Roots and rhizomesTonifyingMillettiae Speciosae Radix

Niu Da Li (Beautiful Millettia Root)

Q: What is the composition and traditional use of Niu Da Li?

Niu Da Li is sweet and neutral, enters the Lung and Kidney channels, and acts to tonify deficiency, moisten the Lung, strengthen the sinews, and free the collaterals. It is used for Lung deficiency cough, lumbar and knee soreness and softness, wind-damp bi pain, and postpartum deficiency.

Q: How do you choose raw versus prepared? Can Xu Duan replace it?

Niu Da Li can be used sliced and raw or steamed. Xu Duan leans to reconnecting sinews and does not have the same Lung-moistening function, so it cannot replace Niu Da Li by equal weight. Commercial products follow regulated processing, so do not self-modify.

Q: What is the usual dosage? Can it be drunk daily as a deficiency-tonifying tea?

It is usually decocted at 6–9 g, and modern use requires a practitioner to name the dose. It is not a four-season “Millettia tea,” and excess heat may be worsened. Lung deficiency needs a practitioner to define a short course; it does not replace assessment.

Q: What are the contraindications? Can it be used in pregnancy?

Use caution in pregnancy and in excess-heat patterns. Stop if abdominal distention or dry mouth appears. Cough with blood-streaked phlegm or red swollen joints needs immediate medical care.

Q: Can Niu Da Li tonify deficiency and moisten the Lung, strengthen the sinews and free the collaterals?

It can help with Lung deficiency cough, lumbar and knee soreness with wind-damp bi pain, and postpartum deficiency. It tonifies deficiency and moistens the Lung, strengthens the sinews, and frees the collaterals, but it is not a specific for every cough or every joint pain.

Q: Can Niu Da Li be drunk daily as a deficiency-tonifying or sinew-strengthening tea?

The text says Lung deficiency and body deficiency may require a short formula, but excess heat can worsen the condition. It also says that “Millettia must tonify deficiency” does not replace assessment, and that tonifying deficiency and moistening the Lung, strengthening the sinews and freeing the collaterals should be determined by a practitioner with the proper form and dose.

A practical guide to Niu Da Li: what it is, how Traditional Chinese Medicine uses it, the classical formulas it appears in, and who should be careful with it.

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Last reviewed Oct 29, 2026

Quick Facts

Latin Name	Millettiae Speciosae Radix
Chinese Name & Pinyin	牛大力 · Niu Da Li
Medicinal Part	Roots and rhizomes
The item	Niu Da Li is the root-stem of a Fabaceae climbing shrub, used raw or stir-fried. It usually goes into slow soups, decoctions, and teas.
Nature and channels	Neutral, sweet. Enters the Lung and Kidney. A mild tonic: it rebuilds deficiency without being harsh, tonifying lung qi while strengthening the sinews and freeing the channels.
Pharmacopoeia line	Tonifies lung qi and rebuilds deficiency. Strengthens the sinews and bones. Frees the channels. Used for easy fatigue, breathlessness after light activity, aching weak lower back and knees, and stiff joints from strain.
Pattern cues	Easy fatigue. Breathlessness after light activity. Low voice. Aching weak lower back and knees. Stiff joints after long strain.
In this article	Niu Da Li versus Qian Jin Ba. Tonifying deficiency versus freeing blocked channels. Why the raw root needs a long simmer. Why an external excess must wait. Why pregnancy is a caution. Who should skip it.

What Is Niu Da Li?

Niu Da Li (牛大力; Niú Dà Lì; Latin: Millettiae Speciosae Radix; English: millettia root) in the current pharmacopoeia is the root-stem of a Fabaceae climbing shrub, harvested in autumn and used raw — washed, sliced, and dried, with stir-fried or honey-fried looser forms also available. It is neutral and sweet, enters the Lung and Kidney channels, and its core actions are to tonify lung qi and rebuild deficiency, and to strengthen the sinews and free the channels. It usually goes into slow soups, decoctions, and teas. The usual amount is 10–30 g. The raw, firm slices are simmered longer to release their goodness; it needs no pre-boiling, late addition, or bagging. Smaller doses are also stewed into pork-bone soups for seasonal rebuilding.

