What is goehwa?

Goehwa is the dried flower bud of the pagoda tree. It is used as a single herb in Korean medicine, not as part of a set formula. Its Latin name is Styphnolobium japonicum, and it is also sold as pagoda tree flower bud.

Healers have long given it to slow bleeding. Old uses include blood in the stool, piles (swollen veins in the back passage) and nosebleeds. It was also used for red, hot skin and for dizziness.

Human trial proof for the herb itself is thin. Long use in a tradition is not proof that a herb works. Please read the bleeding warnings below before you try it.

How does goehwa work?

Goehwa is rich in rutin, a plant pigment. Lab work suggests rutin may make small blood vessels less leaky. That fits the old use for bleeding.

Rutin and quercetin also mop up free radicals (unstable molecules that can harm cells) in lab dishes. Whether this helps a person who drinks the tea is not known. No one has traced the full path from cup to blood vessel.

What forms does goehwa come in?

Loose dried buds are the usual form. You steep them in hot water as a tea.

Roasted buds are also sold. In Korean and Chinese practice, roasting was the old step used when the goal was to slow bleeding.

Powders, capsules and ready-made granules are easy to find. Rutin tablets are a different thing. They hold one purified part of the plant, not the whole herb.

Where it comes from:

Goehwa has a long record across East Asia. Korean texts such as the Dongui Bogam list it for bleeding. Chinese and Japanese texts use it in much the same way.

The tree is often planted at temples and along roads. Buds are picked in early summer, just before they open. Roasting them, called charring, is an old step shared by Korean and Chinese herbalists.

What does goehwa help with?

• Bleeding from piles (swollen veins in the back passage): This is the best known old use, both as a tea and as a wash. We found no human trial of goehwa for it. Bleeding from the back passage needs a check-up first, since it can come from something serious.
• Blood in the stool: Korean texts list goehwa for this, often in roasted form. There is no trial proof. Blood in the stool always needs a doctor, not a home herb.
• Nosebleeds: Old texts group nosebleeds with other heat-driven bleeding and use goehwa for them. Human evidence is absent. Nosebleeds that keep coming back should be looked at by a doctor.
• Heavy monthly bleeding: Some old books list it for heavy or long periods. No trial has tested this. Heavy bleeding has many causes, and some of them need treatment.
• Easy bruising and fragile small blood vessels: Lab work on rutin, one part of the bud, points to firmer capillaries (the smallest blood vessels). That is a lab finding, not a proven result in people who take the herb.
• High blood pressure (old use only): Goehwa was given for dizziness and headache linked to what old texts called rising heat. This is not the same as measured blood pressure. Do not use it in place of blood pressure medicine.

Which foods are rich in goehwa?

1. Buckwheat: the best known food source of rutin
2. Capers: high in rutin and quercetin
3. Apples with the skin on: quercetin in the peel
4. Asparagus: holds rutin
5. Black and green tea: plant pigments of the same family
6. Citrus peel: rutin and related pigments

Practical Tips:

These foods share the same plant pigments but are not a swap for the herb, and they carry no bleeding warning at food amounts.

What are the side effects of goehwa?

• Upset stomach
• Loose stools
• Nausea
• Poor appetite
• Skin rash or itching in people allergic to the plant
• More bruising or bleeding, mainly if you also take blood thinners

Good to know:

Most reports are mild and settle when you stop. The main worry is bleeding, and that risk rises sharply if you take blood-thinning medicine. Stop the herb and call a doctor if you bruise easily, bleed from the gums or nose, or see dark, tar-like stools.

How much goehwa should you take?

• Recommended daily: No dose has been set by human trials. Korean and Chinese herb books give about 5 g to 10 g of dried buds a day, simmered in water and drunk as a tea. Products vary a lot, so follow the label or a trained herbalist.
• Best time of day: Split the day's tea into two or three servings, morning and evening.
• With or without food: Take it with or just after food. This lowers the chance of an upset stomach.
• Time to effect: Not known. Old texts expect some change within days, but no trial has measured this.
• How long to take it: Short courses only, such as one to two weeks. Stop and see a doctor if bleeding carries on or comes back. Long daily use has not been studied for safety.