Clears heat and resolves toxin; primary Tibetan medicine treatment for pneumonia, hepatitis, and febrile infectious conditions
Reduces inflammation and alleviates pain; used for headaches, edema, and inflammatory swelling
Supports Liver and cools blood; hepatoprotective application in liver heat and toxic patterns
Secondary Actions
Clears Lung heat and stops cough; treats heat-type respiratory conditions with thick yellow phlegm
Modern adjunct for NAFLD — improves hepatic lipid metabolism and reduces hepatic steatosis
Potential anticancer application — induces apoptosis in leukaemia cell lines via mitochondrial pathway
Classic Formulas
Shi Wei Gan Ning San (十味甘宁散) — Tibetan formula of ten herbs for chronic liver fibrosis and hepatitis; M. integrifolia is one of seven principal herbs
Classical References
Traditional Tibetan materia medica — honoured as one of the 'Four Divine Herbs' (bzhi thang) for its profound heat-clearing and detoxifying properties; Tibetan name: ga bu lcan sog
Qinghai-Tibet Plateau ethnomedicinal tradition — collected from high-altitude alpine meadows (3,000–5,000 m) and used fresh or dried for treating liver disease and pneumonia
Modern Research
Active Compounds
Quercetin
Luteolin
Flavonol diglucosides (quercetin-3-O-glucosyl-glucoside series, four isolated compounds)
Alkaloids (29 identified compounds in genus)
Glycerophospholipids (48 identified compounds in genus)
Anti-NAFLD — ethyl acetate fraction reduces hepatic TG and LDL, inhibits lipid droplet deposition in HepG2 cells via AMPK/SREPB-1c/PPAR-α pathway (PMID 39795910)
Anti-inflammatory — dose-dependent suppression of IL-1A, IL-1B, IL-6, and TNF; nitric oxide inhibition superior to blue-flowered Meconopsis (PMC11509530)
Anticancer — induces mitochondria-mediated apoptosis and G2/M cell cycle arrest in K562 leukaemia cells with low toxicity to normal cells (PMID 26133762)
Cold or deficiency-cold patterns (Spleen-Stomach cold, yang deficiency) — cold thermal nature may aggravate deficiency conditions
Hypersensitivity to Papaveraceae family — although non-psychoactive, cross-reactivity within the family is possible
Cautions
No clinically documented drug interactions identified at time of review; monitoring advised when combined with hepatic drugs given liver-active constituents
Alkaloid content warrants caution with prolonged high-dose use; standard decoction quantities are considered safe in traditional practice
High-altitude endemic herb — verify sourcing and species identification, as Meconopsis genus contains multiple species with different alkaloid profiles