Sophora, Ku Shen 苦参
Ku Shen (TCM)
Sophora japonica
Duhamel du Monceau, H.L., Traité des arbres et arbustes, Nouvelle édition, vol. 3 (1806)
Sophora flavescens
(Photo by Dalgial) (Wikimedia)
Sophora Ku Shen from the Chengdu Medicine Market (Adam 2023)
Ku Shen in Bencao yuanshi (Origins of Materia Medica) by Li Zhongli, 1612)
(Image from the WellcomeCollection)
Botanical name:
Sophora flavescens (syn. S. alopecuroides, S. angustifoliola, S. chinensis, S. korolkowii)
Other synonyms include Anagyris chinensis, Macrotropis foetida, Ormosia esquirolii, Pongamia chinensis, Robinia mitis
Parts used:
Root
Temperature & Taste:
Cold, dry. Bitter
Classifications:
Uses:
1. Clears Damp-Heat:
-acute Dysentery with blood in the stool
-purulent and blood-streaked Leukorrhea
-Vaginal itching and discharge; Genital Sores
-Alcoholism (Ming Yi Bie Lu)
2. Settles Wind, Clears Heat, Stops Itching:
-Eczema, Psoriasis, Leprosy
-Sores and Rashes with exudation, itchiness and bleeding
-itchy skin, Scabies
3. Clears Damp-Heat, Promotes Urine:
-painful, dribbling urine
-Edema from Damp-Heat
-‘treats jaundice and urinary dripping’ (Shen Nong Ben Cao)
4. Clears Damp, Resolves Masses:
-it has become an important herb for various Cancers
-available in injectable form in China
5. Clears Lung Heat, Stops Cough:
-occasionally used for Lung Heat Cough with yellow, sticky Phlegm
6. Kills Worms and Parasites:
-previously used for Worms and Parasites (Su Gong, Li Shi Zhen)
7. Externally:
-as a wash for itchy skin diseases and rashes
-douches and washes for Trichomonas vaginitis, Vaginal Itching, and Leukorrhea
-strong decoction is used as a wash for Lice
Dose:
The root was ordered to be infused in wine and taken for Scabies and Parasites (Tao Hong Jing)
Decoction: 3–9 grams
Powder: 1–3 grams
Used externally in washes, enemas and douches; 30 grams decocted in 1 liter of water can be used as a wash.
Preparation:
1. Dry-Fried Sophora Ku Shen (Chao Ku Shen):
Stir-fried or baked until yellowish, or fried with wine or bran. This lessens its Cold, Bitter nature and is more suited to those with Digestive weakness. It was also recommended for passage of blood from the intestines and Dysentery from Heat. (Da Ming)
2. Washed Sophora Ku Shen:
The root can be steeped overnight in rice rinse water, then steamed and dried. This moderates its harshness but is not generally practiced today. (Li Gao)
Main Combinations:
1. Itchiness of the Skin, Rashes:
i. and weeping skin lesions, Sophora Ku Shen with Schizonepeta Jing Jie, Saposhnikovia Fang Feng, Cicada shell (Chan Tui)
ii. Sophora Ku Shen with Gleditsia Zao Jiao, Schizonepeta Jing Jie (as in Shen Jiao Wan from Ji Feng Pu Ji Fang [Universal-Relief Prescriptions from Jifeng]).
iii. Damp-Heat sores and rashes, Sophora Ku Shen externally as a wash with Artemisia Yin Chen Hao
iv. weeping skin lesions, Sophora Ku Shen as a wash with Cnidium She Chuang Zi.
2. Eczema:
i. Sophora Ku Shen with Phellodendron Huang Bai
ii. Sophora Ku Shen with Dang Gui, Paeonia Mu Dan Pi, Cassia tora (Jue Ming Zi)
iii. Sophora Ku Shen with Paeonia Mu Dan Pi, Paeonia Chi Shao Yao, Licorice
3. Psoriasis, Sophora Ku Shen with Rehmannia Sheng Di, Paeonia Mu Dan Pi, Paeonia Chi Shao Yao, Dang Gui, Figwort (Xuan Shen), Burdock seed (Niu Ban Zi), White Dittany root (Bai Xian Pi), Saposhnikovia Fang Feng, Cicada shell (Chan Tui) (as in Xiao Yin Pian of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia)
4. Scabies, Sophora Ku Shen with Sichuan Pepper (Hua Jiao) (as in Shen Jiao Tang from Wai Ke Zheng Zhi Quan Shu [Complete Treatise on Surgery]).
