Corydalis

What Is Corydalis?

Corydalis is a tuber-producing flowering plant used extensively in Traditional Chinese Medicine for pain relief and circulatory stagnation. The medicinal tuber is especially valued for its analgesic and sedative properties and has traditionally been used for both acute and chronic pain conditions.

In Chinese medicine, corydalis is strongly associated with the movement of Blood and Qi stagnation — patterns linked with fixed pain, trauma, menstrual discomfort, and arthritic conditions.

Modern research has focused primarily on the plant’s isoquinoline alkaloids, particularly tetrahydropalmatine and related compounds believed to contribute to its analgesic, sedative, and neuromodulating effects.

How Is Corydalis Used?

Corydalis is most commonly used as a decoction, powder, capsule, tincture, or standardized extract.

Traditional applications center primarily around pain conditions including musculoskeletal pain, menstrual pain, traumatic injury, abdominal pain, headaches, and arthritic disorders. The herb is often combined with circulatory and antispasmodic herbs in traditional formulas.

Modern herbal practice frequently uses corydalis for chronic pain states where tension, stagnation, or nervous system hypersensitivity are present.

Because the herb possesses mild sedative properties, it is also sometimes used to support rest and relaxation in pain-associated insomnia or agitation.

Traditional Uses

Traditional Chinese Medicine

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, corydalis (Yan Hu Suo) is considered acrid, bitter, and warm.

The herb is traditionally used to invigorate Blood, move Qi stagnation, and relieve pain. It is regarded as one of the more versatile herbal analgesics in Chinese medicine and is used for both internal and external pain syndromes.

Traditional indications include menstrual pain, chest pain, abdominal pain, traumatic injury, headaches, hernia pain, and rheumatic disorders.

Corydalis is especially associated with fixed, sharp, or stagnation-related pain patterns.

Western Herbal Medicine

Modern Western herbalism primarily uses corydalis as a botanical analgesic and mild sedative.

The herb is commonly used for chronic musculoskeletal pain, rheumatoid arthritis, nerve pain, menstrual discomfort, and tension-related pain conditions.

It is frequently grouped with herbs such as California poppy, Jamaican dogwood, cramp bark, and valerian in pain-support formulations.

Indications

Corydalis is primarily indicated for painful conditions associated with tension, inflammation, or stagnation.

Common traditional and modern indications include:

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Musculoskeletal pain
• Menstrual pain
• Nerve pain
• Headaches
• Abdominal cramping
• Traumatic injury
• Chest pain
• Arthritic conditions
• Tension-related pain
• Pain-associated insomnia

Clinically, the herb is most commonly used for chronic pain management and inflammatory pain states.

Botanical Information

Corydalis turtschaninovii is a small flowering perennial belonging to the poppy family (Papaveraceae). The plant is native to parts of China, Korea, and eastern Asia.

It produces finely divided foliage and tubular flowers, while the medicinal portion consists of the underground tuber harvested after the aerial portions die back.

Several related Corydalis species are also used medicinally in Chinese herbal practice, though constituent profiles may vary.

Pharmacology & Research

The modern literature on corydalis is substantial but lopsided: it concentrates almost entirely on the tuber’s isoquinoline alkaloids — chiefly tetrahydropalmatine (THP, and its levorotatory form l-THP/rotundine), dehydrocorydaline (DHC) and dehydrocorybulbine (DHCB) — and it is dominated by animal and in-vitro pharmacology rather than human trials ^{37Reference 37Feng JH et al et al. · 2023ReviewThe composition, pharmacological effects, related mechanisms and drug delivery of alkaloids from Corydalis yanhusuo — reviewView study →}. The analgesic reputation is the best-developed strand, supported across acute, inflammatory and neuropathic pain models with several converging mechanisms, and anchored by a landmark 2014 study that isolated DHCB as a dopamine-receptor-active analgesic ^{1,3Reference 1Zhang Y et al et al. · 2014AnimalA novel analgesic isolated from a traditional Chinese medicine — animal model, in vivoView study →Reference 3Xu Y et al et al. · 2021In vitroAnalgesic effect of the main components of Corydalis yanhusuo (yanhusuo in Chinese) is caused by inhibition of voltage gated sodium channels — in vivo, in vitroView study →}. The strongest human data, however, is not for pain at all but for l-THP as an anti-relapse agent in addiction, where two small placebo-controlled trials exist ^{10,11Reference 10Yang Z et al et al. · 2008RCTMedication of l-tetrahydropalmatine significantly ameliorates opiate craving and increases the abstinence rate in heroin users: a pilot study — randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlledView study →Reference 11Hassan HE et al et al. · 2017RCTPharmacokinetics and Safety Assessment of l-Tetrahydropalmatine in Cocaine Users: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study — randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlledView study →}. Almost all of this work uses isolated alkaloids — often a single purified compound rather than the whole-tuber decoction the herb is traditionally taken as — and batch alkaloid content varies enormously between commercial samples ^{38Reference 38Luis P et al. · 2025Large variability in the alkaloid content of Corydalis yanhusuo dietary supplements — analytical surveyView study →}, so effect sizes do not transfer cleanly to a cup of decoction.

