Herb Flower (花 huā)

Ling Xiao Hua

Trumpet Creeper Flower · 凌霄花

Campsis grandiflora (Thunb.) K. Schum. · Flos Campsis

Also known as: Zi Wei (紫葳)

Ling Xiao Hua (Trumpet Creeper Flower) is a cooling herb that invigorates blood circulation and unblocks menstruation. It is commonly used for menstrual irregularities, abdominal masses, and traumatic injuries, as well as for skin conditions like acne and itching due to blood heat.

Category Blood-invigorating and menstruation-regulating herbs (活血调经药) Blood-invigorating and stasis-dispelling herbs (活血化瘀药)
Therapeutic focus Menstrual health Skin health Pain relief Women's health

TCM Properties

Temperature

Slightly Cool

Taste

Acrid / Pungent (辛 xīn), Sweet (甘 gān), Sour (酸 suān), Bitter (苦 kǔ)

Channels entered

Liver, Pericardium

Parts used

Flower (花 huā)

Educational content • Consult qualified TCM practitioners for diagnosis and treatment

What This Herb Does

Every herb has a specific set of actions — here's what Ling Xiao Hua does in the body, explained in both everyday and TCM terms

Therapeutic focus

In practical terms, Ling Xiao Hua is primarily used to support these areas of health:

Menstrual health Skin health Pain relief Women's health

TCM Actions

In TCM terminology, these are the specific therapeutic actions that Ling Xiao Hua performs to restore balance in the body:

Invigorates Blood and Dispels Stasis Unblocks Menstruation Cools Blood and Dispels Wind Alleviates Pain and Reduces Swelling

How these actions work

Invigorates Blood and Dispels Stasis: This action means Líng Xiāo Huā stimulates blood circulation and breaks up stagnant blood, which is often the cause of sharp, fixed pain, masses, and menstrual disorders. It is used when there is blood stasis, indicated by dark purple tongue, stabbing pain, or clotted menstrual flow.

Unblocks Menstruation: By moving stagnant blood in the uterus, Líng Xiāo Huā helps restore normal menstrual flow. It is particularly effective for amenorrhea or irregular periods due to blood stasis, often combined with other blood-moving herbs.

Cools Blood and Dispels Wind: Líng Xiāo Huā's cooling nature clears heat from the blood level, while its acrid property disperses wind. This dual function makes it a key herb for skin conditions where blood heat generates wind, causing red, itchy rashes, acne, and hives.

Alleviates Pain and Reduces Swelling: By moving blood and removing stasis, Líng Xiāo Huā relieves pain and reduces swelling, especially in traumatic injuries with bruising and local heat.

Patterns Addressed

In TCM, symptoms cluster into recognizable patterns of disharmony. Ling Xiao Hua is used to help correct these specific patterns.

Why Ling Xiao Hua addresses this pattern

Líng Xiāo Huā's acrid and slightly cool nature enters the Liver and Pericardium channels to invigorate blood and dispel stasis while simultaneously cooling blood. This dual action directly addresses the pathomechanism of blood stasis complicated by heat, where stagnant blood generates local heat or systemic heat condenses blood flow. Its ability to unblock menstruation and reduce masses makes it particularly suited for gynecological patterns of blood stasis with heat signs such as dark, clotted menstrual flow, fixed abdominal pain, or palpable masses.

A practitioner would look for one or more of these signs

Amenorrhea

Absence of menstruation due to blood stasis obstructing the uterine vessels

Dysmenorrhea

Painful periods with dark, clotted blood and a bearing-down sensation

Uterine Fibroids

Fixed abdominal masses that are tender and accompanied by irregular bleeding

Traumatic Injury

Swelling and bruising from trauma with local heat and redness

Commonly Used For

These are conditions where Ling Xiao Hua is frequently used — but only when they arise from the specific patterns it addresses, not in all cases

Arises from: Blood Stagnation with Heat

TCM Interpretation

In TCM, amenorrhea is often viewed as a result of blood stasis blocking the uterine vessels, preventing the normal discharge of menstrual blood. When accompanied by signs of heat—such as a dark, clotted flow (when menstruation does occur), irritability, and a red tongue with stasis spots—the pathomechanism involves stagnant blood generating heat or heat condensing the blood. The Liver channel, which encircles the genitals, is often involved, and emotional stress can exacerbate stagnation.

Why Ling Xiao Hua Helps

Líng Xiāo Huā's acrid, slightly cool nature enters the Liver and Pericardium channels to vigorously move blood stasis while simultaneously cooling blood. This dual action unblocks the uterine vessels and clears the heat that may be perpetuating the stasis. It is particularly indicated when amenorrhea presents with lower abdominal distension, pain, and a sensation of heat, and when the tongue shows purple spots with a yellow coating.