5. Genital itching and or Genital rashes from Damp-Heat, Sophora Ku Shen with Gentiana Long Dan Cao, Phellodendron Huang Bai, Plantain seed (Che Qian Zi)
6. Leukorrhea from Damp-Heat:
i. Sophora Ku Shen with Phellodendron Huang Bai and Cnidium She Chuang Zi
ii. Sophora Ku Shen with Phellodendron Huang Bai, Catechu (Er Cha), Alum (Bai Fan), Borneo Camphor (Bing Pian) as a vaginal suppository (as in Xiao Mi Shuan of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia)
7. Dysentery from Damp-Heat, Sophora Ku Shen with Costus (Mu Xiang)
8. Blood in the stool, Anal fistula, Sophora Ku Shen with Rehmannia Sheng Di Huang (as in Ku Shen Di Huang Wan from Wai Ke Da Cheng [Compendium of External Medicine]).
9. Bleeding from Heat, Sophora Ku Shen with Burnet (Di Yu)
10. Lung Heat Cough, Sophora Ku Shen with Scutellaria Huang Qin, Gardenia Zhi Zi, Anemarrhena Zhi Mu, Phellodendron Huang Bai, Platycodon Jie Geng, Rhubarb (as in Qing Fei Yi Huo Wan of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia)
11. Cancer:
i. Sophora Ku Shen and Smilax Tu Fu Ling
ii. Sophora, Astragalus Huang Qi, Ginseng
iii. Sophora Ku Shen, Paeonia Mu Dan Pi, Agrimony (Xian He Cao), Solanum nigrum Long Kui, Hedyotis Bai Hua She She Cao
12. As a wash for Lice, Sophora Ku Shen with Stemona Bai Bu
Major Formulas:
Xiao Feng San
Dang Gui Nian Tong Tang
Cautions:
1. Caution in cold and weakness of the Stomach.
2. Some people may experience dizziness, nausea, vomiting
3. Allergic reactions occasionally occur, primarily maculopapular rashes.
Toxicity:
–Acute Sophora alkaloid poisoning in Hong Kong.
Drug Interactions:
1. Incompatible with Veratrum (Li Lu)
2. Ophiopogon Mai Men Dong counteracts Sophora Ku Shen
3. Sophora Ku Shen antagonizes Cuscuta Tu Si Zi (Dodder seed) and Fritillaria Bei Mu. (TCM)
Main Preparations used:
Click the above Tabs for more information on this medicine
GENERAL / REVIEW
–Sophora flavescens Ait.: Traditional usage, phytochemistry and pharmacology of an important traditional Chinese medicine.
ANTIBACTERIAL
–Mechanism of antibacterial action of oxymatrine from Sophora flavescens Ait. against Edwardsiella tarda, a zoonotic pathogen.
–Four new flavonoids from Sophora flavescens and their antibacterial activities.
ANTI-FUNGAL
–Prenylated Flavonoids Isolated from the Root of Sophora flavescens as Potent Antifungal Agents against Botrytis cinerea.
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY
–Sophora flavescens Aqueous Extract Suppresses Eimeria tenella-Induced Inflammatory Responses and Regulates MAPK Pathway.
IMMUNOMODULATORY
–Sulfated modification of polysaccharides from Sophora flavescens: Impact on antioxidant, antitumor, and immunomodulatory activities.
ASTHMA
–Sophora flavescens Aiton alleviates particulate matter-exacerbated asthma through modulation of ROS/ MAPK/autophagy responses.
MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION
–Unraveling the Therapeutic Potential of Sophora flavescens Aiton in Myocardial Infarction: An Integrative Approach Combining Bioinformatics, Network Pharmacology, and Experimental Validation.
DERMATITIS
–Combining metabolomics and network pharmacology to clarify the mechanism of Angelica sinensis-Sophora flavescens pills in treating atopic dermatitis through the sweet-bitter harmonization theory.
–Oxymatrine for treating atopic dermatitis: Network pharmacology, bioinformatics, metabolomics, and experimental validation.
–Formononetin From Sophora flavescens Aiton Alleviates Atopic Dermatitis by Suppressing Neutrophil Extracellular Traps
ECZEMA
–Sophora flavescens-Angelica sinensis in the treatment of eczema by inhibiting TLR4/MyD88/NF-kappaB pathway.
PSORIASIS
–Chinese herbal medicine bath therapy for psoriasis vulgaris using topical calcipotriol as the comparator: A systematic review with meta-analysis and association rule analysis.
–The anti-inflammatory activity of flavonoids and alkaloids from Sophora flavescens alleviates psoriasiform lesions: Prenylation and methoxylation beneficially enhance bioactivity and skin targeting.
