Corydaline

Corydaline at a Glance

Corydaline is an isoquinoline alkaloid of the tetrahydroprotoberberine (THPB) class — the same fully-reduced benzylisoquinoline scaffold as tetrahydropalmatine (l-THP) and canadine, and a saturated-ring relative of berberine (of which palmatine is the closely-related quaternary protoberberine). It is one of the characteristic alkaloids of the corydalis tuber (Corydalis yanhusuo, yan hu suo), the herb long used in Chinese medicine for pain and digestive complaints ^{2Reference 2Xu Y et al. · 2021Analgesic effect of the main components of Corydalis yanhusuo (yanhusuo) is caused by inhibition of voltage gated sodium channels — isolated-alkaloid electrophysiology + animal analgesiaView study →}.

Within that alkaloid-rich tuber, corydaline occupies a distinctive niche. Its THPB cousins are defined by central nervous system / dopamine-receptor activity, but corydaline’s best-documented and most directly-tested effect is gastrointestinal — it accelerates gastric emptying and is the analytical marker compound of the botanical prokinetic drug DA-9701 (Motilitone) ^{1,6Reference 1Lee TH et al. · 2010AnimalEffects of corydaline from Corydalis tuber on gastric motor function in an animal model — in vivo rat studyView study →Reference 6Jung JW et al. · 2014AnimalPharmacokinetics of chlorogenic acid and corydaline in DA-9701, a new botanical gastroprokinetic agent, in ratsView study →}. It also contributes to the tuber’s analgesic action by blocking Nav1.7 sodium channels ^{2Reference 2Xu Y et al. · 2021Analgesic effect of the main components of Corydalis yanhusuo (yanhusuo) is caused by inhibition of voltage gated sodium channels — isolated-alkaloid electrophysiology + animal analgesiaView study →} and can suppress mast-cell activation ^{3,4Reference 3Zhang et al et al. · 2025In vitroCorydalis yanhusuo extract and its pharmacological substances alleviate food allergy by inhibiting mast cells activation via PLC/PKC/STAT3 pathway — in vitro + in vivoView study →Reference 4Jin SE et al. · 2025In vitroCorydalis tuber extract alleviates atopic dermatitis: transcriptomics-based mechanism prediction and in vitro/in vivo studies — corydaline quantified at 5.71 mg/gView study →}.

The honest evidence posture: corydaline itself is data-thin. There are no trials of the isolated molecule in people. What exists is a modest preclinical literature — animal gastric-motility work, cell/tissue mechanism studies, and rat pharmacokinetics — plus human trials of the formula it marks, not of corydaline as such ^{1,6,8Reference 1Lee TH et al. · 2010AnimalEffects of corydaline from Corydalis tuber on gastric motor function in an animal model — in vivo rat studyView study →Reference 6Jung JW et al. · 2014AnimalPharmacokinetics of chlorogenic acid and corydaline in DA-9701, a new botanical gastroprokinetic agent, in ratsView study →Reference 8Choi MG et al. · 2015RCTRandomized, controlled, multi-center trial comparing the safety and efficacy of DA-9701 (corydalis tuber + Pharbitis seed) and itopride hydrochloride in patients with functional dyspepsia — corydaline is the formula’s markerView study →}.

Corydaline & Gastrointestinal Motility

This is the section that only corydaline needs. Among the corydalis tetrahydroprotoberberines, corydaline is the one whose signature activity points at the gut rather than the brain.

