Sigesbeckia orientalis. Siegesbeckia orientalis 豨 莶 草  Xī xiān cǎo   Common St. Paul's wort,  Hog's Head Hemp leaves    
PART USED: Stem and leaf- harvested in Summer before flowers have bloomed.
Nature: Cold    FLAVOR: Bitter   CHANNELS: Liver, Kidney   TOXICITY: Slightly toxic.[1]
FUNCTIONS
GROUP: Wind Damp dispersing
1. Depsels Wind Dampness and strengthens the sinews.[4] Benefit joints.
2. Calms the Spirit.[4]
3. Clears Heat and passifies the Liver.[4] Opens up Luo passageways, stimulates blood circulation and alleviates pain.[1]
4. Transforms Damp Heat.[1,4]
5. Antihypertensive.[3,4]
INDICATIONS
1. Wind Heat Damp painful obstruction.[3,4] Facial paralysis and hemiplegia as well as numbness and weakness in the back and legs.[4] Rheumatic arthritis.[1,2] Cold and pain in shoulder and arm, weak loins and knees, numbness of four limbs.[3] Pains and aches in sides and legs, hemiplegia.[1]
2. Irritabiity, insomnia and forgetfulness.[4]
2. Ascendant Liver Yang with such symptoms as headache and dizziness.[4] Hypertension.[1,3] Sciatica.[1]
3. Damp Heat sores and itching, Wind Damp rash.[4] Weeping dermatitis, mastitis.[1]
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Yin or Blood deficiency.[4] Take care to avoid wind stroke in the symptoms.[3]
COMBINATIONS
PREPARATIONS: Decoction above ground   9-14 g.[2] Stem or leaf.[3] 6-15 g.[4] Use raw for clearing Heat and resolving Dampness; treat with wine for Wind Damp painful obstruction.[4] Good quality is grey-green and has many leaves and unopened flowers.
Whole plant.[1]  The plant may be mixed with wine and sun dried evaporated for further refinement into pills, which are taken 3 for a dose.[1]

HABITAT: Found growing mostly on hilly roadsides.
DESCRIPTION  Annual herb. Stem: erect, height reaching 1.5 m, with striped furrows, covered densely by long greyish-white pilose or glandular hairs. Leaves: opposite, ovate-oval, apexes acuminate, bases cuneate, extending below to form wings. Flowers: in autumn, terminal yellow flowers bloom in racemose inflorescences arranged in panicle pattern, outer row of bracteal leaves covered by glandular hairs, easily attaches to clothing. Achene: four-angled.
References
Inner Path can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Constituents
Research

Anti-inflammatory effects of Siegesbeckia orientalis ethanol extract in in vitro and in vivo models.
Hong YH, Weng LW, Chang CC, Hsu HF, Wang CP, Wang SW, Houng JY.
Abstract
This study aims to investigate the anti-inflammatory responses and mechanisms of Siegesbeckia orientalis ethanol extract (SOE). In cell culture experiments, RAW264.7 cells were pretreated with SOE and stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for inflammatory mediators assay. In animal experiments, mice were tube-fed with SOE for 1 week, and s.c. injected with λ-carrageenan or i.p. injected with LPS to simulate inflammation. The degree of paw edema was assessed, and cytokine profile in sera and mouse survival were recorded. Data showed that SOE significantly reduced NO, IL-6, and TNF-α production in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. In vivo studies demonstrated that mice supplemented with 32 mg SOE/kg BW/day significantly lowered sera IL-6 level and resulted a higher survival rate compared to the control group (P = 0.019). Furthermore, SOE inhibited LPS-induced NF-κB activation by blocking the degradation of IκB-α. The SOE also reduced significantly the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, p38, and JNK in a dose-dependent manner. In summary, the in vitro and in vivo evidence indicate that SOE can attenuate acute inflammation by inhibiting inflammatory mediators via suppression of MAPKs- and NF-κB-dependent pathways. Biomed Res Int. 2014;2014:329712. doi: 10.1155/2014/329712. Epub 2014 Aug 26. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Topical anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity of kirenol isolated from Siegesbeckia orientalis.
Wang JP, Zhou YM, Ye YJ, Shang XM, Cai YL, Xiong CM, Wu YX, Xu HX.
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE:
Siegesbeckia orientalis has been traditionally used as a topical anti-inflammatory and analgesic agent.
AIMS OF THE STUDY:
Current study was designed to explore the topical anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of a constituent isolated from Siegesbeckia orientalis (Compositae), in order to validate its folk use.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
Kirenol was isolated from ethanolic extract of Siegesbeckia orientalis. Several topical formulations containing kirenol were investigated for anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities in rat. The effects were studied using carrageenan-induced rat acute inflammation model, complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced chronic inflammation and formalin test in rats. Piroxicam gel and methyl salicylate ointment were studied as positive control for anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity, respectively.