NEUROPROTECTIVE
–Sophflarines B-E, four distinctive matrine alkaloids from Sophora flavescens with potential neuroprotective activities.
–Matrine exerts its neuroprotective effects by modulating multiple neuronal pathways.
INSOMNIA
–Sophora flavescens alcohol extract ameliorates insomnia and promotes PI3K/AKT/BDNF signaling transduction in insomnia model rats.
ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
–Oxymatrine impedes Alzheimer’s progression via the attenuation of hypercholesterolemia and fibrosis.
ULCERATIVE COLITIS
–Kushenol I combats ulcerative colitis via intestinal barrier preservation and gut microbiota optimization.
–Explanation of the potential mechanism of Sophora flavescens Ait and processed products treating ulcerative colitis based on the analysis method of “chemical composition characterization-target prediction”.
–Oxymatrine Attenuates Ulcerative Colitis through Inhibiting Pyroptosis Mediated by the NLRP3 Inflammasome.
–Beneficial effects of oxymatrine from Sophora flavescens on alleviating Ulcerative colitis by improving inflammation and ferroptosis.
–Total flavonoids of Sophora flavescens and kurarinone ameliorated ulcerative colitis by regulating Th17/Treg cell homeostasis.
–Mechanisms of Compound Sophora flavescens (Kushen) Decoction for the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis based on Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Technology.
OSTEOARTHRITIS
–Matrine From Sophora Flavescens Attenuates on Collagen-Induced Osteoarthritis by Modulating the Activity of miR-29B-3P/PGRN Axis.
ANTI-TUMOR
–Sulfated modification of polysaccharides from Sophora flavescens: Impact on antioxidant, antitumor, and immunomodulatory activities.
–Alkaloids from the roots of Sophora flavescens and their anti-tumor activity.
CANCER
–Ultrafast and Highly Efficient Laser Extraction of Matrine and Oxymatrine from Sophora flavescens for the Anticancer Activity.
–Adjunctive effect of compound Kushen injection for cancer: An overview of systematic reviews.
–Flavonoids from the Roots of Sophora flavescens and Their Potential Anti-Inflammatory and Antiproliferative Activities.
BLADDER
–Aloperine Prevents Migration, Invasion, and Adhesion by Upregulating TIMP-4 in Human Bladder Cancer Cells.
BREAST
–Sophoridine inhibits proliferation and migration by targeting PIM1 in breast cancer.
–The Potential of Matrine in the Treatment of Breast Cancer: A Review.
–MAT as a promising therapeutic strategy against triple-negative breast cancer via inhibiting PI3K/AKT pathway.
CERVICAL
–Maackiain suppresses the development of cervical cancer via AMPK priming autophagy.
–Effect of heat-clearing and dampness-eliminating Chinese medicine for high-risk cervical cancer papillomavirus infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
–Matrine exerts antitumor activity in cervical cancer by protective autophagy via the Akt/mTOR pathway in vitro and in vivo.
COLORECTAL
–Efficacy and Safety of Compound Kushen Injection for Advanced Colorectal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials with Trial Sequential Analysis
–Pharmacological Activity of Matrine in Inhibiting Colon Cancer Cells VM Formation, Proliferation, and Invasion by Downregulating Claudin-9 Mediated EMT Process and MAPK Signaling Pathway.
GASTRIC
–Effects of Sophora flavescens aiton and the absorbed bioactive metabolite matrine individually and in combination with 5-fluorouracil on proliferation and apoptosis of gastric cancer cells in nude mice.
LEUKEMIA
–Matrine, a potential c-Myc inhibitor, suppresses ribosome biogenesis and nucleotide metabolism in myeloid leukemia.
LIVER
–Oxymatrine Inhibits Liver Cancer Progression by Regulating SIRT1/YY1/GPX4 Axis-Mediated Ferroptosis.
–Sophora flavescens-Astragalus mongholicus herb pair in the progression of hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma: a possible mechanisms and relevant therapeutic substances.
–The Effects of Qinghao-Kushen and Its Active Compounds on the Biological Characteristics of Liver Cancer Cells.
LUNG
–Targeted inhibition of IDO1 by Kushenol A enhances radiosensitivity in non-small cell lung cancer.
–Oxymatrine induces apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer cells by downregulating TRIM46.
–Sophflarine A, a novel matrine-derived alkaloid from Sophora flavescens with therapeutic potential for non-small cell lung cancer through ROS-mediated pyroptosis and autophagy.
OVARIAN
–PLGA-PEG-c(RGDfK)-Kushenol E Micelles With a Therapeutic Potential for Targeting Ovarian Cancer.
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