Also commonly used for

Dysmenorrhea

Alleviates menstrual pain by unblocking stagnant blood and cooling heat

Uterine Fibroids

Reduces fibroid size and associated bleeding by breaking up blood stasis and cooling blood

Traumatic Injury

Reduces swelling and bruising by moving blood and dispelling stasis

Eczema

Relieves itching and redness in eczema by cooling blood and venting heat

Pruritus

Stops itching from blood heat with wind by cooling and dispersing

Herb Properties

Every herb has an inherent temperature, taste, and affinity for specific channels — these properties determine how it interacts with the body

Temperature

Slightly Cool

Taste

Acrid / Pungent (辛 xīn), Sweet (甘 gān), Sour (酸 suān), Bitter (苦 kǔ)

Channels Entered

Liver Pericardium

Parts Used

Flower (花 huā)

Dosage & Preparation

These are general dosage guidelines for Ling Xiao Hua — always follow your practitioner's recommendation, as dosages vary based on the formula and your individual condition

Standard dosage

5–9 g

Maximum dosage

Do not exceed 10 g in decoction. Doses above the standard range should be used only under practitioner supervision due to risk of gastrointestinal and cardiac adverse effects.

Dosage notes

5–9 g is the standard decoction range for most conditions such as menstrual irregularity, blood stasis amenorrhoea, or skin itching due to blood heat. For external application, higher amounts may be used as a wash or poultice. In classical powder preparations, smaller doses (e.g. 3–6 g as a single dose) are common.

Processing Methods

In TCM, the same herb can be prepared in different ways to change its effects — here's how processing alters what Ling Xiao Hua does

Processing method

Raw dried flower — harvested, cleaned, and sun-dried or low-temperature dried. No further processing.

How it changes properties

This is the unprocessed form; it retains its strong cooling nature (寒), primarily entering the Liver and Pericardium channels. It excels at cooling blood, dispelling wind, and mildly invigorating blood.

When to use this form

Preferred for skin conditions with blood-heat (e.g. urticaria, eczema, acne), where the herb’s cooling and wind-dispelling properties are needed. Also used for uncomplicated blood-stasis menstrual disorders with concurrent heat signs.

Common Herb Pairs

These ingredients are traditionally combined with Ling Xiao Hua for enhanced therapeutic effect

Dang Gui
Dang Gui 1:1 to 1:2 (Líng Xiāo Huā 6–9g : Dāng Guī 9–12g)

Líng Xiāo Huā invigorates blood and breaks stasis, while Dāng Guī nourishes and harmonizes blood. Together they regulate menstruation by both moving stagnant blood and supporting blood production, ensuring that stasis is cleared without damaging the blood.

When to use: For menstrual irregularities with blood stasis and underlying blood deficiency, where the patient has scanty, dark periods with clots but also pale complexion and fatigue.

Mu Dan Pi
Mu Dan Pi 1:1 (each 6–9g)

Líng Xiāo Huā moves blood and dispels wind, while Mǔ Dān Pí cools blood and resolves stasis. This pairing strongly clears blood heat and breaks up stasis, making it ideal for inflammatory skin conditions and gynecological disorders with heat and stasis.

When to use: For acne, eczema, or pelvic inflammatory conditions where blood stasis coexists with significant heat signs such as red tongue, rapid pulse, and burning sensations.

Bai Xian Pi
Bai Xian Pi 1:1 (each 6–10g)

Líng Xiāo Huā cools blood and dispels wind, while Bái Xiān Pí clears heat, dries dampness, and stops itching. Together they effectively treat skin itching and eruptions due to blood heat and damp-heat.

When to use: For stubborn skin itching with red rashes, especially when accompanied by damp signs like oozing or greasy skin.

Key Formulas

These well-known formulas feature Ling Xiao Hua in a prominent role

Bie Jia Jian Wan 鳖甲煎丸 Assistant

In Biē Jiǎ Jiān Wán, Líng Xiāo Huā assists in breaking up blood stasis and reducing abdominal masses, showcasing its ability to treat chronic gynecological and hepatosplenic enlargements due to blood stasis with heat.

Comparable Ingredients

These ingredients have overlapping uses — here's how to tell them apart

Hong Hua
Ling Xiao Hua vs Hong Hua

Both invigorate blood and unblock menstruation, but Hóng Huā is warm and better suited for blood stasis due to cold, while Líng Xiāo Huā is slightly cool and addresses blood stasis with heat. Líng Xiāo Huā also cools blood and dispels wind, making it preferable for skin conditions.

Mu Dan Pi
Ling Xiao Hua vs Mu Dan Pi

Both cool blood and move stasis, but Mǔ Dān Pí is stronger at cooling and is used more for heat in the blood with bleeding or early-stage stasis, while Líng Xiāo Huā is stronger at breaking up fixed stasis and also dispels wind, making it better for masses and itching.

Identity & Adulterants

Related species and common adulterations to be aware of when sourcing Ling Xiao Hua

Ling Xiao Hua is most commonly adulterated or confused with the flowers of 泡桐 (<em>Paulownia fortunei</em> and <em>P. tomentosa</em>), 洋金花 (<em>Datura metel</em>), and 闹羊花 (<em>Rhododendron molle</em>). 泡桐花 has numerous purple spots on the inner corolla and a different calyx structure, lacking the prominent striation of true Ling Xiao Hua. 洋金花 and 闹羊花 are toxic and have entirely different therapeutic profiles; their use as substitutes can cause poisoning. Close inspection of calyx shape, corolla colour pattern, and the presence of four versus five stamens (Ling Xiao Hua has four didynamous stamens; 洋金花 has five) is essential for identification. Hong Kong health authorities have documented severe adverse events from such substitutions, underscoring the need for accurate botanical identification.

Educational content — always consult a qualified healthcare provider or TCM practitioner before using any herb.

Toxicity Classification

Classical Chinese pharmacopoeia toxicity rating for Ling Xiao Hua

Slightly toxic

Ling Xiao Hua contains alkaloids and other bioactive compounds. Overdose (especially from unprepared fresh flowers) can cause nausea, diarrhoea, and cardiac arrhythmia. Fresh plant juice may cause skin irritation, redness, and pruritus on contact. Proper drying and processing reduce irritant potential. The herb is considered safe at therapeutic doses of 5–9 g when used correctly and for appropriate indications; toxicity manifests mainly at doses significantly exceeding the typical range or with prolonged unsupervised use.

Contraindications

Situations where Ling Xiao Hua should not be used or requires extra caution

Avoid

Pregnancy — Ling Xiao Hua's strong blood-invigorating and stasis-breaking actions can stimulate uterine contractions and may cause miscarriage. Historically known as the 'abortifacient flower' (堕胎花).

Avoid

Breastfeeding — its active constituents may transfer through breast milk and affect the infant; safety data is lacking.

Caution

Qi and blood deficiency without stasis — because it strongly moves blood, using it in patients who are weak and pale with scanty menstruation due to deficiency can further weaken the constitution.

Caution

Spleen and stomach cold deficiency — its cold nature may worsen diarrhoea, lack of appetite, and cold abdominal pain.

Caution

Concurrent use with anticoagulant medications (e.g. warfarin) — may increase the risk of bleeding due to its anti-thrombotic and microcirculation-enhancing properties.

Caution

Avoid prolonged use; use only under professional guidance. Overdose may cause nausea, diarrhoea, and arrhythmia.

Classical Incompatibilities

Traditional Chinese pharmacological incompatibilities — herbs or substances to avoid combining with Ling Xiao Hua

According to 《药性论》, it fears 卤咸 (lǔ xián, bittern salt). It is not listed in the 十八反 (Eighteen Incompatibilities) or 十九畏 (Nineteen Mutual Fears) lists.

Special Populations

Important considerations for pregnancy, breastfeeding, and pediatric use

Pregnancy

Contraindicated. Ling Xiao Hua is a vigorous blood-regulating herb that invigorates blood and dispels stasis; it has been shown to enhance uterine contractions and is classically regarded as capable of inducing miscarriage. It should not be used during pregnancy unless under exceptional circumstances where expert supervision deems the removal of blood stasis essential for the pregnancy to continue (‘removing stasis to preserve the fetus’).

Breastfeeding

Not recommended. There are no safety data on the transfer of its active alkaloids and flavonoids through breast milk. Because of its strong blood-moving nature and potential for adverse effects in the infant, nursing mothers should avoid using this herb.

Children

Ling Xiao Hua should not be casually administered to children. When prescribed by a qualified TCM practitioner for specific paediatric conditions (such as certain forms of asthma or dermatoses), the dosage must be carefully reduced in proportion to body weight and age. Contact with the fresh plant or its pollen should be avoided in children, as the pollen may cause eye irritation and inflammation.

Drug Interactions

If you are taking pharmaceutical medications, be aware of these potential interactions with Ling Xiao Hua

Ling Xiao Hua has anti-platelet and anti-thrombotic effects and may enhance the activity of anticoagulant medications such as warfarin, increasing the risk of bleeding. It should be used with caution in patients taking antiplatelet drugs (e.g. aspirin, clopidogrel) or other herbs with similar actions. Its potential hypotensive effect and effect on uterine smooth muscle suggest caution when combining with antihypertensive drugs or oxytocic agents.

Dietary Advice

Foods and dietary considerations when taking Ling Xiao Hua

Avoid consuming spicy, irritating, and greasy foods while taking Ling Xiao Hua, as these may aggravate the blood-heat and wind-itching conditions for which the herb is typically prescribed. Cold, raw foods may also contribute to spleen-stomach coldness and counteract the herb’s cooling properties when expected to clear heat.

Botanical Description

Physical characteristics and morphology of the Ling Xiao Hua source plant

Ling Xiao Hua is the flower of two species in the trumpet creeper family (Bignoniaceae): Campsis grandiflora (凌霄) and Campsis radicans (美洲凌霄). Both are deciduous woody vines that climb by means of aerial rootlets along stems, attaching to trees, walls, and rocky surfaces. Leaves are opposite, odd-pinnately compound, with 7–9 (or 9–11 in C. radicans) ovate to oblong leaflets with serrate margins. The large, showy flowers appear in terminal panicles during summer and early autumn. They are funnel-shaped, 4–7 cm long, with five spreading lobes, coloured orange-red to reddish-brown outside and often darker red-brown inside with prominent veins. The plant is widely cultivated as an ornamental as well as for medicinal use.

Sourcing & Harvesting

Where Ling Xiao Hua is sourced, when it's harvested or collected, and how to assess quality

Harvesting season

Summer to early autumn (late July to September), when the flowers are in full bloom.

Primary growing regions

Principally produced in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. The most esteemed 道地药材 (authentic terroir) origin is Suzhou in Jiangsu, where the flower quality is considered optimal.

Quality indicators

Good-quality Ling Xiao Hua consists of whole, unbroken flowers, large in size, with a yellowish-brown colour and no remaining flower stalks. The odour is delicately fragrant (气清香) and the taste is slightly bitter and sour (味微苦、酸). Flowers that are crushed, fragmented, darkened, or carry many pedicels are inferior. For <em>Campsis radicans</em> (美洲凌霄), the inner surface of the corolla should display distinct dark brown veins.

Classical Texts

Key passages from the classical Chinese medical texts that describe Ling Xiao Hua and its therapeutic uses

  • 《神农本草经》 (Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing, Divine Farmer's Classic of Materia Medica): “紫葳，味酸，微寒。主妇人产乳余疾，崩中，癥瘕，血闭，寒热羸瘦，养胎。” (Ziwei, sour in taste and slightly cold. It treats postpartum and lactation disorders, flooding and spotting, abdominal masses, amenorrhoea due to blood stasis, alternating chills and fever, emaciation, and can nourish the fetus.) — Note: the concept of “养胎” refers to its use in removing blood stasis that is endangering the pregnancy, not for routine pregnancy tonification.
  • 《本草纲目》 (Ben Cao Gang Mu, Compendium of Materia Medica): “凌霄花及根，甘酸而寒，茎叶带苦，行血分，能去血中伏火，故主产乳崩漏诸疾及血热生风之证也。” (Ling Xiao Hua and its root are sweet-sour and cold; the stem and leaves are bitter. It travels in the blood level and can dispel latent fire in the blood, therefore it treats postpartum flooding and spotting, and syndromes of wind generated by blood heat.)
  • 《本经逢原》 (Ben Jing Feng Yuan): “凌霄花，癥瘕血闭，血气刺痛，疠风恶疮多用之，皆取其散恶血之功也。” (Ling Xiao Hua is widely used for abdominal masses, amenorrhoea, stabbing blood stasis pain, leprosy-like wind and malignant sores — all cases that rely on its ability to scatter stagnant and noxious blood.)
  • 《本草求真》 (Ben Cao Qiu Zhen): “凡人火伏血中，而见阳结血闭，风痒、崩带、癥瘕，一切由于血瘀血热而成者，所当用凌霄花调治，盖此专主泻热，热去而血自活也。” (In all cases where fire is hidden in the blood, manifesting as Yang-accumulation amenorrhoea, wind-itching, flooding and leukorrhoea, abdominal masses — all arising from blood stasis and blood heat — Ling Xiao Hua is indicated. It is specifically designed to drain heat; once heat is removed, blood naturally becomes free-flowing.)

Historical Context

The history and evolution of Ling Xiao Hua's use in Chinese medicine over the centuries

The Chinese name 凌霄 (líng xiāo) means “to soar to the skies,” describing the vine’s ambition to climb high. It was first recorded as 紫葳 (zǐ wēi) in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (circa 200 CE) as a middle-grade herb. Over centuries it gained a controversial folk name: 堕胎花 (duò tāi huā, “abortifacient flower”) because its powerful blood-quickening effect could endanger pregnancy, though this property ironically made it valuable in clearing stasis that was harming a viable pregnancy — a nuanced concept captured in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing’s phrase “养胎” (nourish the fetus) after removing stasis. Li Shizhen later clarified its core mechanism as “dispelling latent fire in the blood.” In modern times, unexpected substitution of Ling Xiao Hua with the toxic Yang Jin Hua (洋金花, Datura metel) has led to poisoning incidents in Hong Kong, which raised public awareness and promoted stricter regulation of herbal identity.