The prokinetic finding. In rats, oral corydaline significantly accelerated gastric emptying in normal animals and restored delayed gastric emptying toward normal, while also inducing gastric relaxation and improving gastric accommodation (the fundus’s ability to relax and hold a meal) — the profile of a candidate for functional dyspepsia ^{1Reference 1Lee TH et al. · 2010AnimalEffects of corydaline from Corydalis tuber on gastric motor function in an animal model — in vivo rat studyView study →}. This is why corydaline is a marker constituent of DA-9701 (Motilitone), a prokinetic formulated from corydalis tuber plus Pharbitis (morning-glory) seed that reached human trials for functional dyspepsia in Korea ^{1,6,8Reference 1Lee TH et al. · 2010AnimalEffects of corydaline from Corydalis tuber on gastric motor function in an animal model — in vivo rat studyView study →Reference 6Jung JW et al. · 2014AnimalPharmacokinetics of chlorogenic acid and corydaline in DA-9701, a new botanical gastroprokinetic agent, in ratsView study →Reference 8Choi MG et al. · 2015RCTRandomized, controlled, multi-center trial comparing the safety and efficacy of DA-9701 (corydalis tuber + Pharbitis seed) and itopride hydrochloride in patients with functional dyspepsia — corydaline is the formula’s markerView study →}.

Its place in the THPB set. Where tetrahydropalmatine and canadine are known chiefly as dopamine-active, CNS-penetrant alkaloids, corydaline is comparatively inactive at the dopamine D1 receptor (binding >10,000 nM — effectively negligible) ^{5Reference 5Ma ZZ et al. · 2008Isoquinoline alkaloids isolated from Corydalis yanhusuo and their binding affinities at the dopamine D1 receptor — corydaline negligible (>10,000 nM)View study →}. Read the tuber as a division of labour: l-THP and dehydrocorybulbine carry the dopaminergic/analgesic-CNS story, dehydrocorydaline carries much of the anti-inflammatory and anti-Helicobacter pylori story ^{10Reference 10Wu H et al. · 2023Gastroprotective action of the extract of Corydalis yanhusuo in Helicobacter pylori infection and its bioactive component, dehydrocorydalineView study →}, and corydaline leans toward motility and smooth-muscle / mast-cell effects. It is a THPB sibling that turned its pharmacology toward the gut wall.

The anti-H. pylori caveat. Corydalis tuber extract is genuinely gastroprotective and anti-H. pylori in infection models — but that activity tracks the dehydrocorydaline fraction (MIC ~12.5 µg/mL), a different, dehydrogenated alkaloid, not corydaline itself ^{10Reference 10Wu H et al. · 2023Gastroprotective action of the extract of Corydalis yanhusuo in Helicobacter pylori infection and its bioactive component, dehydrocorydalineView study →}. Corydaline is present in the same protective extract; it is not the demonstrated antibacterial driver.

What It's Used For

The evidence is preclinical throughout, and it splits cleanly: a direct gastric-motility signal for the isolated molecule, a shared analgesic mechanism, and an anti-allergic / mast-cell action — with the human clinical record belonging to the formula, not the isolate.

Evidence by IndicationStrength of support · Beta

Support is an experimental score — a composite weighted by study type (human > animal > in vitro) and volume, tempered for isolate-vs-plant match. It is a beta, not a validated metric. Each application links to its write-up. Corydaline scores low-to-moderate throughout: everything is preclinical, and the strongest human touchpoint is a formula trial, not the isolate.

01Gastrointestinal ProkineticPromising48%Direct isolate animal study (gastric emptying/accommodation) + rat PK + human formula (DA-9701) ^{1,6,8Reference 1Lee TH et al. · 2010AnimalEffects of corydaline from Corydalis tuber on gastric motor function in an animal model — in vivo rat studyView study →Reference 6Jung JW et al. · 2014AnimalPharmacokinetics of chlorogenic acid and corydaline in DA-9701, a new botanical gastroprokinetic agent, in ratsView study →Reference 8Choi MG et al. · 2015RCTRandomized, controlled, multi-center trial comparing the safety and efficacy of DA-9701 (corydalis tuber + Pharbitis seed) and itopride hydrochloride in patients with functional dyspepsia — corydaline is the formula’s markerView study →}

02Analgesia (Sodium-Channel Block)Shaky38%Isolated alkaloid inhibits Nav1.7 peak currents; one of several corydalis analgesics ^{2Reference 2Xu Y et al. · 2021Analgesic effect of the main components of Corydalis yanhusuo (yanhusuo) is caused by inhibition of voltage gated sodium channels — isolated-alkaloid electrophysiology + animal analgesiaView study →}

03Mast-Cell / Anti-AllergicShaky30%Isolate inhibits mast-cell activation in vitro ^{3Reference 3Zhang et al et al. · 2025In vitroCorydalis yanhusuo extract and its pharmacological substances alleviate food allergy by inhibiting mast cells activation via PLC/PKC/STAT3 pathway — in vitro + in vivoView study →}; quantified component of anti-AD extract ^{4Reference 4Jin SE et al. · 2025In vitroCorydalis tuber extract alleviates atopic dermatitis: transcriptomics-based mechanism prediction and in vitro/in vivo studies — corydaline quantified at 5.71 mg/gView study →}

Mechanisms

The load-bearing point is that corydaline’s activity is oriented toward the gut wall and mast cell, not the dopamine receptor that defines l-THP and canadine ^{5Reference 5Ma ZZ et al. · 2008Isoquinoline alkaloids isolated from Corydalis yanhusuo and their binding affinities at the dopamine D1 receptor — corydaline negligible (>10,000 nM)View study →}. Its analgesia runs through sodium-channel block ^{2Reference 2Xu Y et al. · 2021Analgesic effect of the main components of Corydalis yanhusuo (yanhusuo) is caused by inhibition of voltage gated sodium channels — isolated-alkaloid electrophysiology + animal analgesiaView study →} rather than central dopaminergic antagonism.

Pharmacokinetics

Corydaline’s pharmacokinetics are characterised in rats only. After oral dosing, bioavailability was dose-dependent, roughly 9–21% (rising with dose), and was greater when given within DA-9701 than as the pure compound — co-components appear to reduce hepatic/GI first-pass extraction of corydaline ^{6Reference 6Jung JW et al. · 2014AnimalPharmacokinetics of chlorogenic acid and corydaline in DA-9701, a new botanical gastroprokinetic agent, in ratsView study →}. Its clearance is dominated by hepatic CYP metabolism, and rats show a marked sex difference: females reached far higher corydaline exposure (oral AUC and Cmax several-fold above males), traced to slower metabolism by male-dominant CYP isozymes (CYP3A2, CYP2C11, CYP3A1) ^{7Reference 7Jung JW et al. · 2015AnimalGender differences in corydaline pharmacokinetics in rats — CYP3A/CYP2C-mediated hepatic metabolismView study →}. No human pharmacokinetic data for isolated corydaline were established here; the CYP-mediated metabolism flags a plausible (unquantified) interaction surface.

Clinical Trials

None for isolated corydaline. No registered or published human trial dosed corydaline as a stand-alone agent. The human clinical record belongs to the two-herb formula DA-9701 (Motilitone) — of which corydaline is only the analytical marker — which was non-inferior to itopride for functional dyspepsia in a 464-patient randomised trial ^{8Reference 8Choi MG et al. · 2015RCTRandomized, controlled, multi-center trial comparing the safety and efficacy of DA-9701 (corydalis tuber + Pharbitis seed) and itopride hydrochloride in patients with functional dyspepsia — corydaline is the formula’s markerView study →}.

Last checked: July 2026.

Isolate vs. Plant Studies

Corydaline’s evidence sits in an unusual middle. Its prokinetic and Nav1.7 findings come from studies that purified the alkaloid and tested it directly ^{1,2Reference 1Lee TH et al. · 2010AnimalEffects of corydaline from Corydalis tuber on gastric motor function in an animal model — in vivo rat studyView study →Reference 2Xu Y et al. · 2021Analgesic effect of the main components of Corydalis yanhusuo (yanhusuo) is caused by inhibition of voltage gated sodium channels — isolated-alkaloid electrophysiology + animal analgesiaView study →} — the right design, and a genuine strength. But the strongest human touchpoint is the DA-9701 formula (corydalis tuber + Pharbitis seed), where corydaline is a standardisation marker, not the demonstrated active ^{8Reference 8Choi MG et al. · 2015RCTRandomized, controlled, multi-center trial comparing the safety and efficacy of DA-9701 (corydalis tuber + Pharbitis seed) and itopride hydrochloride in patients with functional dyspepsia — corydaline is the formula’s markerView study →}; the anti-dermatitis outcome is likewise a whole-extract effect ^{4Reference 4Jin SE et al. · 2025In vitroCorydalis tuber extract alleviates atopic dermatitis: transcriptomics-based mechanism prediction and in vitro/in vivo studies — corydaline quantified at 5.71 mg/gView study →}. The transferability caveat therefore runs in both directions: corydalis tuber’s human benefits should not be attributed to corydaline alone, and corydaline’s isolate pharmacology should not be assumed to occur at the trace, highly variable levels a given tuber or supplement actually delivers ^{9Reference 9Luis PB · 2024Large variability in the alkaloid content of Corydalis yanhusuo dietary supplements — corydaline below quantifiable to ~404 ng/mgView study →}. The tuber’s anti-H. pylori action, in particular, belongs to the dehydrocorydaline fraction, not to corydaline ^{10Reference 10Wu H et al. · 2023Gastroprotective action of the extract of Corydalis yanhusuo in Helicobacter pylori infection and its bioactive component, dehydrocorydalineView study →}.

Its Role in Plants

Corydaline is a benzylisoquinoline alkaloid built on the tetrahydroprotoberberine skeleton — the fully-reduced, tertiary-amine framework shared by canadine and tetrahydropalmatine, elaborated from the branch-point intermediate (S)-reticuline through the protoberberine pathway. Structurally it carries two extra methyl-bearing stereocentres (at C-13 and C-14, cis-oriented) that distinguish it from the simpler THPBs. In the plant it accumulates in the tuber/rhizome as one of a large family of co-occurring alkaloids (with l-THP, dehydrocorydaline, dehydrocorybulbine, protopine and others), the diversified chemical-defence arsenal typical of Corydalis and the wider Papaveraceae. Its specific ecological function has not been separately characterised here.

Prevalence in Nature

Corydaline occurs essentially only in corydalis, chiefly the tuber of Corydalis yanhusuo (yan hu suo) and related Corydalis species, where it is one of the characteristic tetrahydroprotoberberine alkaloids ^{2,5Reference 2Xu Y et al. · 2021Analgesic effect of the main components of Corydalis yanhusuo (yanhusuo) is caused by inhibition of voltage gated sodium channels — isolated-alkaloid electrophysiology + animal analgesiaView study →Reference 5Ma ZZ et al. · 2008Isoquinoline alkaloids isolated from Corydalis yanhusuo and their binding affinities at the dopamine D1 receptor — corydaline negligible (>10,000 nM)View study →}. It is not a widely-distributed phytochemical: outside this genus it is reported only sporadically.

Its concentration is highly variable and often low. A survey of 14 commercial C. yanhusuo supplements found corydaline ranging from below quantifiable to ~404 ng/mg, with only about a third of products delivering alkaloid levels comparable to the natural rhizome ^{9Reference 9Luis PB · 2024Large variability in the alkaloid content of Corydalis yanhusuo dietary supplements — corydaline below quantifiable to ~404 ng/mgView study →}. Traditional vinegar-processing of the tuber (used for pain) further alters alkaloid solubility and the recovered profile. A defined corydalis-tuber extract has been standardised to corydaline at ~5.71 mg/g ^{4Reference 4Jin SE et al. · 2025In vitroCorydalis tuber extract alleviates atopic dermatitis: transcriptomics-based mechanism prediction and in vitro/in vivo studies — corydaline quantified at 5.71 mg/gView study →}, but that is a concentrated extract, not raw herb — so raw-material figures should not be read across from it. The practical upshot: “how much corydaline” is a property of the specific batch and preparation, not a fixed number.

Discovery & Synthesis

Corydaline is one of the classic corydalis-tuber alkaloids, isolated from Corydalis in the nineteenth-century wave of isoquinoline-alkaloid chemistry that also yielded its protoberberine and tetrahydroprotoberberine relatives; the exact first-isolation date and chemist are not pinned here. The name derives directly from the genus Corydalis (Greek korydalís, the crested lark, for the flower’s spur). Its structure was later resolved as a tetrahydroprotoberberine bearing the additional C-13/C-14 methyl substitution and cis ring-junction stereochemistry that mark it out within the class. There is no commercial manufacture of isolated corydaline: it is obtained by extraction from corydalis tuber for research and as an analytical reference standard (notably as a marker for standardising the prokinetic formula DA-9701), rather than produced at scale by total synthesis.

Patents: not yet researched (future patent-loop pass).

Toxicity & Safety

Corydaline’s safety is essentially unstudied as an isolated compound, and that absence — not any positive evidence of safety — is the honest headline. Human dietary exposure is small, indirect and highly variable (a minor, batch-dependent alkaloid of corydalis tuber) ^{9Reference 9Luis PB · 2024Large variability in the alkaloid content of Corydalis yanhusuo dietary supplements — corydaline below quantifiable to ~404 ng/mgView study →}, which is reassuring at the level of ordinary herbal use. But no isolated-compound toxicology, genotoxicity, carcinogenicity or reproductive dataset was located, and the molecule is not pharmacologically inert: it engages sodium channels, mast cells and gastric motility ^{1,2,3Reference 1Lee TH et al. · 2010AnimalEffects of corydaline from Corydalis tuber on gastric motor function in an animal model — in vivo rat studyView study →Reference 2Xu Y et al. · 2021Analgesic effect of the main components of Corydalis yanhusuo (yanhusuo) is caused by inhibition of voltage gated sodium channels — isolated-alkaloid electrophysiology + animal analgesiaView study →Reference 3Zhang et al et al. · 2025In vitroCorydalis yanhusuo extract and its pharmacological substances alleviate food allergy by inhibiting mast cells activation via PLC/PKC/STAT3 pathway — in vitro + in vivoView study →}, and it is cleared by CYP3A/CYP2C-type hepatic metabolism with large sex differences in rats — a plausible but unquantified interaction surface ^{7Reference 7Jung JW et al. · 2015AnimalGender differences in corydaline pharmacokinetics in rats — CYP3A/CYP2C-mediated hepatic metabolismView study →}.

Safety at a Glance

✅ Low / no toxicity

• Small, indirect dietary exposure. Corydaline is consumed only as one alkaloid of corydalis tuber, not as a stand-alone supplement.
• Not inert. Isolated corydaline acts on gastric motility, Nav1.7 sodium channels and mast cells in preclinical models ^{1,2,3Reference 1Lee TH et al. · 2010AnimalEffects of corydaline from Corydalis tuber on gastric motor function in an animal model — in vivo rat studyView study →Reference 2Xu Y et al. · 2021Analgesic effect of the main components of Corydalis yanhusuo (yanhusuo) is caused by inhibition of voltage gated sodium channels — isolated-alkaloid electrophysiology + animal analgesiaView study →Reference 3Zhang et al et al. · 2025In vitroCorydalis yanhusuo extract and its pharmacological substances alleviate food allergy by inhibiting mast cells activation via PLC/PKC/STAT3 pathway — in vitro + in vivoView study →}; pharmacological doses would not be expected to be inactive.
• CYP-metabolised. Hepatic CYP3A/CYP2C-type clearance with marked sex differences in rats flags a possible drug-interaction surface — unassessed in humans ^{7Reference 7Jung JW et al. · 2015AnimalGender differences in corydaline pharmacokinetics in rats — CYP3A/CYP2C-mediated hepatic metabolismView study →}.
• Safety essentially unstudied. No human data and no isolated-compound toxicology, interaction or pregnancy assessment for corydaline specifically — treat silence as unknown, not safe.

Note on scope: drug-interaction and pregnancy/lactation risk were not assessed for corydaline here — those decisions belong to the whole-herb corydalis monograph, where intake is actually decided, and where the tuber’s better-characterised alkaloids (l-THP’s dopaminergic/hepatic cautions) drive the verdict.

Dosage

There is no established or studied human dose for isolated corydaline. It has never been used as a stand-alone medicine. The figures in the pharmacology sections above are research doses in rats and concentrations in cell/tissue assays, not doses given to people. Human exposure occurs only as a constituent of corydalis tuber, or as the marker compound within the DA-9701 (Motilitone) formula — dosed in trials at 30 mg of the formula three times daily (that is a dose of the two-herb product, not of corydaline) ^{8Reference 8Choi MG et al. · 2015RCTRandomized, controlled, multi-center trial comparing the safety and efficacy of DA-9701 (corydalis tuber + Pharbitis seed) and itopride hydrochloride in patients with functional dyspepsia — corydaline is the formula’s markerView study →}. Because corydaline content varies enormously between batches and preparations ^{9Reference 9Luis PB · 2024Large variability in the alkaloid content of Corydalis yanhusuo dietary supplements — corydaline below quantifiable to ~404 ng/mgView study →}, the “dose of corydaline” in any product is whatever trace amount it happens to contain. Any figure here is a research value and is not a personal recommendation.

References

1. Lee TH, Son M, Kim SY. (2010). Effects of corydaline from Corydalis tuber on gastric motor function in an animal model — in vivo rat study. Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 33(6), 958–962. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20522959/
2. Xu Y, Sun J, Li W, Zhang S, Yang L, Teng Y, et al. (2021). Analgesic effect of the main components of Corydalis yanhusuo (yanhusuo) is caused by inhibition of voltage gated sodium channels — isolated-alkaloid electrophysiology + animal analgesia. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 280, 114457. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34329712/
3. Zhang et al. (2025). Corydalis yanhusuo extract and its pharmacological substances alleviate food allergy by inhibiting mast cells activation via PLC/PKC/STAT3 pathway — in vitro + in vivo. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39251152/
4. Jin SE, Seo CS, Jeon WY, Oh YJ, Shin HK, Ha H. (2025). Corydalis tuber extract alleviates atopic dermatitis: transcriptomics-based mechanism prediction and in vitro/in vivo studies — corydaline quantified at 5.71 mg/g. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 26(3), 1291. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39941059/
5. Ma ZZ, Xu W, Jensen NH, Roth BL, Liu-Chen LY, Lee DYW. (2008). Isoquinoline alkaloids isolated from Corydalis yanhusuo and their binding affinities at the dopamine D1 receptor — corydaline negligible (>10,000 nM). Molecules, 13(9), 2303–2312. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18830156/
6. Jung JW, Kim JM, Jeong JS, Son M, Lee HS, Lee MG, Kang HE. (2014). Pharmacokinetics of chlorogenic acid and corydaline in DA-9701, a new botanical gastroprokinetic agent, in rats. Xenobiotica, 44(7), 635–643. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24417753/
7. Jung JW, Choi MR, Kwon YS, Jeong JS, Son M, Kang HE. (2015). Gender differences in corydaline pharmacokinetics in rats — CYP3A/CYP2C-mediated hepatic metabolism. Xenobiotica, 45(5), 456–463. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25430796/
8. Choi MG, et al. (2015). Randomized, controlled, multi-center trial comparing the safety and efficacy of DA-9701 (corydalis tuber + Pharbitis seed) and itopride hydrochloride in patients with functional dyspepsia — corydaline is the formula’s marker. Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility, 21(3), 414–422. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26130637/
9. Luis PB, Schneider C. (2024). Large variability in the alkaloid content of Corydalis yanhusuo dietary supplements — corydaline below quantifiable to ~404 ng/mg. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 15, 1518750. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39881869/
10. Wu H, Sun Q, Dong H, Qiao J, Lin Y, Yu C, Li Y. (2023). Gastroprotective action of the extract of Corydalis yanhusuo in Helicobacter pylori infection and its bioactive component, dehydrocorydaline. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 307, 116200. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36681166/

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