0. Evidence by indication

Support is an experimental score I’m building — a composite weighted by study type (human > animal > in vitro > review) and study volume. It’s a beta: a fast way to rank strength of evidence at a glance, not a validated metric, and I’ll keep honing the formula over time. Each indication name links down to its write-up.

Indication	Support	Rests on
Analgesic	████████░░ 76%	Many animal models (acute/inflammatory/neuropathic) + converging D2, Nav1.7, opioid & CB1 mechanisms; long clinical use of l-THP, but thin modern whole-herb RCT data.
Anti-addiction	███████░░░ 74%	Two small human RCTs (heroin, cocaine) + large consistent rodent relapse literature — but isolated l-THP, not the herb.
Anti-inflammatory	███████░░░ 66%	In-vitro macrophage work isolating DHC as the main active alkaloid + in-vivo arthritis models; no human data.
Anxiolytic & sedative	██████░░░░ 56%	Animal anxiety/depression models + decades of clinical sedative use of rotundine; dopaminergic mechanism, no modern RCT.
Neuroprotective	█████░░░░░ 50%	Scattered animal/in-vitro models (heatstroke, viral encephalitis, glutamate excitotoxicity); disparate, no human data.
Cardioprotective	████░░░░░░ 44%	Rat hypotension/bradycardia and myocardial-infarction models; the same mechanism doubles as a safety caution.
Anticancer	████░░░░░░ 38%	DHC-induced apoptosis in breast-cancer cell lines only; single-compound, no in-vivo or human data.
Gastroprotective	███░░░░░░░ 34%	One extract study — anti-H. pylori and gastroprotection in vitro / in mice; preliminary.

1. Analgesic

This is the herb’s flagship activity and the deepest part of its evidence base — though almost all of it is preclinical. A 2014 Current Biology study screened the tuber and isolated dehydrocorybulbine (DHCB), a moderate dopamine-receptor antagonist that relieved acute thermal, inflammatory and injury-induced neuropathic pain in mice — acting primarily through D2 receptors and, notably, without producing antinociceptive tolerance ^{1Reference 1Zhang Y et al et al. · 2014AnimalA novel analgesic isolated from a traditional Chinese medicine — animal model, in vivoView study →}. A systematic follow-up tested a whole Corydalis yanhusuo extract across acute, inflammatory and chronic-neuropathic assays and confirmed non-tolerance-forming antinociception at non-sedative doses ^{2Reference 2Wang L et al et al. · 2016AnimalThe Antinociceptive Properties of the Corydalis yanhusuo Extract — animal model, knock-out miceView study →}. Mechanistically the effect is multi-target: the main monomers (tetrahydropalmatine, corydaline, protopine, dehydrocorydaline) all inhibit voltage-gated Nav1.7 sodium channels ^{3Reference 3Xu Y et al et al. · 2021In vitroAnalgesic effect of the main components of Corydalis yanhusuo (yanhusuo in Chinese) is caused by inhibition of voltage gated sodium channels — in vivo, in vitroView study →}; DHC’s antinociception in inflammatory pain is naloxone-reversible, implicating opioid receptors and suppression of spinal TNF-α/IL-1β/IL-6 ^{4Reference 4Yin ZY et al et al. · 2016AnimalAntinociceptive effects of dehydrocorydaline in mouse models of inflammatory pain involve the opioid receptor and inflammatory cytokines — mouse, in vivoView study →}, and it dampens neuroinflammation in bone-cancer and chronic-constriction-injury neuropathic-pain models by shifting spinal microglia toward the anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype ^{5,6,9Reference 5Huo W et al et al. · 2018AnimalDehydrocorydaline attenuates bone cancer pain by shifting microglial M1/M2 polarization toward the M2 phenotype — mouse model, in vivoView study →Reference 6Hou BL et al et al. · 2025AnimalAnalgesic Effect of Dehydrocorydaline on Chronic Constriction Injury-Induced Neuropathic Pain via Alleviating Neuroinflammation — mouse, in vivoView study →Reference 9Dehghani M et al et al. · 2025ReviewEXPRESS: Dehydrocorydaline can be a suitable candidate for analgesic purposes: a review on the current preclinical evidence — reviewView study →}; l-THP shows the same anti-neuropathic action via the Clec7a–NF-κB–NLRP3 inflammasome axis ^{7Reference 7Wu D et al et al. · 2023AnimalLevo-tetrahydropalmatine ameliorates neuropathic pain by inhibiting the activation of the Clec7a-MAPK/NF-κB-NLRP3 inflammasome axis — rat, in vivoView study →}; and in a trigeminal neuropathic-pain model the effect of dl-THP was blocked by a CB1 antagonist, pointing to a cannabinoid contribution ^{8Reference 8Huang JY et al et al. · 2010AnimalHuang JY et al. (2010). [Analgesic effect of Corydalis yanhusuo in a rat model of trigeminal neuropathic pain] — rat model, in vivo. Nan Fang Yi Ke Da Xue Xue Bao. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20855279/View study →}. l-THP (rotundine) itself has decades of clinical use as an analgesic-sedative in China, which lends the preclinical picture more real-world weight than most herbs enjoy.

