Yan Hu Suo (延胡索) — Corydalis Rhizome | TCM Pain Relief Herb Guide
Key Takeaways
- Nature: Warm | Taste: Acrid, Bitter
- Category: Herbs that Regulate Qi
- Latin: Corydalis Rhizoma
At a Glance
- Herb: Yan Hu Suo
- Chinese name: 延胡索 (Yán Hú Suǒ)
- Latin name: Corydalis yanhusuo W.T.Wang
- Nature: Warm
- Taste: Acrid / Bitter
- Meridian: Liver / Spleen / Heart
- Category: Herbs that Invigorate Blood
- Introduction: Yan Hu Suo (延胡索), known as Corydalis rhizome, is one of the most powerful analgesic herbs in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Derived from the dried tubers of Corydalis yanhusuo, it enters the Heart and Liver channels to simultaneously move blood stagnation and circulate constrained qi — making it effective for virtually any type of pain regardless of location. Ancient physicians praised it as capable of treating ‘一身上下诸痛’ (all pain throughout the body). Its alkaloid profile, particularly L-tetrahydropalmatine (THP), has been extensively studied for dopamine receptor antagonism and opioid-pathway analgesic mechanisms.
Action
- Activates blood and dispels stasis (活血祛瘀): breaks up blood stagnation underlying pain syndromes.
- Moves qi and relieves pain (行气止痛): circulates constrained qi in the chest, abdomen, and limbs.
- Regarded as the most potent qi-and-blood pain reliever in the entire TCM materia medica — uniquely effective because it addresses both qi stagnation AND blood stasis simultaneously.
Clinical Application
- Chest and epigastric pain: coronary artery disease, angina, gastric ulcer pain — especially with qi-blood stagnation pattern.
- Menstrual pain (dysmenorrhea): primary and secondary; combines well with 当归, 川芎, 香附.
- Traumatic injury pain: post-injury bruising, swelling, and aching — pairs with 乳香, 没药.
- Hernial pain: cold-type with testicular or inguinal pain — combines with 川楝子 (Jin Ling Zi San).
- Headache and body pain: migraine, tension headache, generalized aching from blood stasis.
- Lower back pain: both cold-type and blood-stasis type lumbago.
Precautions
- Pregnancy: contraindicated — moves blood and may trigger miscarriage.
- Blood deficiency without stasis: use cautiously; can further deplete blood if no stagnation.
- Driving and machinery: THP has sedative properties at higher doses — caution advised.
- Drug interactions: may potentiate sedatives, opioids, and dopaminergic medications.
- Standard dose: 3–10g in decoction; 1.5–3g as powder. Vinegar-processing (醋制) enhances analgesic potency by increasing alkaloid solubility.
Formula
- 金铃子散 (Jin Ling Zi San): Yan Hu Suo + Chuan Lian Zi — liver qi stagnation with heat causing chest, epigastric, and hernial pain; the premier formula for this pattern.
- 少腹逐瘀汤 (Shao Fu Zhu Yu Tang): contains Yan Hu Suo for uterine blood stasis, cold-type dysmenorrhea and infertility.
- 膈下逐瘀汤 (Ge Xia Zhu Yu Tang): Yan Hu Suo among 11 blood-activating herbs for abdominal masses.
- 元胡止痛片 (Yuan Hu Zhi Tong Pian): modern OTC patent combining Yan Hu Suo + Bai Zhi for headache, gastric pain, and dysmenorrhea.
Combinations
- For chest and epigastric pain: combine with Chuan Lian Zi (Jin Ling Zi San).
- For dysmenorrhea and amenorrhea: combine with Dang Gui, Chuan Xiong, Hong Hua.
- For postpartum abdominal pain: combine with Wu Ling Zhi, Pu Huang.
- For traumatic injury pain: combine with Ru Xiang, Mo Yao, Hong Hua.
- For headache: combine with Chuan Xiong, Bai Zhi.
- For hernia pain: combine with Xiao Hui Xiang, Wu Yao.
- For gastric pain with acid: combine with Wu Bei Zi, Hai Piao Xiao.
Pharmacological Effects
- THP acts on dopamine receptors (D1/D2) to
- Analgesic: produce analgesia comparable to morphine for dull pain
- calms CNS
- Sedative and tranquilizing: reduces anxiety
- dehydrocorydaline
- Antiarrhythmic: suppresses arrhythmias
- Antispasmodic
- relaxes smooth muscle in GI tract and uterus
Classic Description
- Ben Cao Gang Mu (《本草纲目》): ‘Activates blood and facilitates qi, stops pain, and promotes urination.’
- Ben Cao Jing Shu (《本草经疏》): ‘Corydalis Rhizome can move qi stagnation within blood and blood stagnation within qi — hence it specializes in treating all pain throughout the body, above and below.’
- Lei Gong Pao Zhi Yao Xing Jie (《雷公炮制药性解》): ‘Corydalis Rhizome is bitter and acrid in flavor, warm and non-toxic in nature; enters the Heart, Liver, and Spleen channels; can move qi stagnation within blood, treating all pain throughout the body, above and below.’
- Ben Cao Hui Yan (《本草汇言》): ‘Corydalis Rhizome — activating blood and transforming qi — is the foremost medicinal herb for this purpose.’