Natural Herb Library

Kadsura Pepper Stem

Chinese
海风藤
Pinyin
Hai Feng Teng
Latin
Caulis Piperis Kadsurae; Caulis Piperis Futokadsurae
Botanical illustration of Stem of Kadsura Pepper, Piper kadsura, showing Hai Feng Teng stem material and diagnostic source details.
Botanical plate by Kodi .

Known in TCM as Hai Feng Teng (海风藤), this pungent and bitter, slightly warm herb enters the Heart and Kidney. Traditionally, it dispels wind-damp and dredges the channels ... Hai Feng Teng is used for wandering or fixed pain with numbness, soreness, and reduced mobility, most often applied for joint pain, rheumatism, and traumatic injury. Modern research has identified Neolignans among its active constituents.

Part used: Stem

Also Known As

Piper kadsura stem Sea Wind Vine Piperis kadsurae caulis

Latin: Caulis Piperis Kadsurae; Caulis Piperis Futokadsurae | Pinyin: Hai Feng Teng | Chinese: 海风藤

TCM Properties

Taste
pungent, bitter
Temperature
slightly warm
Channels
Heart, Kidney

Traditional Use

Primary Actions

  • Dispels wind-damp and dredges the channels ... Hai Feng Teng is used for wandering or fixed pain with numbness, soreness, and reduced mobility.
  • Regulates Qi and alleviates pain ... traditional use includes rheumatic pain and traumatic soreness when obstruction and stagnation coexist.
  • Has a smaller respiratory lane in regional use ... some materia medica lists include chronic cough or asthma patterns tied to cold-damp obstruction.

Secondary Actions

  • This page stays on the accepted Hai Feng Teng lane built around Piper kadsura and related authenticated trade material, not on other warming anti-rheumatic vines.
  • Compared with colder heat-clearing vines, Hai Feng Teng is chosen when channel obstruction leans damp-cold or mixed cold-pain.

Classic Formulas

  • Wind-damp bi modifications ... especially when soreness and heaviness are persistent and the patient benefits from a slightly warming vine.
  • Regional wine-soaked channel-opening preparations ... a common traditional route for long-standing painful obstruction.
  • Trauma and body-pain pairings with blood-moving medicinals ... used when rheumatic and bruised soreness overlap.

Classical References

  • Traditional herb references describe Hai Feng Teng as a pungent slightly warm stem that dispels wind-damp, frees the channels, and regulates Qi.
  • Its identity is most stable in painful-obstruction formulas rather than in the respiratory uses sometimes mentioned secondarily.

Modern Research

Active Compounds

  • Neolignans such as galgravin
  • Lignans and phenylpropanoids
  • Additional antioxidant and anti-inflammatory stem constituents

Studied Effects

  • A 2025 review summarized the botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and quality control of Piper kadsura, reinforcing its long rheumatic-pain and channel-unblocking reputation (PMID 40505754).
  • A 2006 constituent study identified anti-inflammatory neolignans from Piper kadsura, supporting the herb's modern inflammation relevance at the compound level (PMID 16724856).
  • A 2021 cell study found cytoprotective and oxidative-stress-modulating effects from Piper kadsura extracts, adding another preclinical layer to its traditional pain-and-inflammation profile (PMID 34684868).

PubMed References

Safety & Interactions

Contraindications

  • Yin deficiency with heat signs rather than damp-cold obstruction

Cautions

  • Most modern evidence is preclinical and should not be overstated as proof of clinical arthritis efficacy.
  • Trade identity should be confirmed because the imported Latin lane historically bundled more than one Piper source.

Conditions

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Kadsura Pepper Stem used for?

Kadsura Pepper Stem is traditionally used to Dispels wind-damp and dredges the channels ... Hai Feng Teng is used for wandering or fixed pain with numbness, soreness, and reduced mobility., Regulates Qi and alleviates pain ... traditional use includes rheumatic pain and traumatic soreness when obstruction and stagnation coexist., Has a smaller respiratory lane in regional use ... some materia medica lists include chronic cough or asthma patterns tied to cold-damp obstruction.. Research has investigated its effects on: A 2025 review summarized the botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and quality control of Piper kadsura, reinforcing its long rheumatic-pain and channel-unblocking reputation (PMID 40505754).; A 2006 constituent study identified anti-inflammatory neolignans from Piper kadsura, supporting the herb's modern inflammation relevance at the compound level (PMID 16724856)..

What are other names for Kadsura Pepper Stem?

Kadsura Pepper Stem is also known as Piper kadsura stem, Sea Wind Vine, Piperis kadsurae caulis. In TCM: 海风藤 (Hai Feng Teng); Caulis Piperis Kadsurae; Caulis Piperis Futokadsurae.

Is Kadsura Pepper Stem safe during pregnancy?

The safety of Kadsura Pepper Stem during pregnancy has not been established. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before use.

What are the contraindications for Kadsura Pepper Stem?

Kadsura Pepper Stem should not be used in: Yin deficiency with heat signs rather than damp-cold obstruction. Consult a qualified practitioner before use.