Bupleurum chinense DC. is one of the well-known and important traditional Chinese herbs. In China, Bupleurum is often used to treat the common cold with fever. I could not find any human studies done with bupleurum performed in Western countries.

Good Night Rx with bupleurum root

Developed by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

Good Night Rx with bupleurum root and more than a dozen herbs and nutrients for sedation helps you fall asleep and stay asleep without the side effects common to prescription sleeping pills.


Suggested Use: Take one capsule of Good Night Rx one to three hours before sleep, preferably on an empty stomach. Good Night Rx does not work as well when taken with a meal.

For a list of the ingredients and more information regarding Good Night Rx

Subscribe to a FREE Supplement Research Update newsletter. Twice a month you will receive an email with reviews of several studies on various supplements and natural medicine topics, including bupleurum and other herbs, and their practical interpretation by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

High Quality products formulated by a medical doctor
Consider highly popular all natural products. These top quality products include Mind Power Rx for better mental focus, concentration, and mood; Diet Rx which helps you eat less. It really does curb appetite; Good Night Rx with bupleurum for better sleep; Eyesight Rx for better vision, often within days; MultiVit Rx a daily comprehensive multivitamin for more energy and vitality; Joint Power Rx for healthy joints; Prostate Power Rx for a healthy prostate gland; and Passion Rx for sexual enhancement, better libido, and improved performance and stamina in men and women.

Bupleurum chemical composition
Saikosaponin - Bupleurum Extract 5% Bupleurum saikosaponins.

Bupleurum on neurotransmitter levels
Effects of chai hu (radix burpleuri) containing formulation on plasma beta-endorphin, epinephrine and dopamine on patients.
Am J Chin Med. 2005;33(5):737-45. Department of TCM Diagnostics, School of Pre-clinical Medicine Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China.
Chai Hu (Radix Burpleuri), a major ingredient in many traditional Chinese medicine formulas, such as Xiao Yan Wan, is used in the treatment of liver stagnation and spleen deficiency syndrome. The objectives of this study were to examine the effects of Xiao Yao Wan containing Chai Hu on the changes of plasma indices. Fifty-eight cases of liver stagnation and spleen deficiency syndrome were randomly divided into two groups: 41 cases in the experimental group were treated with Xiao Yao Wan containing Chai Hu and 17 cases in the control group were treated with Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan for one consecutive month in a single blind design. Compared to baseline levels, plasma beta-endorphin was significantly increased, while epinephrine and dopamine were markedly decreased after the administration of Xiao Yao Wan in the experimental group. The other indices did not change. This is the first evidence showing that the effect of Xiao Yao Wan containing Chai Hu on the treatment of patients with liver stagnation and spleen deficiency syndrome may be through enhancing plasma beta-endorphin and decreasing epinehrine and dopamine release. We conclude that Xiao Yao Wan containing Chai Hu regulates nervous and endocrine systems and contributes to the improvement of the clinical status of patients with liver stagnation and spleen deficiency syndrome.

Bupleurum Research Update
In vitro anti-Helicobacter pylori action of 30 Chinese herbal medicines used to treat ulcer diseases.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2005 Apr 26;98(3):329-33.
Infection by Helicobacter pylori has been ascertained to be an important etiologic impetus leading usually to chronic active gastritis and gastric ulcer with growing incidences worldwide. Utilizing as the test pathogen a standard and five clinic strains of Helicobacter pylori, the antibacterial action was assessed in vitro with ethanol extracts of 30 Chinese herbal medicines which have been frequently prescribed since ancient times for treating gastritis-like disorders. Among the 30 tested materials, the ethanol extracts of Abrus cantoniensis (Fabaceae), Saussurea lappa (Asteraceae) and Eugenia caryophyllata (Myrtaceae) were strongly inhibitory to all test strains (MICs: approximately 40mug/ml), and Hippophae rhamnoides (Elaeagnaceae), Fritillaria thunbergii (Liliaceae), Magnolia officinalis and Schisandra chinensis (Magnoliaceae), Corydalis yanhusuo (Papaveraceae), Citrus reticulata (Rutaceae), Bupleurum chinense and Ligusticum chuanxiong (Apiaceae) substantially active with MICs close to 60.0mug/ml. As to antibacterial actions of the aqueous extracts of the same drugs, those derived from Cassia obtusifolia (Fabaceae), Fritillaria thunbergii and Eugenia caryophyllata were remarkably inhibitory against all the six Helicobacter pylori strains (MICs: approximately 60mug/ml). The work compared almost quantitatively the magnitude of the anti-Helicobacter pylori actions of the 30 most prescribed gastritis-treating Chinese herbal drugs, and located as well some source plants where potent anti-Helicobacter pylori phytochemicals could be characterized.

Chemical constituents of the roots of Bupleurum longicaule Wall. ex DC. var. franchetii de Boiss and B. chaishoui Shan et Sheh
Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 1996 Dec;21(12):739-41, 762.
From the roots of Bupleurum longicaule var. franchetii, B. chaishoui and the official species B. chinense, ten saikosaponins have been isolated and identified as saikosaponin a, saikosaponin d, saikosaponin c, saikosaponin e, saikosaponin b2, 2"-O-acetylsaikosaponin a, 3"-O-acetylsaikosaponin a, 3"-O-acetylsaikosaponin d, 6"-O-acetylsaikosaponin a and 6"-O-acetylsaikosaponin d respectively. It has been shown that the chemical constituents of these three Bupleurum plants are very similar, therefore, the medicinal value of B. longicaule var. franchetii and B. chaishoui is further verified.

Treatment of primary thrombocytopenic purpura by modified minor decoction of bupleurum.
J Tradit Chin Med. 1995 Jun;15(2):96-8. Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, People's Hospital of Langfang City, Hebei Province.

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Bupleurum flower and Bupleurum root - more information coming soon