Natural Herb Library

Yuan Hu Corydalis Root

Chinese
元胡
Pinyin
Yuan Hu
Latin
Rhizoma Corydalis
Botanical illustration of Root of Corydalis, Corydalis yanhusuo, showing Yuan Hu raw tuber material and diagnostic source details.
Botanical plate by Kodi .

Known in TCM as Yuan Hu (元胡), this acrid and bitter, warm herb enters the Heart, Liver, and Spleen. Traditionally, it invigorates Blood, moves qi, and relieves pain ... Yuan Hu remains a practical raw corydalis dispensing lane for painful stagnation affecting the chest, flanks, abdomen, and menses, most often applied for abdominal pain, dysmenorrhea, and chest pain. Modern research has identified Tetrahydropalmatine among its active constituents.

Part used: Rhizome

Also Known As

Corydalis Yan Hu Suo Yuan Hu Suo

Latin: Rhizoma Corydalis | Pinyin: Yuan Hu | Chinese: 元胡

TCM Properties

Taste
acrid, bitter
Temperature
warm
Channels
Heart, Liver, Spleen

Traditional Use

Primary Actions

  • Invigorates Blood, moves qi, and relieves pain ... Yuan Hu remains a practical raw corydalis dispensing lane for painful stagnation affecting the chest, flanks, abdomen, and menses.
  • Treats distending and fixed pain ... it is valued when obstruction is obvious and both blood stasis and qi stagnation need to be moved together.
  • Extends to traumatic injury and postpartum pain ... this short-name alias still belongs to the same traditional pain-medicine stream as other raw yanhusuo records.

Secondary Actions

  • The illustration prompt distinguishes Yuan Hu as a more mixed practical dispensing lot with smaller whole tubers and more fragments than the `Yuan Hu Suo` sibling.
  • That lot difference is useful for catalog accuracy, but clinically the herb stays within the standard raw Corydalis yanhusuo profile.

Classic Formulas

  • Jin Ling Zi San ... constrained-pain pairing in which corydalis helps resolve stagnation and pain.
  • Yan Hu Suo Zhi Tong Wan ... familiar formula lineage centered on corydalis for stagnation pain.
  • Shao Fu Zhu Yu Tang modifications and trauma pairings ... practical contexts where corydalis supports movement and analgesia.

Classical References

  • Classical and modern materia medica continue to treat Yuan Hu as part of the broader yanhusuo pain-herb complex rather than as a separate medicinal species.
  • Its importance lies in the unusual combination of moving both qi and blood in one herb.

Modern Research

Active Compounds

  • Tetrahydropalmatine ... leading corydalis alkaloid associated with analgesic and sedative activity
  • Dehydrocorybulbine ... pain-related alkaloid studied in experimental models
  • Protopine and related isoquinoline alkaloids ... supportive constituents in the raw tuber profile
  • Mixed alkaloid fractions ... the major pharmacologically active group discussed in modern corydalis research

Studied Effects

  • A 2021 review summarized the analgesic properties of Corydalis yanhusuo and reinforced its status as one of the most pharmacologically interesting traditional pain herbs (PMID 34946576).
  • Experimental work found significant antinociceptive effects in inflammatory and neuropathic pain models, supporting traditional use for painful obstruction (PMID 27622550).
  • A 2022 review of processing and compatibility highlighted how raw and prepared corydalis materials must be interpreted differently in practice and in research (PMID 35003289).

PubMed References

Safety & Interactions

Contraindications

  • Pregnancy
  • Heavy menstrual bleeding without stasis
  • Severe qi or blood deficiency pain without obstruction

Cautions

  • Yuan Hu remains a moving and somewhat dispersing pain herb that is a poor fit for bleeding or purely deficient pain states.
  • Its alkaloids may cause dizziness, sedation, or gastrointestinal upset in sensitive individuals.
  • The smaller mixed-lot trade style does not change the same basic safety profile seen across raw corydalis pages.

Conditions

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Yuan Hu Corydalis Root used for?

Yuan Hu Corydalis Root is traditionally used to Invigorates Blood, moves qi, and relieves pain ... Yuan Hu remains a practical raw corydalis dispensing lane for painful stagnation affecting the chest, flanks, abdomen, and menses., Treats distending and fixed pain ... it is valued when obstruction is obvious and both blood stasis and qi stagnation need to be moved together., Extends to traumatic injury and postpartum pain ... this short-name alias still belongs to the same traditional pain-medicine stream as other raw yanhusuo records.. Research has investigated its effects on: A 2021 review summarized the analgesic properties of Corydalis yanhusuo and reinforced its status as one of the most pharmacologically interesting traditional pain herbs (PMID 34946576).; Experimental work found significant antinociceptive effects in inflammatory and neuropathic pain models, supporting traditional use for painful obstruction (PMID 27622550)..

What are other names for Yuan Hu Corydalis Root?

Yuan Hu Corydalis Root is also known as Corydalis, Yan Hu Suo, Yuan Hu Suo. In TCM: 元胡 (Yuan Hu); Rhizoma Corydalis.

Is Yuan Hu Corydalis Root safe during pregnancy?

Yuan Hu Corydalis Root is not recommended during pregnancy.

What are the contraindications for Yuan Hu Corydalis Root?

Yuan Hu Corydalis Root should not be used in: Pregnancy; Heavy menstrual bleeding without stasis; Severe qi or blood deficiency pain without obstruction. Consult a qualified practitioner before use.