Chinese Buckeye Seed — Safety & Interactions
Suo Luo Zi · Semen Aesculi
Use with caution. Practitioner review recommended before use.
Contraindications
- Qi deficiency without significant stagnation
- Yin deficiency with dryness, irritability, or depleted fluids
Cautions
- Raw or improperly prepared Aesculus seeds can be irritating and toxic; medicinal use depends on correct identification and processing rather than casual food-style consumption
- Patients with compromised renal or hepatic function should avoid unsupervised use of related Aesculus seed extracts
- SAFETY NOTE: no exact Memorial Sloan Kettering monograph for Suo Luo Zi was found; the cautions below use MSK's horse chestnut monograph as the closest seed-level Aesculus reference and should be interpreted as related-species guidance rather than exact species-confirmed Suo Luo Zi data
Drug Interactions
| Drug Class / Substrate | Mechanism | Severity | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs | Related horse chestnut seed products that contain aesculin may have additive anticoagulant effects and increase bleeding risk | Moderate | Memorial Sloan Kettering Integrative Medicine - Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum), used as the closest related Aesculus seed reference |
| CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP3A4, and other CYP450 substrate drugs | Aescin both inhibited and induced multiple CYP enzymes in animal studies and may alter intracellular concentrations or side-effect risk of affected drugs | Moderate | Memorial Sloan Kettering Integrative Medicine - Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum), used as the closest related Aesculus seed reference |
This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using herbal medicines, especially if you take prescription medications.