and Sang Ji Sheng to strengthen the lower back and knees and to calm a restless fetus or threatened miscarriage (often with Tu Si Zi); with blood-moving trauma herbs to knit fractures and heal die-da injury.

  Source: owner’s Five Branches notes (Du Zhong differentiation & combinations).