It is not Qian Jin Ba. Qian Jin Ba is warm, sweet and astringent, and leans toward dispelling wind-dampness and invigorating the blood to free blocked channels, easing wind-damp bi pain; Niu Da Li is neutral and sweet, leans toward tonifying, and rebuilds deficiency from the root. Use caution in pregnancy. An external excess — cold with fever, cough with thick phlegm — is a poor match, since tonifying inward locks the pathogen inside. Acute sprain swelling, or red swollen hot joints from excess heat, needs pattern diagnosis. People on anticoagulants, blood-pressure, or blood-sugar medications need a clinic first. A Fabaceae allergy means skip it.

It is used most often for three patterns:

Lung qi deficiency: easy fatigue, breathlessness after light activity, a low voice, seasonal cough
Long-term strain: aching weak lower back and knees, stiff joints, limited movement
Five strains and seven injuries: overwork depletion with sore, weak limbs

Neutral and sweet, it is not a daily “strength root” to keep stewing. Tonifying when an external excess is still in the body locks the pathogen inside.

When lung qi falls short and the sinews and bones lose nourishment, fatigue, breathlessness after light effort, and aching weak knees follow; long strain or aging further stiffens the joints. Niu Da Li is neutral and sweet. It tonifies lung qi, rebuilds deficiency, strengthens the sinews, and frees the channels, which is why it appears in Niu Da Li Bu Fei Tang (Millettia Lung-Tonifying Decoction)–type formulas. It builds more than it pushes. An external excess still lodged, or damp-heat in the body, gets worse if more is added.

Niu Da Li is not a catch-all fatigue or pain root. In an external excess with fever and phlegm, in damp-heat, or in pregnancy, using it alone is a poor match. Raw or stir-fried, and whether it belongs in a formula, should be decided by a licensed Chinese medicine practitioner after pattern diagnosis.

Niu Da Li: Materia Medica Profile

Identification & Quality Standard

Millettiae Speciosae Radix

Botanical Origin

The dried root of Millettia speciosa Champ. (Fabaceae).

Production Regions

Primarily produced in the Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Hunan, Yunnan, Guizhou and Hainan.

Quality Requirements

Superior material is thick, powdery and sweet.

Macroscopic Features

Cylindrical or slightly spindle-shaped, slightly bent, variable in length, 2~6 cm diameter; externally pale yellowish-brown or grayish-brown, with longitudinal wrinkles, transverse lenticels and scars of fibrous roots; textured and tough; fractured surface pale pinkish-white to pale brown, with visible fiber bundles and concentric rings; faint odor; sweet taste.

Main Regions and Quality Identification

Traditional materia medica and industry experience value the Guangdong and Guangxi producing regions, though actual quality also depends on variety, harvest time, processing, and storage. In appearance, good-quality root-stem is firm and solid, with a pale yellow cut face and a faint bean-like scent; poorer quality roots are softer, with a deeper-colored cut face and a fainter odor. The raw product is usually original slices; processed forms are stir-fried or honey-fried, looser in texture and gentler in odor. Common look-alikes are the roots of other plants in the same genus — some Millettia species look and feel similar, but their cut face is reddish and the odor differs, so tell them apart carefully.

Traditional Properties & Historical Lineage

Nature, Flavour & Channel Tropism

Sweet; NeutralLungSpleenKidney

1. Records in Classic Materia Medica

Ben Cao Gang Mu Shi Yi: records that it can "strengthen the sinews and free the channels, tonify deficiency, and moisten the lungs."
De Pei Ben Cao: records it as usable for "the five strains and seven injuries, clearing deficient fire."

These records circle around its tonifying and channel-freeing actions, with no modern-medicine disease-treatment claims.

