What is Cheongsangja?

Cheongsangja is the small, shiny black seed of the plant Celosia argentea. Korean herbal medicine uses it for red, sore, or dry eyes. It is also used for sight that turns dim or blurry with age.

It is almost never taken alone. A healer puts it in a mix of herbs, and the mix is boiled into a tea.

Old texts say the seed cools "liver heat" in the body. That is an old idea, not a test result. Long use is not proof that a herb works, and here the human proof is missing.

How does Cheongsangja work?

No one knows how it works in people, because no human trials have tested it.

Lab and animal work gives a few clues. A large plant sugar in the seed, called celosian, protected rat liver cells from a poison. Seed extracts also slowed some sugar-handling steps in test tubes.

None of that was done in eyes, and none of it was done in people. Old texts also say the seed can widen the pupil (the dark centre of the eye). That is why healers keep it away from people with glaucoma (raised pressure inside the eye).

What forms does Cheongsangja come in?

You will most often meet it as dried whole seed, sold by weight.

Common forms are raw dried seed, lightly stir-fried seed, seed boiled into a tea, ground seed powder, and pills or pastes that hold several herbs at once.

It is rare to find it sold on its own outside Korea, China and Japan. Most Western buyers meet it inside a mixed formula.

Where it comes from:

Healers in China and Korea have used this seed for well over a thousand years. It appears in the old Chinese drug books under the name qing xiang zi.

Korean texts, including the Donguibogam of 1613, list it among the herbs for the eyes.

Its job has stayed much the same over the centuries: cool heat and clear the sight.

What does Cheongsangja help with?

• Red, sore or itchy eyes: This is the main classical use in Korea. Healers add the seed to an eye formula for eyes that look red and feel hot. No human trial has tested it for this.
• Dry, tired eyes from screen work or wind: Old texts pair it with herbs said to moisten and cool. There is no trial in people to show it helps dry eye. If your eyes stay dry for weeks, get them checked.
• Blurry or dim sight that comes on with age: Classical use is for sight that fades slowly with age. Fading sight can also mean cataract or other eye disease, so see an eye doctor first. The herb has not been tested against these problems.
• Headache or dizziness linked in old texts to "liver heat": Traditional use only. The old idea groups hot, red eyes with headache and dizziness. No study in people supports this use.
• High blood pressure (a traditional claim only): Some East Asian sources list it for high blood pressure with red eyes. There is no human trial behind this. Never swap it for blood pressure medicine your doctor has prescribed.

Which foods are rich in Cheongsangja?

1. Celosia argentea leaves: eaten as a leafy green in parts of West Africa and India, where they are known as Lagos spinach

Practical Tips:

The leaf is a food; the seed is the medicine. Eating the leaf is not the same as taking Cheongsangja.

What are the side effects of Cheongsangja?

• Upset stomach or loose stools
• Nausea, most often on an empty stomach
• Blurred sight or trouble with bright light, from a wider pupil
• Eye ache or pressure in people with glaucoma (raised pressure inside the eye)
• Skin rash or itch, in people allergic to the plant family
• Feeling faint or light-headed if your blood pressure is already low

Good to know:

Reports of harm are few, and most use is inside a mixed tea. Most people notice nothing at all.

The main worry is the eye. The seed is said to widen the pupil, and that can raise pressure inside the eye in someone who already has glaucoma. Stop taking it and ring a doctor if your sight changes.

How much Cheongsangja should you take?

• Recommended daily: No dose has been set by human trials, so every figure below comes from practice, not proof. In East Asian herbal practice, 6 to 15 grams of dried seed is boiled into a tea for one day's use. It is nearly always mixed with other herbs. Do not go above 15 grams a day. Do not use it at all without a trained practitioner if you have any eye disease.
• Best time of day: Split the day's tea into two servings, one in the morning and one in the evening.
• With or without food: Take it after food. A full stomach lowers the chance of feeling queasy.
• Time to effect: Not known from trials. In practice, healers expect to see some change within one to two weeks.
• How long to take it: Short courses are the norm: about two to four weeks. Then stop and take stock. If your eyes are no better after two weeks, see a doctor instead of raising the dose.