Ye Jiao Teng (夜交藤) — Fleeceflower Vine: TCM Uses, Insomnia & Formulas

At a Glance

Herb: Ye Jiao Teng
Chinese name: 夜交藤 (Yè Jiāo Téng)
Latin name: Polygonum multiflorum vine stem
Nature: Neutral
Taste: Sweet
Meridian: Heart / Liver
Category: Herbs that Calm the Mind
Introduction: Ye Jiao Teng (夜交藤), the dried stem and vine of Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. (the same plant whose root is He Shou Wu), is a gentle spirit-calming herb that nourishes heart blood and promotes natural sleep. Its name — ‘night-entwining vine’ — references both its twining growth habit and its affinity for treating nighttime insomnia. Compared to He Shou Wu (the root), Ye Jiao Teng is milder, more focused on the Heart and spirit, and lacks the strong liver-kidney tonic and hepatotoxic potential. Modern pharmacology has confirmed stilbene glycosides (tetrahydroxystilbene glucoside) and anthraquinones with sedative, hypnotic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities.

Nourishes heart blood and calms the spirit — treats insomnia from heart blood deficiency
Dispels wind and unblocks the channels — treats wind-damp bi with limb aching
Relieves itching — topical wash for skin itching from blood deficiency generating wind

Insomnia and dream-disturbed sleep from heart blood deficiency
Palpitations and anxiety from blood deficiency failing to nourish the Heart
Wind-damp bi syndrome with joint aching and stiffness
Skin itching from blood deficiency — topical decoction wash
Combined with He Shou Wu, Suan Zao Ren for comprehensive blood-deficiency insomnia treatment

Standard dose: 9–15 g; up to 30 g for insomnia
Use with caution in patients with damp-heat — its sweet nature may increase dampness
Distinguished from He Shou Wu (the root): Ye Jiao Teng is safer for long-term use and does not carry the same hepatotoxicity risk
Generally very safe; one of the most commonly used mild sedatives in TCM

Combined with Suan Zao Ren, Bai Zi Ren, He Shou Wu, Fu Shen — the standard blood-nourishing insomnia combination; addresses both heart blood deficiency and liver blood deficiency aspects of insomnia
Combined with Dan Shen, Fu Ling, Yuan Zhi for insomnia with anxiety and palpitations
Combined with Du Huo, Wei Ling Xian, Fang Feng for wind-damp bi with aching limbs
External wash: Ye Jiao Teng 30–60 g decocted, used to wash itching skin lesions

合欢皮 (Hé Huān Pí) — insomnia and anxiety from heart-liver disharmony; emotional depression with dream-disturbed sleep. 2. 酸枣仁 (Suān Zǎo Rén) + 柏子仁 (Bǎi Zǐ Rén) — heart blood deficiency with severe insomnia. 3. 当归 (Dāng Guī) + 生地 (Shēng Dì) — blood deficiency generating wind causing itching and numbness. 4. 五味子 (Wǔ Wèi Zǐ) + 远志 (Yuǎn Zhì) — neurasthenia with insomnia and forgetfulness. 5. 珍珠母 (Zhēn Zhū Mǔ) — liver yang rising with insomnia and headache. Source: 本草纲目, 本草纲目拾遗.

melatonin and resveratrol
- Sedative-hypnotic: facilitate sleep onset
- Sedative-hypnotic: polydatin prolongs sleep duration in pentobarbital-induced sleep models
Anxiolytic
- modulates GABA-A receptor benzodiazepine site
- reduces anxiety without motor impairment
resveratrol
- Anti-inflammatory: inhibits COX-2, TNF-α, and SIRT1-dependent NF-κB activation
- Neuroprotective: reduces β-amyloid plaque load and promotes neurogenesis in hippocampus
Antioxidant
- strong DPPH and ABTS radical-scavenging via stilbene phenolics
Peripheral neuropathy
- improves nerve conduction velocity in diabetic neuropathy models

Ben Cao Gang Mu (《本草纲目》): ‘Fleeceflower Stem nourishes blood and calms the spirit, expels wind and unblocks collaterals; treats insomnia, taxation injury, excessive sweating, and blood deficiency body pain.’
Ben Cao Gang Mu Shi Yi (《本草纲目拾遗》): ‘Fleeceflower Stem vine juice enters medicine; supplements yin, strengthens sinews and bones, and harmonizes qi and blood.’
Yin Pian Xin Can (《饮片新参》): ‘Nourishes Liver and Kidney, stops deficiency sweating, calms the spirit and promotes sleep; treats bone-steaming taxation heat and wind-damp bi syndrome pain.’