2. How Views of Its Nature Changed

Different physicians saw it differently. Some stressed its tonifying side — for everyday care of constitutional deficiency. Others emphasized its clearing-freeing side — easing limb discomfort from strain or deficient fire. Still others were explicit about its scope: it mainly suits deficiency of the lung and kidney; for discomfort from excess patterns it should not be used alone — which also shows it is no cure-all.

Core Efficacies & Traditional Applications

Traditional Functions

Supplements deficiency and moistens lung, strengthens tendons and activates collaterals.

1. First Direction: Tonifying Lung Qi

Traditional action: tonify lung qi, helping strengthen lung function and ease the discomfort of lung qi insufficiency.
Typical signs: easy daily fatigue, breathlessness after light activity, a low speaking voice, and cough or respiratory discomfort around seasonal changes.
Usual combinations: often paired with other tonics such as Huang Qi and Dang Shen to strengthen the lung-qi-tonifying effect, plus lung-moistening herbs such as Sha Shen, so the tonifying does not become too rich and cloying.
Who should not self-use: those with cough or wheezing from an exterior contraction, or with marked excess patterns such as damp-heat or phlegm-damp inside, should not self-use Niu Da Li — it may worsen the discomfort.

2. Second Direction: Strengthening the Sinews and Freeing the Channels

Traditional action: strengthen the sinews and free the channels — opening the channels, reinforcing the sinews and bones, and easing strain-related discomfort.
Typical signs: long-term overwork showing as aching weak waist and knees, stiff joints, limited movement; or sinew-bone weakness from aging and deficiency.
Usual combinations: often paired with liver-kidney-tonifying, sinew-bone-strengthening herbs such as Du Zhong and Niu Xi, plus blood-activating, channel-freeing herbs such as Ji Xue Teng, to open the channels.
Who should not self-use: those with limb swelling and pain from an acute sprain, or joint redness, swelling, and hot pain from excess heat inside, should not self-use Niu Da Li — it may worsen the symptoms.

3. Classic Pairing: Niu Da Li With Qian Jin Ba

The classic herb pair is Niu Da Li with Qian Jin Ba. Niu Da Li is mainly tonifying — gently regulating lung qi and strengthening the sinews and bones; Qian Jin Ba is mainly channel-freeing — opening the channels and easing wind-damp Bi pain. Together they coordinate: Niu Da Li's tonifying is kept while the channel-freeing effect is strengthened — suiting the traditional pattern of daily deficiency weakness combined with mild limb-channel blockage. This pairing needs a practitioner's pattern diagnosis; don't combine herbs on your own.

Modern Research

Modern research offers useful context, but Traditional Chinese Medicine prescribes on whole-pattern diagnosis rather than isolated compounds.

1. Main Chemical Constituents

Modern studies have detected polysaccharides, flavonoids, triterpenoids, and small amounts of alkaloids and volatile oils. To be clear, these are substances naturally present in the plant — they do not directly correspond to a specific therapeutic effect in humans. In vitro tests show some of these components have antioxidant activity; in animal experiments, some components at certain doses show an effect on regulating immune function. On their effects in humans, there is not yet sufficient clinical research to draw conclusions.

2. Current Research Directions

Current attention centers on immune regulation and anti-fatigue potential. Studies report that the polysaccharides can raise certain immune indicators in animal experiments, and the flavonoids show some antioxidant effect in tests. However, this research is mostly at the animal and in vitro stage — more human studies are still needed to verify the actual effects.

3. Limitations of Current Research

Lab results are not clinical efficacy — effects seen in animal experiments cannot be directly applied to humans.
Extracts and monomers are not the same as traditional decoction pieces — the high-purity components used in experiments differ greatly in dose from the sliced herb used daily.
Methods and doses vary between studies — different extraction methods and doses make the results hard to unify.
A single component does not define the whole herb — Niu Da Li's effect comes from many components working together; one component's action cannot represent the whole.

