What is Chui Pen Cao?

Chui Pen Cao is a low, creeping plant with thick, fleshy leaves. Its Latin name is Sedum sarmentosum. It is also called stringy stonecrop.

In Chinese medicine it is a single herb. It is used on its own or in mixed formulas. The main uses are liver complaints and hot, angry-looking skin problems.

Today it is best known as the main part of Chinese hospital products. These aim to lower raised liver enzymes. Liver enzymes are blood markers that go up when liver cells are hurt or upset.

In folk practice it is also put on the skin. People use it for boils, burns and insect bites.

Honest verdict: the herb has a real place in Chinese practice. But good human trial evidence in English is very thin.

Long use tells you what people have done. It is not proof that the herb works. That point holds for everything on this page.

How does Chui Pen Cao work?

Nobody has shown clearly how Chui Pen Cao works in people.

In Chinese medicine it is called cold and sweet-bland. It is said to clear heat, drain damp and cool toxic swellings. That is a traditional frame, not a body-based one.

Lab and animal studies hint that its extracts may calm swelling. They may also shield liver cells from harm by chemicals.

These are test-tube and rat findings. They do not tell you what happens in a person with hepatitis (liver swelling and damage).

What forms does Chui Pen Cao come in?

Chui Pen Cao is sold in several forms.

Dried stems and leaves, for a decoction. That is a strong simmered tea.

Fresh plant, crushed for juice. It can also be pounded into a poultice, a soft mash laid on the skin.

Chinese branded products, such as Chuipencao granules, tablets and capsules. These are set-strength extracts made for liver use.

Mixed formulas, where it sits beside other cooling herbs.

Where it comes from:

Chui Pen Cao began as a folk herb in south and east China. Later it was taken up by mainstream Chinese practice.

It is not in the oldest classics. It turns up in later herb books and in local folk records.

It is listed in the modern Chinese Pharmacopoeia. From the 1970s, Chinese hospitals used its extracts for viral hepatitis with raised liver enzymes.

So it is a long-used staple of one tradition. It is not a herb shared across many.

What does Chui Pen Cao help with?

• Raised liver enzymes (blood markers of liver irritation): This is the main modern use and the only one with any trial work behind it. Chinese hospital studies of Chuipencao granules report falls in ALT (a blood test that rises when liver cells are damaged). Most of these studies are small, Chinese-language, and not blinded, so the result is suggestive rather than settled. Lowering a blood marker also does not prove the underlying liver disease is improving.
• Chronic viral hepatitis, as an add-on only: There is no good evidence that Chui Pen Cao clears hepatitis B or C virus or changes the long-term course of the illness. In China it is used alongside antiviral medicine, not instead of it. If you have viral hepatitis, your treatment decisions belong with a liver doctor.
• Jaundice (yellowing of skin and eyes) in traditional practice: Traditional texts group Chui Pen Cao with herbs for damp-heat jaundice. New or worsening jaundice is always a medical emergency-level sign that needs a doctor the same week, not a home remedy. No human trial supports self-treating jaundice with this herb.
• Boils, abscesses and hot skin swellings: Folk use is long-standing: the fresh plant is pounded and laid on red, hot, painful swellings. Evidence is traditional only, with some laboratory work showing anti-inflammatory activity in cells. Spreading redness, fever or a swelling that is getting bigger needs antibiotics, not a poultice.
• Burns and insect bites, applied to the skin: Fresh juice is used in country practice as a cooling application for minor burns and bites. There are no controlled human trials. Anything beyond a small, shallow burn should be seen by a health professional.
• Sore throat, in traditional practice: A minor traditional use, based on the herb's cooling classification. There is no human trial evidence for this at all.

Which foods are rich in Chui Pen Cao?

1. Fresh Sedum sarmentosum shoots: eaten as a wild spring vegetable in parts of China and Korea, blanched and dressed

Practical Tips:

Culinary amounts are small and are not the same as a medicinal decoction.

What are the side effects of Chui Pen Cao?

• Loose stools or diarrhoea
• Stomach discomfort or a cold, heavy feeling in the belly
• Reduced appetite
• Nausea
• Skin rash or itching where fresh plant is applied
• Rarely, an allergic reaction to the plant

Good to know:

Chui Pen Cao is generally well tolerated in the short term, and the common problems are digestive and mild. Because it is a cold herb, people who already run to loose stools tend to feel worse on it.

The bigger risk is not the herb itself. It is using it to manage a liver problem at home instead of getting that liver problem properly diagnosed and monitored.

How much Chui Pen Cao should you take?

• Recommended daily: There is no dose established by Western trial evidence. The figures below are traditional and pharmacopoeia ranges. Dried herb: about 15 to 30 g a day, simmered as a decoction. Fresh herb: about 50 to 100 g a day, juiced or decocted. Prepared granules, tablets or capsules: follow the label exactly, since extract strength varies widely between brands. On the skin: fresh plant pounded and applied to the affected area, as needed.
• Best time of day: Traditionally taken in two or three divided doses spread through the day. There is no evidence that any particular time works better.
• With or without food: Take it with or just after food. The herb is cooling and bland, and taking it on an empty stomach makes loose stools and stomach discomfort more likely.
• Time to effect: Blood enzyme changes, where they are reported, take weeks rather than days. You will not feel anything happen. For skin use, any soothing effect is immediate but short-lived.
• How long to take it: Short courses only unless a practitioner is supervising you. If you are taking it for liver complaints, you should be having blood tests anyway, so reassess with your doctor after about 4 to 8 weeks. Stop and get advice if enzymes are not improving or are getting worse. For skin use, stop after a few days if the area is not settling.