What does Yunnan Baiyao do?

by Chelsea Kent

Yunnan Baiyao was invented in 1902 by Dr. Qu Huanzhang in Yunnan, China. Over the past 100 years, Yunnan Baiyao made its name in the fierce battlegrounds of Chinese fighting against Japanese invasion in World War II and of the Vietcong fighting against USA during the Vietnam War by saving soldiers' lives from severe wounds.

In China, Yunnan Baiyao may be used as first-aid for any kind of traumatic injury or internal bleeding, whether one has a small cut, bruise, swelling, a serious wound from gunshots, an internal injury from car accidents or fighting, or bleeding from surgery and stomach ulcers etc. One may simply pour the Yunnan Baiyao power on to the cut and/or swallow the power.

In the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) terms, Yunnan Baiyao stops bleeding, disperses blood stasis, activates blood circulation, alleviates pain, clears away toxins, and reduce swelling. In studies, Yunnan Baiyao is shown to shorten the bleeding time and clotting time and reduce inflammatory response.

Doctors in China also let patients take Yunnan Baiyao before surgeries (0 to 5 days) because studies show that Yunnan Baiyao can reduce the amount of bleeding during operation.1,2 When applied after operation, Yunnan Baiyao may promote healing from the wound.

Currently, Yunnan Baiyao is only legitimately produced by Yunnan Baiyao Group Co., Ltd, one of the top state pharmaceutical companies in China. It was produced and exported to USA under the Camellia brand name before 1998. All the Yunnan Baiyao that possesses the product name Yunnan Paiyao under the Camellia brand in today's market are not genuine Yunnan Baiyao.

What is the formula composition?
The formula for Yunnan Baiyao is considered as a national treasure by the Chinese government and guarded as a top medical secret. Nevertheless, on the label of Yunnan Baiyao batches that are exported to the USA market, the following formula information is provided.

Supplement Facts Serving size: 0.50g

How do I use it?

For adults (average 150lbs), take 0.25 g - 0.5 g (1-2 capsules) each time, 4 times daily. The maximal
dosage should not exceed 0.5 g once every four hours. For bleeding injuries, it is better to take the powder
with warm water; for swelling, take it with wine. The powder can also be applied externally to arrest
bleeding.
For children: 2 to 5 years old, take 1/4 the adult dose each time; 5 to 12 years old, take half the adult dose
each time each time.
For patches, applied only externally to the affected area.
For Dogs: Give one Capsule for every 50lbs three times daily
Differentiation in Usage

Side Effects

Yunnan Baiyao has been safely used with few adverse effects when it is used as directed.

Warning

1. Not for use during pregnancy.

Precaution
1. Do not take Yunnan Baiyao if you are allergic to it.
2. If conditions do not improve or even get worsen after 3 days, discontinue it.
3. Not suitable for people with severe irregular heartbeat.
4. For best results, avoid consuming fish, beef, lamb, beans, and cold food at the same time.
5. Keep out of unsupervised reach of children.

Allergy Info

Yunnan Baiyao is gluten free

References
• 1. Tang ZL et al., Effects of the preoperative administration of Yunnan Baiyao capsules on intraoperative blood loss in bimaxillary orthognathic surgery: a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2009 Mar;38(3):261-6.
• 2. Pan SF et al., Effects of Yunnan Baiyao on peri-operative bleeding of patients undergoing cervical open-door
laminoplasty: a multi-center randomized double-blind placebo-control trial. Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi. 2006 Jul
18;86(27):1888-90.