Comparing Similar Herbs

1. What They Share

Niu Da Li and Qian Jin Ba share three main points:

Both have strengthening the sinews and freeing the channels as part of their action — both can ease limb and joint discomfort.
Both are common in southern daily regulation — many families use them for soup.
Both need constitution care — people with excess patterns should be cautious with either, to avoid worsening the pathogen inside.

2. The Key Differences: Niu Da Li vs. Qian Jin Ba

Nature and flavors: Niu Da Li is neutral and sweet, calm, with no clear cold-heat lean; Qian Jin Ba is warm and sweet-astringent — carrying warmth, leaning toward a warmer nature.
Focus: Niu Da Li's focus is tonifying lung qi and strengthening the sinews and bones — regulating deficiency from the root; Qian Jin Ba's focus is dispelling wind-damp, activating blood, and freeing the channels — opening already-blocked channels and easing Bi pain.
Qi tendency: Niu Da Li mainly tonifies — supplementing the body's upright qi and boosting energy; Qian Jin Ba mainly frees — opening blocked qi and easing channel-blockage discomfort.
Best fit: Niu Da Li suits people with daily deficiency signs — easy fatigue, breathlessness after light activity; Qian Jin Ba suits people with channel-blockage signs — stiff joints, limited movement, or mild wind-damp Bi pain.
Not suitable: Niu Da Li is not for exterior excess patterns or marked damp-heat inside; Qian Jin Ba is not for yin-deficiency fire or internal excess heat — these people may have their heat signs worsened.
Use scenes: Niu Da Li appears more in daily food therapy — soup, tea — for long-term gentle care; Qian Jin Ba appears more in formulas targeting channel blockage — short-term freeing regulation, or combined with other herbs for joint discomfort.

3. One-Sentence Summary

Simply put, Niu Da Li leans toward gentle tonifying and everyday care for constitutional deficiency, whereas Qian Jin Ba leans toward freeing the channels, dispelling damp, and easing limb discomfort. Both can be used for limb-joint regulation, but they are not interchangeable.

Classical Formulas Containing Niu Da Li

Classic Formula 1: Niu Da Li Bu Fei Tang (Millettia Lung-Tonifying Decoction)

Combination logic: Niu Da Li is the lord, mainly tonifying lung qi; Huang Qi and Dang Shen strengthen the lung-qi-tonifying effect, and Sha Shen moistens the lung and generates fluids, keeping the tonifying from becoming too rich. The formula addresses cough, wheezing, and deficiency weakness from lung qi insufficiency and lung dryness. Niu Da Li plays the core tonifying role here, but the formula cannot be achieved with Niu Da Li alone — several herbs must work together.

Traditional use: the formula was traditionally used for consumptive cough and limb weakness from lung qi depletion and lung yin insufficiency.

Modern note: modern clinical use requires a doctor's pattern diagnosis and standard care; do not self-apply just because the formula name relates to lung regulation.

Classic Formula 2: Da Li Tong Luo Tang (Millettia Channel-Freeing Decoction)

Combination logic: Niu Da Li is the minister, mainly strengthening the sinews and freeing the channels, assisting the lord Qian Jin Ba in opening the channels; Du Zhong and Niu Xi tonify the liver and kidney and strengthen the sinews and bones; Ji Xue Teng activates blood and frees the channels. The formula addresses aching weak waist and knees and difficult joints from liver-kidney insufficiency with channel blockage. Niu Da Li assists in freeing the channels and reinforcing sinew-bone strength — again, it cannot be used alone.

Traditional use: the formula was traditionally used for sinew-bone aching and limited movement from liver-kidney depletion with channels not free.

Modern note: modern clinical use requires a doctor's pattern diagnosis and standard care; do not self-administer.

Formulas vs. Single Herbs

A formula is the result of many herbs working together; a single herb cannot simply replicate a full formula's effect. The formula's doses and combinations are holistic — different herbs cooperate or restrain one another — while a single herb only brings its own action and cannot reach the formula's overall effect. Be clear: that a herb works inside a formula does not mean taking it alone will work the same way. Don't build your own formula from online articles, and don't replace formula treatment with a single herb.

