Corydalis rhizome (Corydalis yanhusuo)
The rhizome (underground rootstalk) of Corydalis yanhusuo has been valued for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine as a natural pain reliever. Reports of C. yanhusuo alleviating chest pain date back as early as the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD). Even today, modern science still supports the analgesic (painkiller) properties of C. yanhusuo in various diseases.
Scientists have identified more than 80 different bioactive alkaloid compounds in C. yanhusuo. Some of these alkaloids, such as tetrahydropalmatine, berberine, dehydrocorydaline and glaucine, have shown anticancer capabilities. In laboratory and animal studies, particularly in breast cancer models, C. yanhusuo and its alkaloid extracts have been found to suppress tumour growth and spread. Notably, combining multiple C. yanhusuo alkaloids could exert synergistic effects in inhibiting the proliferation of breast cancer cells, primarily by inducing apoptosis, where cells are instructed to self-destruct before they can form larger tumours.
An exciting finding comes from research on glaucine, one of the alkaloids found in C. yanhusuo. Drug resistance is a major reason chemotherapy fails in many patients, and resistant cancer cells often achieve this by pumping drugs out through molecular efflux pumps such as P glycoprotein (P gp) or multidrug resistance associated protein 1 (MRP1). Remarkably, one study found that glaucine from C. yanhusuo could inhibit P gp and MRP1 simultaneously to restore the sensitivity of drug-resistant breast cancer cells to chemotherapy. This dual inhibition addresses a major weakness of most chemosensitising drugs, which typically block only one resistance pathway and therefore have limited effectiveness.
Clinical trials have tested the efficacy of C. yanhusuo in treating several inflammatory disorders, providing symptomatic relief and improving the quality of life of patients with persistent rhinitis and osteoarthritis. Importantly, these trials confirm that concentrated C. yanhusuo extracts are safe for human consumption, further supporting their potential use in complementary cancer care.
For readers interested in the broader health effects of this plant, we explore them in more detail here.
“Corydale à bulbe plein” by Jean-Pol GRANDMONT is licensed under CC BY 3.0
