What is Haebaek?

Haebaek is the small dried bulb of a wild onion plant, Allium macrostemon (the related Allium chinense is also sold under this name). It is also called Chinese chive or long-stamen onion bulb. In Korean herbal medicine it is used for a tight, heavy feeling in the chest and for chest pain that comes with cold hands and feet.

It is nearly always used inside a formula with other herbs, not on its own. Cooks also eat the same bulb pickled, where it is known as rakkyo.

The honest verdict on evidence: Haebaek has a long and well-recorded place in East Asian medicine, but human trials on the single herb are lacking. A long history of use is not proof that something works, and that gap applies to everything on this page.

How does Haebaek work?

Nobody has shown clearly how Haebaek works in people. Lab and animal work is the main source of ideas about it.

In those studies, extracts of the bulb have relaxed blood vessels, slowed the clumping of blood cells, and lowered markers of swelling. Some work also suggests an effect on blood fats.

These are test-tube and animal findings. They may not carry over to a person drinking a herbal tea, and you should treat any mechanism talk as a hint, not a fact.

What forms does Haebaek come in?

Common forms include:

Dried whole or sliced bulbs, simmered in water as a decoction (a strong boiled tea).

Granules or powdered extracts, usually as part of a multi-herb formula.

Pills and capsules from herbal makers.

Pickled bulbs eaten as a side dish. This food form is much milder than a medicinal dose.

Where it comes from:

Haebaek (known as xiebai in Chinese) appears in Han dynasty texts over 1,800 years old, most famously in a formula for chest tightness that pairs it with trichosanthes fruit. Korean medicine took up the same use and kept it.

Its classic role is to open the chest and move what practitioners called stuck qi in the upper body. It has stayed in Korean, Chinese and Japanese herbal practice ever since.

What does Haebaek help with?

• Chest tightness and chest discomfort: This is the main classical use, and it is well recorded across East Asian texts. There are no human trials of Haebaek alone for it. Chest tightness can also mean a heart or lung problem, so get new or worsening chest symptoms checked by a doctor first.
• Angina-type chest pain: Korean and Chinese practice place Haebaek in formulas aimed at chest pain that eases with warmth. Animal work shows blood vessel relaxing effects. No trial has shown it helps angina in people, and it is never a stand-in for heart medicine.
• Bloating and a full feeling in the upper belly: Traditional texts use it to move stuck feelings in the chest and stomach. Evidence here is tradition and everyday food use only. No human trials support it.
• Cough with a heavy chest: Used in old formulas when a cough comes with thin phlegm and a tight chest. There is no trial evidence. A cough lasting more than three weeks needs a doctor.
• Loose stools with cramping: Some classical texts list this use, but it is minor and now uncommon. No modern evidence supports it.

Which foods are rich in Haebaek?

1. Rakkyo pickles: the same bulb, salted and pickled, eaten as a side dish in Korea and Japan
2. Wild onion bulbs gathered in spring: eaten fresh in some Korean country cooking
3. Related bulbs such as onion, garlic and leek: not the same plant, but they hold similar sulfur compounds

Practical Tips:

Food amounts are far smaller than herbal doses and are treated as food.

What are the side effects of Haebaek?

• Heartburn or a burning feeling in the stomach
• Belching, wind and bloating
• Onion or garlic smell on the breath and skin
• Nausea, mostly at higher doses
• Loose stools
• Rash or itching in people allergic to onion, garlic or leek

Good to know:

Most people who use normal food or tea amounts have no trouble. The usual complaints are stomach burning and wind, and they settle when you stop.

Serious harm has not been reported in the medical literature, but the herb has never been tested formally for safety in people. Stop it and get advice if you get a rash, swelling or trouble breathing.

How much Haebaek should you take?

• Recommended daily: No dose has been proven safe and effective in trials. Traditional Korean and Chinese practice uses about 5 to 10 grams of the dried bulb per day, simmered in water and split over the day. Extract granules are dosed by the maker's label and are much stronger by weight. Pickled bulbs eaten as food are a much smaller dose and are treated as food, not medicine.
• Best time of day: Split the daily amount into two or three doses, morning and evening. There is no evidence that timing matters.
• With or without food: Take it with or just after food. The bulb is pungent and can burn or upset an empty stomach.
• Time to effect: Unknown. Traditional use expects some change in chest or stomach comfort within days to a couple of weeks. This has not been measured in trials.
• How long to take it: Traditional use is short term, usually two to four weeks inside a formula. Stop and rethink if nothing has changed after three to four weeks. See a doctor rather than carrying on if your chest symptoms are the reason you are taking it.