Diet & Daily Home Use

1. Home Soup and Tea

Soup — Niu Da Li Zhu Gu Tang: Niu Da Li 20 g, Zhu Gu 200 g, Sheng Jiang 3 slices. Wash and slice the Niu Da Li; blanch the pork bones, then put them with the ginger and Niu Da Li in a clay pot with water, bring to a boil on high heat, then simmer 1.5 hours and season lightly with salt. Suited to daily lung-qi insufficiency and easy fatigue — good for gentle autumn and winter regulation. Not for those with damp-heat inside or exterior-contraction cough. Suggested: 1–2 times a week; not for long-term continuous eating.

Tea — Niu Da Li Hong Zao Cha: Niu Da Li 10 g, Hong Zao 3 (pitted), Gou Qi 5 g. Wash and slice the Niu Da Li, pit the dates, put everything in a thermos, steep in boiling water for 15 minutes, and drink; can be re-steeped until the taste fades. Suited to mild daily deficiency with cold hands and feet — good for simple spring and summer regulation. Not for those with internal excess heat or who tend to get heat easily. Suggested: once every 2–3 days, no more than 1 week continuously.

2. Decoction and Processing Differences

The raw product differs from the processed product: raw Niu Da Li is hard and needs long boiling to release its active components; processed slices (usually stir-fried) are looser, so the decocting time can be shortened. Niu Da Li needs no pre-boiling, late addition, bagging, or flush-taking — at home, simply wash the slices and put them in the clay pot with the other ingredients and water. Different forms cannot be converted directly: the content and dose of Niu Da Li in decoction pieces differ from those in Chinese patent medicines, so do not simply swap one for the other.

3. Dosage and Course

The common dose in traditional prescriptions is 10–30 g, adjusted to the combination and pattern. Food-therapy doses are usually smaller than medicinal doses — about 15–20 g for soup. Long-term continuous use is not advised: a course is generally 1–2 weeks, then pause for a while, to avoid letting the pathogen linger inside. Special groups — pregnant women and children — should consult a doctor or pharmacist before use.

Contraindications & Safety Warnings

1. Who Should Avoid It

Exterior excess patterns — cold with fever, cough with thick phlegm; Niu Da Li is not suitable, to avoid "closing the door and keeping the thief in."
Pregnancy and breastfeeding — there is no sufficient safety basis yet; do not self-use.
Children and the elderly — weaker body functions; use under a doctor's guidance.
Liver or kidney impairment — drug metabolism may be affected; do not self-use.
Allergy to Fabaceae (bean-family) plants — may have an allergic reaction.
Those in special treatment — on anticoagulant, blood-pressure, or blood-sugar medications, consult a doctor before use.

2. Interactions and Diet Notes

Niu Da Li may interact with anticoagulants, blood-pressure medications, and blood-sugar medications — animal experiments suggest some components may affect the anticoagulant effect, so anyone on such drugs should consult a doctor about whether to use it and whether the dose needs adjusting. There is no sufficient evidence for a general "food clash" between ordinary foods, but certain herbs can interact with specific drugs — anyone on medication should consult a doctor or pharmacist first and avoid self-pairing.

3. Adverse Reactions and Overdose Risk

At normal doses, Niu Da Li has few side effects. Overdose, however, may bring dry mouth and constipation. If marked discomfort, allergy signs, persistent vomiting, breathing difficulty, altered consciousness, or rapidly worsening symptoms appear, stop at once and seek medical care — don't delay treatment.

Frequently Asked Questions About Niu Da Li

What is Niu Da Li? Are Xu Duan and Du Zhong the same?

Niu Da Li (牛大力) is the dried root of Millettia speciosa (Millettiae Speciosae Radix), a common Chinese herb centered on tonifying deficiency and moistening the Lung, strengthening the sinews and freeing the collaterals. Xu Duan tonifies the Liver and Kidney and reconnects the sinews and bones, leaning to trauma. Du Zhong tonifies the Liver and Kidney and strengthens the sinews and bones, leaning to the lumbar and knees. The three cannot be interchanged by equal weight. Write Niu Da Li. Use caution in pregnancy.