Yunnan Baiyao Ingredient Breakdown

(Authored by Chelsea Kent from here down only)

The genus Dioscoreae is also known as Yam. There are 600 varieties of yams grown in over 47 different countries. The yams primarily harvested in Asia are the Water Yam (Dioscorea alata), Air Potato (Dioscorea bulbifera), Chinese Yam (Dioscorea opposita aka Cinnamon Vine), and Blumea balsamifera (also known as sambong) which is grown in the Yunnan province. (1) As stated above, the ingredients of Yunnan Baiyao are a secret of the Chinese government so the best we can do is determine the class of plant that they are in and then determine the safety and properties of that class of plants. Therefore, the ingredients listed as Dioscoreae Parviflora Ting (3), Rhizoma Dioscoreae Nipponicae (4) and Rhizoma Dioscoreae (5) are all types of Yam. Most likely listed above. A rhizome is a root. Therefore, as yams are flowering plants, Dioscoreae is likely a yam flower. The Chinese Yam is also known as a Cinnamon Vine so it is possible that the Rhizoma Dioscoreae Nipponicae is the Cinnamon Vine and the Rhizoma Dioscoreae is the Chinese Yam tuber. (2)
These yams, in particular, are noted to contain naturally high levels of steroidal saponins (6). They are also notorious for clotting blood and are not recommended for people with Protein S deficiencies (7). Chinese yam is scientifically noted to have potential anti-cancer benefits (8, 9).

It should be noted that many of the ingredients used have estrogenic effects and that is of primary importance as to why they are effective in this formula. While each ingredient is tested to not increase estrogen it is possible that long term use in high dose of this combination of highly estrogenic ingredients could potentially alter body estrogen.
Ajuga Forrestii Diels - lamiaceae (verbena family) aka Vervain (10) Vervain is known to be beneficial for bleeding and menstrual cramps, among other things. No toxicity or side effects are listed besides potential vomiting if taken in extremely high quantity (11). Vervain is also considered to have potential anti-cancer benefits (12).
Dioscoreae Parviflora Ting – Yam flower?
Herba Geranii & Herba Erodii – (13) related to Gerenium, which is known to have antiseptic and styptic properties (14). Geranium is considered to have anti-cancer properties. (15)
Herba Inulae Cappae – Also known as Sheep’s Ear (16), this daisy-like plants roots are harvested in the
Yunnan province and historically are used to treat pain in the joints, throat and abdomen. (17)
Radix Notoginseng – also known as Sanqi (Tienchi ginseng) "notoginseng" "panax pseudoginseng."
Radix ginseng is used as a prophylactic and restorative agent for enhancement of mental and physical capacities, in cases of weakness, exhaustion, tiredness, and loss of concentration, and during convalescence. There are no known side effects or contraindications (18). Triterpenoid saponins are found in high levels in ginseng, bryonia, ashwaghanda and brahmi, all of which are known to be strong cytotoxic (anticancer) antioxidants with strong tumor suppressive effects. (19)
Rhizoma Dioscoreae Nipponicae- Chinese Yam aka Cinnamon Vine
Rhizoma dioscoreae (Ajuga Forrestii Diels) - Chinese Yam tuber

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yam_%28vegetable%29
2. http://na.fs.fed.us/spfo/invasiveplants/factsheets/pdf/chinese-yam.pdf
3. http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/novon/dingetal10-1.html
4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3732429/
5. http://www.tcmtreatment.com/herbs/0-shanyao.htm
6. http://www.jipb.net/Abstract_old.aspx?id=1276
7. http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-970-wild%20yam.aspx?activeingredientid=970&activeingredientname=wild%20yam
8. http://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs-wm/25787.pdf
9. http://community.omtimes.com/profiles/blogs/chinese-wild-yam-or-cinnamon-vine-tuber-a-powerful-life-giving
10. http://www.theplantlist.org/browse/A/Lamiaceae/
11. http://www.herbal-supplement-resource.com/vervain-herbs.html
12. https://www.cancercarewny.com/content.aspx?chunkiid=111815
13. http://www.tcmassistant.com/herbs/lao-guan-cao.html
14. https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/essential-oils/health-benefits-of-geranium-essential-oil.html
15. http://www.cancertutor.com/germanium/
16. http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Inula+cappa
17. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10600-010-9595-4#page-1
18. http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/en/d/Js2200e/19.html
19. www.dovepress.com/getfile.php?fileID=11147 – BTAT-17261-chemistry-and-pharmacology-of-saponins—with-special-
focus-o_100711.pdf

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