Educational information, not medical advice.See how evidence is graded
HealisticMDBuild your plan

Du Huo

Traditionally used for: Older adults with knee or low back pain, as part of a herbal blend. Osteoarthritis (wear-and-tear joint pain); Low back pain.

Home

What is Du Huo? Du Huo is a dried root used in Chinese medicine. It comes from a plant in the carrot family, Angelica pubescens. It is given for sore, stiff joints and for pain in the low back, hips and legs. Old texts pick it out for pain that gets worse in cold, damp weather. It is almost never used on its own. The best known blend is Du Huo Ji Sheng Tang. Long use in a tradition is not proof that a herb works. The tradition here is strong. But good human trials of Du Huo by itself are missing. How does Du Huo work? No one has shown how Du Huo works in people. Lab work points to plant compounds called coumarins. The main one is osthole. In cells and in rats, osthole seems to calm swelling and dull pain signals. Whether it does the same in a person, at the dose in a cup of tea, is not known. Chinese medicine explains it another way. It says the herb drives out "wind damp". That is the cold, wet quality thought to settle in joints. What forms does Du Huo come in? The usual form is dried root slices, boiled in water to make a strong tea. This is what most Chinese medicine clinics use. You can also buy it as a loose powder, as granules that melt in hot water, in capsules, and in liquid extracts. It is also one herb inside ready-made pills such as Du Huo Ji Sheng Wan. Where it comes from: Du Huo turns up in Chinese medical writing from about the third century. It became a main herb for stiff, painful joints. The formula Du Huo Ji Sheng Tang was written down in the 600s by Sun Simiao. It is still given today for low back and knee pain in older adults.

Helps

What does Du Huo help with? Osteoarthritis (wear-and-tear joint pain): This is the main modern use. Almost all of the research uses the multi-herb blend, not the single root. We could not find a human trial of Du Huo taken on its own. Low back pain: Chinese medicine treats this as a core use, mostly in people over 50. Support comes from old texts and clinic habit. No trial has tested the single root for it. Hip and leg pain: Old texts say Du Huo works on pain in the lower half of the body. This is a rule of thumb from the tradition, not a lab finding. Joint pain that flares in cold, damp weather: Texts name this as the pattern the herb suits best. There is no test that can check this pattern. No study has looked at whether weather changes the result. Stiff, sore neck with headache: A smaller traditional use, usually as part of a blend. Nothing here has been tested in people.

Du Huo

Quick Facts

  • What it is: A dried root from the carrot family, used in Chinese medicine for stiff, aching joints and low back and leg pain.
  • Main uses: Osteoarthritis (wear-and-tear joint pain), Low back pain, Hip and leg pain
  • Best for: Older adults with knee or low back pain, as part of a herbal blend
  • Active ingredients: Osthole, Columbianadin, Other coumarins, Aromatic oil
  • Forms: Dried root slices for boiling, Granules, Powder, Capsules, Liquid extract, Ready-made pills such as Du Huo Ji Sheng Wan
  • Time to effect: One to two weeks in traditional use; never measured in a trial.
  • Side effects: Mild and uncommon: upset stomach, loose stools, and skin that burns faster in the sun.
  • Pregnancy & breastfeeding: Not studied in pregnancy; avoid unless your clinician advises otherwise.

Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.

What is Du Huo?

Du Huo is a dried root used in Chinese medicine. It comes from a plant in the carrot family, Angelica pubescens. It is given for sore, stiff joints and for pain in the low back, hips and legs.

Old texts pick it out for pain that gets worse in cold, damp weather. It is almost never used on its own. The best known blend is Du Huo Ji Sheng Tang.

Long use in a tradition is not proof that a herb works. The tradition here is strong. But good human trials of Du Huo by itself are missing.

How does Du Huo work?

No one has shown how Du Huo works in people. Lab work points to plant compounds called coumarins. The main one is osthole.

In cells and in rats, osthole seems to calm swelling and dull pain signals. Whether it does the same in a person, at the dose in a cup of tea, is not known.

Chinese medicine explains it another way. It says the herb drives out "wind damp". That is the cold, wet quality thought to settle in joints.

What forms does Du Huo come in?

The usual form is dried root slices, boiled in water to make a strong tea. This is what most Chinese medicine clinics use.

You can also buy it as a loose powder, as granules that melt in hot water, in capsules, and in liquid extracts. It is also one herb inside ready-made pills such as Du Huo Ji Sheng Wan.

Where it comes from:

Du Huo turns up in Chinese medical writing from about the third century. It became a main herb for stiff, painful joints.

The formula Du Huo Ji Sheng Tang was written down in the 600s by Sun Simiao. It is still given today for low back and knee pain in older adults.

Who should avoid Du Huo?

  • Do not use if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, as safety has not been tested.
  • Do not use if you take warfarin or another blood thinner, unless your doctor says it is fine.
  • Do not use if you have a bleeding disorder, or if you have surgery booked in the next two weeks.
  • Do not use if you take a drug that makes skin burn in sun, such as doxycycline (an antibiotic) or isotretinoin (an acne drug).
  • Do not use if you take ciclosporin (an anti-rejection drug) or digoxin (a heart drug), unless your doctor agrees.
  • Do not use if you have liver disease, or if blood tests have shown your liver is under strain.
  • Do not use if you have ever reacted to plants in the carrot family, such as celery, parsnip or angelica.
  • Do not use if you are giving it to a child, unless a trained practitioner has advised it.
  • Do not use if you feel hot, dry and thirsty most days, a pattern old texts say this herb can worsen.

When should you see a doctor?

See a doctor if your joint or back pain gets worse, or has not shifted after four weeks.

Get seen the same day if a joint turns hot, red and swollen, or if you run a fever with it. That can mean an infection.

Stop the herb and call a doctor if you get a rash, easy bruising, bleeding gums, dark urine, or yellow skin or eyes.

Get help right away for new back pain with numb legs, weak legs, or trouble controlling your bladder or bowels.

Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.

Remedies related to Du Huo

Cobaltum metallicumRehmannia (Shu Di Huang)SokeikakketsutoWarm CompressYograj GugguluBalneotherapy (Mineral Baths)Capsaicin (topical)DashamularishtaDhanwantharam OilDokhwalMoxibustionOsteopathic Manipulation (OMT)

The evidence behind this remedy, in one page

What it is typically used for, usual dose, cautions, and the study behind it where real trial data exists.

One email with the summary. We'll also send a short weekly evidence update — unsubscribe any time.