Gap: despite this depth, there is no modern, registered, placebo-controlled trial of the whole herb for a defined pain condition; the human warrant rests on long clinical use of the isolated alkaloid, not on trial data for the tuber.

2. Anti-addiction

The most interesting — and most human-tested — story in corydalis is tetrahydropalmatine in its levo form (l-THP), a mixed dopamine D1/D2/D3 receptor antagonist ^{13Reference 13Mantsch JR et al et al. · 2007AnimalLevo-tetrahydropalmatine attenuates cocaine self-administration and cocaine-induced reinstatement in rats — rat, in vivoView study →}. In a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot in 120 heroin-dependent patients, four weeks of l-THP significantly reduced protracted-abstinence withdrawal symptoms and craving, and raised the three-month abstinence rate to 47.8% versus 15.2% on placebo ^{10Reference 10Yang Z et al et al. · 2008RCTMedication of l-tetrahydropalmatine significantly ameliorates opiate craving and increases the abstinence rate in heroin users: a pilot study — randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlledView study →}. A separate randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled safety/pharmacokinetic study in cocaine users found oral l-THP (30 mg twice daily) safe and well tolerated, with no adverse effect on cocaine’s cardiovascular profile ^{11Reference 11Hassan HE et al et al. · 2017RCTPharmacokinetics and Safety Assessment of l-Tetrahydropalmatine in Cocaine Users: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study — randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlledView study →}. These small trials sit atop an unusually consistent rodent literature: l-THP attenuates self-administration and relapse-like reinstatement for cocaine ^{12,13Reference 12Figueroa-Guzman Y et al et al. · 2011AnimalOral administration of levo-tetrahydropalmatine attenuates reinstatement of extinguished cocaine seeking by cocaine, stress or drug-associated cues in rats — rat, in vivoView study →Reference 13Mantsch JR et al et al. · 2007AnimalLevo-tetrahydropalmatine attenuates cocaine self-administration and cocaine-induced reinstatement in rats — rat, in vivoView study →}, heroin ^{14Reference 14Yue K et al et al. · 2012AnimalThe dopamine receptor antagonist levo-tetrahydropalmatine attenuates heroin self-administration and heroin-induced reinstatement in rats — rat, in vivoView study →}, nicotine ^{15Reference 15Faison SL et al et al. · 2016Animall-tetrahydropalmatine reduces nicotine self-administration and reinstatement in rats — rat, in vivoView study →} and methamphetamine ^{17,18,19Reference 17Liu L et al et al. · 2021ReviewLevo-tetrahydropalmatine: A new potential medication for methamphetamine addiction and neurotoxicity — reviewView study →Reference 18Gong X et al et al. · 2016AnimalLevo-tetrahydropalmatine, a natural, mixed dopamine receptor antagonist, inhibits methamphetamine self-administration and methamphetamine-induced reinstatement — rat, in vivoView study →Reference 19Su H et al et al. · 2020AnimalLevo-tetrahydropalmatine attenuates methamphetamine reward behavior and the accompanying activation of ERK phosphorylation in mice — mouse, in vivoView study →}, and a low-dose-naltrexone combination outperforms l-THP alone for cocaine relapse ^{16Reference 16Sushchyk S et al et al. · 2016AnimalCombination of Levo-Tetrahydropalmatine and Low Dose Naltrexone: A Promising Treatment for Prevention of Cocaine Relapse — rat, in vivoView study →}.

Gap: the trials are small and preliminary, and all of this is the isolated l-THP enantiomer — not the whole-tuber preparation corydalis is sold and taken as; the herb itself has not been trialled for addiction.

3. Anti-inflammatory

Corydalis extracts suppress inflammatory signalling, and the activity has been traced to a specific alkaloid. In cultured LPS-stimulated macrophages, dehydrocorydaline accounted for the majority of the rhizome’s anti-inflammatory effect, lowering pro-inflammatory cytokine output ^{20Reference 20Kong X et al et al. · 2020In vitroDehydrocorydaline Accounts the Majority of Anti-Inflammatory Property of Corydalis Rhizoma in Cultured Macrophage — in vitroView study →}. Structure–activity work on newly isolated seco-protoberberines from C. yanhusuo confirmed nitric-oxide-suppressing activity in the same macrophage system ^{21Reference 21Xia GY et al et al. · 2022In vitroXia GY et al. (2022). 13,13a-seco-protoberberines from the tubers of Corydalis yanhusuo and their anti-inflammatory activity — in vitro. Phytochemistry. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34839130/View study →}, and in a collagen-induced arthritis model a related Corydalis species (C. decumbens) and its alkaloid reduced macrophage inflammation via the transcription factor Fosl2 ^{22Reference 22Gao P et al et al. · 2025In vitroCorydalis decumbens and tetrahydropalmatrubin inhibit macrophages inflammation to relieve rheumatoid arthritis by targeting Fosl2 — rat, in vivo, in vitroView study →}. The same NF-κB / cytokine-suppressing thread extends to the liver: in a diet-induced non-alcoholic-fatty-liver model, tetrahydropalmatine reduced hepatic steatosis by re-balancing lipogenesis and fatty-acid oxidation through the AMPK–SREBP-1c–Sirt1 axis ^{34Reference 34Yin X et al et al. · 2023In vitroTetrahydropalmatine ameliorates hepatic steatosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease by switching lipid metabolism via AMPK-SREBP-1c-Sirt1 signaling axis — in vitro, in vivoView study →}.

Gap: the strongest data are in vitro, use a different Corydalis species, or (for the liver finding) an isolated alkaloid in a rodent model; there is no human anti-inflammatory trial, and whole-tuber dosing has not been mapped to these effects.

4. Anxiolytic & sedative

Sedation is one of corydalis’s oldest recognised properties — rotundine (l-THP) has been characterised pharmacologically as a sedative-hypnotic since the 1960s. In a rat model of single-prolonged-stress (a PTSD analogue), l-THP produced clear anxiolytic and antidepressant-like effects on the elevated-plus-maze and open-field tests ^{23Reference 23Lee B et al et al. · 2014AnimalL-tetrahydropalmatine ameliorates development of anxiety and depression-related symptoms induced by single prolonged stress in rats — rat, in vivoView study →}. Separately, dehydrocorydaline showed antidepressant-like activity in a chronic-unpredictable-mild-stress mouse model, apparently by inhibiting uptake-2 monoamine transporters and raising cortical monoamine tone ^{24Reference 24Jin L et al et al. · 2019AnimalDehydrocorydaline induced antidepressant-like effect in a chronic unpredictable mild stress mouse model via inhibiting uptake-2 monoamine transporters — mouse, in vivoView study →}. The dopaminergic-antagonist profile that drives the analgesic and anti-addiction effects plausibly underlies the calming action too.

Gap: the behavioural evidence is entirely animal-model; the sedative reputation rests on long clinical use rather than controlled trials, and the same CNS-depressant activity is the herb’s main interaction hazard.

5. Neuroprotective

A scattered set of studies reports neuroprotection, but across very different insults. Tetrahydropalmatine reduced neuronal injury, hyperthermia and cerebral ischaemia in a rat heatstroke model ^{26Reference 26Chang CK et al et al. · 1999AnimalThe neuroprotective effect of DL-tetrahydropalmatine in rat heatstroke — rat, in vivoView study →} and lowered mortality and neuro-inflammation in Japanese-encephalitis-virus-infected mice ^{25Reference 25Lixia H et al et al. · 2018AnimalNeuroprotective effect of (-)-tetrahydropalmatine in Japanese encephalitis virus strain GP-78 infected mouse model — mouse, in vivoView study →}. At the cellular level, dehydrocorydaline inhibits glutamate release from rat cortical nerve terminals, a plausible route to protection against excitotoxicity ^{27Reference 27Lin TY et al et al. · 2022In vitroInhibition of Glutamate Release from Rat Cortical Nerve Terminals by Dehydrocorydaline, an Alkaloid from — in vitroView study →}.

Gap: the models are disparate and none translate to a human neurological condition; this is mechanism-level plausibility, not a coherent therapeutic case.

6. Cardioprotective

The cardiovascular literature is genuinely double-edged. In anaesthetised rats, dl-tetrahydropalmatine produces dose-dependent hypotension and bradycardia through central dopamine-D2 (and 5-HT2) antagonism ^{28,29Reference 28Lin MT et al et al. · 1996AnimalAntihypertensive effects of DL-tetrahydropalmatine: an active principle isolated from Corydalis — rat, in vivoView study →Reference 29Chueh FY et al et al. · 1995AnimalDL-tetrahydropalmatine-produced hypotension and bradycardia in rats through the inhibition of central nervous dopaminergic mechanisms — rat, in vivoView study →} — an “antihypertensive” effect that is simultaneously a caution for anyone with low blood pressure or on cardiac/antihypertensive drugs. A separate rat study reported cardioprotection against acute myocardial infarction ^{30Reference 30Han BJ et al et al. · 2022AnimalCardioprotective Effects of Tetrahydropalmatine on Acute Myocardial Infarction in Rats — rat, in vivoView study →}.

Gap: all animal-model, and the blood-pressure-lowering / heart-rate-slowing action is as much a safety signal as a benefit; it should not be read as a cardiovascular therapy.

7. Anticancer

The anticancer signal is early and narrow. Dehydrocorydaline inhibited proliferation of MCF-7 breast-cancer cells by inducing caspase-dependent apoptosis ^{31Reference 31Xu Z et al et al. · 2012In vitroDehydrocorydaline inhibits breast cancer cells proliferation by inducing apoptosis in MCF-7 cells — in vitroView study →}, and reduced tumorigenicity of the more aggressive MDA-MB-231 breast-cancer line via cell-cycle and apoptosis-gene changes ^{32Reference 32Huang Y et al et al. · 2020In vitroDehydrocorydaline inhibits the tumorigenesis of breast cancer MDA‑MB‑231 cells — in vitroView study →}.

Gap: cell-line only, single compound, no animal-tumour or human data — this is a screening-stage observation, not evidence of anticancer use.

8. Gastroprotective

Consistent with corydalis’s traditional use for abdominal pain, a C. yanhusuo extract showed anti-Helicobacter pylori activity in vitro and gastroprotective action, with dehydrocorydaline identified as a bioactive component ^{33Reference 33Wu H et al et al. · 2023In vitroGastroprotective action of the extract of Corydalis yanhusuo in Helicobacter pylori infection and its bioactive component, dehydrocorydaline — in vitro, in vivoView study →}.

Gap: a single extract study spanning in-vitro and mouse work; no clinical confirmation, and the effective preparation is not defined.

Mechanisms

Mechanism	Drives	Key compounds
Dopamine D1/D2/D3 antagonism; Nav1.7 sodium-channel block; opioid-receptor engagement; NF-κB / cytokine ↓	analgesic, anti-addiction, anti-inflammatory, sedative	tetrahydropalmatine, dehydrocorydaline, corydaline
Moderate D2-receptor antagonism (no antinociceptive tolerance)	analgesic (acute, inflammatory, neuropathic)	dehydrocorybulbine
Dopaminergic modulation; smooth-muscle / antitussive activity	sedative, antispasmodic (traditional)	glaucine, bulbocapnine
Ion-channel and platelet modulation; analgesic contribution	analgesic, antispasmodic	protopine

Clinical trials

Human trial evidence is confined almost entirely to isolated l-tetrahydropalmatine in addiction medicine; for corydalis as a pain herb, modern registered controlled trials are essentially absent and the pain evidence base is preclinical.

Completed	Planned	Terminated	Preclinical
2 (l-THP in addiction) 10,11Reference 10Yang Z et al et al. · 2008RCTMedication of l-tetrahydropalmatine significantly ameliorates opiate craving and increases the abstinence rate in heroin users: a pilot study — randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlledView study →Reference 11Hassan HE et al et al. · 2017RCTPharmacokinetics and Safety Assessment of l-Tetrahydropalmatine in Cocaine Users: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study — randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlledView study →	0	0	~80+

Last checked: July 2026.

Phytochemistry

Corydalis tuber owes its analgesic reputation almost entirely to a rich complement of isoquinoline alkaloids. The signature marker — and the focus of most modern pharmacology — is tetrahydropalmatine (THP, also styled dl-THP or rotundine), a dopamine-receptor-active compound to which the sedative and pain-relieving effects are largely attributed. It is accompanied by corydaline, dehydrocorydaline and the analgesic dehydrocorybulbine (DHCB, isolated in 2014 as a non-tolerance-forming analgesic) ^{1Reference 1Zhang Y et al et al. · 2014AnimalA novel analgesic isolated from a traditional Chinese medicine — animal model, in vivoView study →}, the protopine-type and protoberberine alkaloids coptisine and palmatine, and the aporphines glaucine and bulbocapnine.

Constituent Summary

Figures below are expressed as % w/w within a standardised total-alkaloid extract (total alkaloids >50%) prepared from Corydalis yanhusuo tuber, per the optimised extraction study of Zhang et al. (2020) ^{39Reference 39Zhang Y et al. · 2020Optimization of the extraction and purification of Corydalis yanhusuo W.TView study →}; they are not percentages of the raw dried tuber, which carries far lower absolute alkaloid loads and varies widely between batches. For regulatory context, the Chinese Pharmacopoeia sets a minimum of 0.05% tetrahydropalmatine in raw Corydalis drug material. Values are No Data where the compound was identified but not quantified in this fraction.

Dosage

In research, corydalis is almost never given as the whole tuber — the human trials use isolated l-tetrahydropalmatine (l-THP) at a defined dose, which is a different intervention from the traditional decoction. The one clean clinical dose comes from the addiction trials:

Indication	Preparation	Dose	Est. dried-herb equivalent	Source
Opioid / cocaine dependence (anti-craving)	Isolated l-THP — not the whole herb	30 mg l-THP twice daily	Not derivable — isolated alkaloid, not a tuber extract	RCT 11Reference 11Hassan HE et al et al. · 2017RCTPharmacokinetics and Safety Assessment of l-Tetrahydropalmatine in Cocaine Users: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study — randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlledView study →

The dose above is purified l-THP, not corydalis tuber. Because l-THP is a small and highly variable fraction of the drug material ^{38Reference 38Luis P et al. · 2025Large variability in the alkaloid content of Corydalis yanhusuo dietary supplements — analytical surveyView study →}, it cannot be back-converted to a whole-herb dose and is not a recommendation.

For the whole herb, dosing follows traditional and pharmacopoeial practice rather than trial data.

Traditional Dosage

System	Preparation	Dose
Western herbal	Dried tuber (decoction)	3–9 g/day
Western herbal	Tincture	2–4 mL, up to 3× daily
TCM — Yan Hu Suo	Dried / vinegar-processed tuber (decoction)	3–9 g/day

Vinegar-processing — the traditional preparation for pain use — alters alkaloid solubility and is standard for the pain indication ^{35Reference 35Zhang J et al et al. · 2025AnimalCorydalis rhizoma attenuates primary dysmenorrhea in rats by inhibiting the FAK/PI3K-AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway — rat, in vivoView study →}. Commercial C. yanhusuo supplements show large batch-to-batch variability in alkaloid content, so a labelled weight is a poor guide to the actual alkaloid dose ^{38Reference 38Luis P et al. · 2025Large variability in the alkaloid content of Corydalis yanhusuo dietary supplements — analytical surveyView study →}. Corydalis is often used in combination formulas rather than as a standalone herb.

Safety

Corydalis is generally well tolerated at traditional decoction doses, but its principal alkaloids are centrally active and carry real cautions. Tetrahydropalmatine (l-THP) is a dopamine-receptor antagonist with sedative-hypnotic activity, so corydalis should be used cautiously with sedatives, sleep medication, alcohol and other CNS depressants ^{10,11Reference 10Yang Z et al et al. · 2008RCTMedication of l-tetrahydropalmatine significantly ameliorates opiate craving and increases the abstinence rate in heroin users: a pilot study — randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlledView study →Reference 11Hassan HE et al et al. · 2017RCTPharmacokinetics and Safety Assessment of l-Tetrahydropalmatine in Cocaine Users: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study — randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlledView study →}. In rats, tetrahydropalmatine lowers blood pressure and slows heart rate through central dopaminergic mechanisms ^{28,29Reference 28Lin MT et al et al. · 1996AnimalAntihypertensive effects of DL-tetrahydropalmatine: an active principle isolated from Corydalis — rat, in vivoView study →Reference 29Chueh FY et al et al. · 1995AnimalDL-tetrahydropalmatine-produced hypotension and bradycardia in rats through the inhibition of central nervous dopaminergic mechanisms — rat, in vivoView study →}, which warrants caution in people with hypotension, bradyarrhythmia, or on antihypertensive or cardiac medication. The most serious documented hazard is hepatotoxicity: l-THP is the neuroactive alkaloid in the Chinese patent medicine “Jin Bu Huan,” which has caused acute hepatitis with prolonged use and life-threatening neurological and cardiovascular effects after acute overdose, including in children ^{36Reference 36Horowitz RS et al et al. · 1996Case reportThe clinical spectrum of Jin Bu Huan toxicity — case reportsView study →}.

Interaction data are only partial. The pharmacodynamic additivity with CNS depressants above is well grounded, and a randomised study in cocaine users found oral l-THP did not alter cocaine’s pharmacokinetics ^{11Reference 11Hassan HE et al et al. · 2017RCTPharmacokinetics and Safety Assessment of l-Tetrahydropalmatine in Cocaine Users: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study — randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlledView study →}; but no systematic human herb–drug (CYP450) interaction study was identified, so the absence of interaction reports should not be read as clearance.

Individuals using prescription pain, sedative or neurological medications should consult a qualified healthcare practitioner before use.

Pregnancy & lactation

Avoid. Corydalis is traditionally contraindicated in pregnancy as a Blood-moving herb, and its CNS-active alkaloids cross into the brain. There is no reproductive-toxicology or lactation dataset, so this is a precautionary position — not a finding of either harm or safety ^{36Reference 36Horowitz RS et al et al. · 1996Case reportThe clinical spectrum of Jin Bu Huan toxicity — case reportsView study →}.

References

1. Zhang Y et al. (2014). A novel analgesic isolated from a traditional Chinese medicine — animal model, in vivo. Curr Biol. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24388848/
2. Wang L et al. (2016). The Antinociceptive Properties of the Corydalis yanhusuo Extract — animal model, knock-out mice. PLoS One. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27622550/
3. Xu Y et al. (2021). Analgesic effect of the main components of Corydalis yanhusuo (yanhusuo in Chinese) is caused by inhibition of voltage gated sodium channels — in vivo, in vitro. J Ethnopharmacol. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34329712/
4. Yin ZY et al. (2016). Antinociceptive effects of dehydrocorydaline in mouse models of inflammatory pain involve the opioid receptor and inflammatory cytokines — mouse, in vivo. Sci Rep. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27272194/
5. Huo W et al. (2018). Dehydrocorydaline attenuates bone cancer pain by shifting microglial M1/M2 polarization toward the M2 phenotype — mouse model, in vivo. Mol Pain. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29882480/
6. Hou BL et al. (2025). Analgesic Effect of Dehydrocorydaline on Chronic Constriction Injury-Induced Neuropathic Pain via Alleviating Neuroinflammation — mouse, in vivo. Chin J Integr Med. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39762501/
7. Wu D et al. (2023). Levo-tetrahydropalmatine ameliorates neuropathic pain by inhibiting the activation of the Clec7a-MAPK/NF-κB-NLRP3 inflammasome axis — rat, in vivo. Phytomedicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37741158/
8. Huang JY et al. (2010). [Analgesic effect of Corydalis yanhusuo in a rat model of trigeminal neuropathic pain] — rat model, in vivo. Nan Fang Yi Ke Da Xue Xue Bao. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20855279/
9. Dehghani M et al. (2025). EXPRESS: Dehydrocorydaline can be a suitable candidate for analgesic purposes: a review on the current preclinical evidence — review. Mol Pain. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40913244/
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