RESULTS:
The anti-inflammatory effect of kirenol 0.4-0.5% (w/w) was similar to the effect of piroxicam gel 4h after carrageenan injection. The analgesic activity of topical preparation with more than 0.4% (w/w) was observed in the late phase. These effects may be due, at least in part, to the pro-inflammatory cytokine production of IL-1β and TNF-α. The administration of kirenol cream at the dose of 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5% (w/w) significantly inhibited the development of joint swelling induced by CFA, which was auxiliary supported by histopathological studies.
CONCLUSION:
Kirenol has demonstrated its significant potential to be further investigated for its discovery as a new lead compound for management of topical pain and inflammation, although further pharmacological research is necessary to fully understand its mechanism of action. It also supports the potential beneficial effect of topically administered Siegesbeckia orientalis in inflammatory diseases.
PMID: 21798328 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2011.07.016  J Ethnopharmacol. 2011 Oct 11;137(3):1089-94. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2011.07.016. Epub 2011 Jul 21.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Anti-Hyperuricemic, Anti-Inflammatory and Analgesic Effects of Siegesbeckia orientalis L. Resulting from the Fraction with High Phenolic Content.
Nguyen TD, Thuong PT, Hwang IH, Hoang TK, Nguyen MK, Nguyen HA, Na M.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
The medicinal plant Siegesbeckia orientalis L. has been commonly used for the treatment of acute arthritis, rheumatism, and gout in Vietnam. However, pharmacological research of this plant associated with gout has not been reported. Anti-hyperuricemic and anti-inflammatory effects were evaluated and observed for the crude ethanol extract (CEE) of S. orientalis. Retention of these biological properties was found in a n-butanol-soluble fraction (BuOH fr.) of the extract, and therefore further biological and chemical investigations were undertaken on the BuOH fr. to support the medical relevance of this plant.
METHODS:
The aerial part of S. orientalis was obtained in the mountainous region of Vietnam. The crude ethanol extract (CEE) and its BuOH fr. were prepared from the plant materials. Anti-hyperuricemic activities of the CEE and BuOH fr. were tested in vivo using the model oxonate-induced hyperuricemia rats through determination of serum uric acid levels and inhibitory effects on xanthine oxidase (XO) in the rat liver. Anti-inflammatory activities of the BuOH fr. were also evaluated in vivo using carrageenan-induced paw edema and urate-induced synovitis in rats. Active components of the BuOH fr. were characterized by comparison of HPLC retention time (t R) and spectroscopic data (UV, 1H-NMR) with those of reference compounds.
RESULTS:
The CEE of S. orientalis displayed anti-hyperuricemic activity, and the BuOH fr. was found to be the most active portion of the extract. Further in vivo studies on this fraction showed 31.4% decrease of serum uric acid levels, 32.7% inhibition of xanthine oxidase (XO), 30.4% reduction of paw edema volume, symptomatic relief in urate-induced synovitis and significant analgesic effect at the dose of 120 mg/kg, as compared to the corresponding values of the control groups. Chemical analysis of the BuOH fr. revealed high phenolic content, identified as caffeic acid analogues and flavonones.
CONCLUSIONS:
This study suggested that anti-hyperuricemic and anti-inflammatory mechanism of S. orientalis is related to XO inhibitory effect of the phenolic components. Our findings support the use of this plant as the treatment of gout and other inflammatory diseases.
KEYWORDS:
Analgesic activity; Anti-hyperuricemic activity; Anti-inflammatory activity; Caffeic acid analogues; Flavonones; Siegesbeckia orientalis; Xanthine oxidase
PMID: 28376775 PMCID: PMC5379685 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-017-1698-z  BMC Complement Altern Med. 2017 Apr 4;17(1):191. doi: 10.1186/s12906-017-1698-z. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Siegesbeckia orientalis Extract Inhibits TGFβ1-Induced Migration and Invasion of Endometrial Cancer Cells.
Chang CC, Ling XH, Hsu HF, Wu JM, Wang CP, Yang JF, Fang LW, Houng JY.
Abstract
Type II endometrial carcinoma typically exhibits aggressive metastasis and results in a poor prognosis. Siegesbeckia orientalis Linne is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb with several medicinal benefits, including the cytotoxicity against various cancers. This study investigates the inhibitory effects of S. orientalis ethanol extract (SOE) on the migration and invasion of endometrial cancer cells, which were stimulated by transforming growth factor β (TGFβ). The inhibitory effects were evaluated by determining wound healing and performing the Boyden chamber assay. This study reveals that SOE can inhibit TGFβ1-induced cell wound healing, cell migration, and cell invasion in a dose-dependent manner in RL95-2 and HEC-1A endometrial cancer cells. SOE also reversed the TGFβ1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition, including the loss of the cell-cell junction and the lamellipodia-like structures. Western blot analysis revealed that SOE inhibited the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, JNK1/2, and Akt, as well as the expression of MMP-9, MMP-2, and u-PA in RL95-2 cells dose-dependently. The results of this investigation suggest that SOE is a potential anti-metastatic agent against human endometrial tumors.
PMID: 27527140 DOI: 10.3390/molecules21081021  Molecules. 2016 Aug 5;21(8). pii: E1021. doi: 10.3390/molecules21081021. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov