Introduction:
Chinese peony is an herbal medicine which has been used for gout, osteoarthritis, fever, respiratory tract illnesses, and cough. It is also used for viral hepatitis, cirrhosis, upset stomach, muscle cramps, “hardening of the arteries” (atherosclerosis), and to cause vomiting. Peony is also used for spasms, whooping cough (pertussis), epilepsy, nerve pain (neuralgia), migraine-headache, and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). A doctor should be consulted before using Peony root.
Chinese Peony:
Chinese Peony, Paeoniae rubra, Chishao, Radix, and Paeoniae rubra are separate names used for a chinese herb that has a glycopeptide. This substance has a chemical structure similar to heparin, a common blood thinner used in the hospital for therapy or prevention of blood clots. (1)
Summary and Conclusion: Chinese Peony
- Use of Chinese Peony is not recommended for any conditions due to inability to locate evidence based research to substantiate the use of this agent. Chinese Peony has anticoagulant effects with a chemical structure similar to heparin (1).
- If Chinese Peony in being used by a patient, the patient should be advised to discontinue this herb 2 weeks prior to any surgery.This agent may interact with other antiplatelet agents, NSAIDs or anti-coagulants to increase risk of bleeding.
Reference:
1.Liapina LA, Novikov VS, Pastorova VE, et al. An anticoagulant from extracts of peony roots: its isolation and properties. Izv Akad Nauk Ser Biol 1995;249-251.