What is the composition and traditional use of Niu Da Li?

Pharmacopoeial name Niu Da Li, Latin Millettia speciosa. Sweet and neutral; enters the Lung and Kidney channels. It acts to tonify deficiency and moisten the Lung, strengthen the sinews and free the collaterals. It is used for Lung deficiency cough, lumbar and knee soreness and softness, wind-damp bi pain, and postpartum deficiency. Tonifies deficiency, strengthens the sinews and frees the collaterals.

How do you choose raw versus prepared? Can Xu Duan replace it?

Sliced and used raw or steamed. Xu Duan leans to reconnecting sinews without specialized Lung-moistening; it cannot replace the formula by equal weight. Commercial products follow regulated processing; do not self-modify.

What is the usual dosage? Can it be drunk daily as a deficiency-tonifying tea?

Decocted, 6-9 g. Modern use requires a practitioner to name the dose. It is not a four-season “Millettia tea.” Excess heat only injures further. Lung deficiency needs a practitioner to name a short course; it does not replace assessment.

What are the contraindications? Can it be used in pregnancy?

Use caution in pregnancy. Use caution in excess heat patterns. Stop if abdominal distention or dry mouth appears. Cough with blood-streaked phlegm or red swollen joints need immediate medical care.

Can Niu Da Li tonify deficiency and moisten the Lung, strengthen the sinews and free the collaterals?

It can help Lung deficiency cough, lumbar and knee soreness with wind-damp bi pain, and postpartum deficiency. It tonifies deficiency and moistens the Lung, strengthens the sinews and frees the collaterals—not a specific for every cough or every joint pain.

Can Niu Da Li be drunk daily as a deficiency-tonifying or sinew-strengthening tea?

Lung deficiency and body deficiency may enter a short formula; excess heat only injures further. “Millettia must tonify deficiency” does not replace assessment. Tonifying deficiency and moistening the Lung, strengthening the sinews and freeing the collaterals should be named by a practitioner with form and dose.

How do you choose among Niu Da Li, Xu Duan, Du Zhong, Huang Qi and Dang Shen?

Niu Da Li tonifies deficiency and moistens the Lung while strengthening the sinews and freeing the collaterals, leaning to Lung deficiency, lumbar-knee and wind-damp. Xu Duan tonifies the Liver and Kidney and reconnects the sinews and bones, leaning to trauma. Du Zhong tonifies the Liver and Kidney and strengthens the sinews and bones, leaning to the lumbar and knees. Huang Qi tonifies qi and secures the exterior, leaning to qi deficiency. Dang Shen tonifies qi and strengthens the Spleen, leaning to Spleen deficiency. Lung deficiency and sinew-strengthening favor Niu Da Li; reconnecting sinews favors Xu Duan; lumbar and knees favor Du Zhong; qi deficiency favors Huang Qi; Spleen deficiency favors Dang Shen. They may be referenced after pattern differentiation; pregnancy forbids large Niu Da Li.

How is Niu Da Li commonly modified? What is the representative use?

Depends on the pattern. Lung deficiency may add Bai He; wind-damp may add Du Huo. Write Niu Da Li; do not replace the Lung-moistening action with an equal weight of Xu Duan.

How do you choose and store Niu Da Li?

Choose regulated Chinese medicinal materials with intact roots. Moldy, damp, or abnormal-smelling lots are discarded. Store cool and dry. Buy “Niu Da Li”; do not replace tonifying deficiency and moistening the Lung, strengthening the sinews and freeing the collaterals with an equal weight of Xu Duan or Du Zhong.

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Medical Disclaimer — This article is provided for educational purposes only and describes traditional Chinese medicine concepts. It is not medical advice, and it is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified practitioner before using any herb, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or managing a diagnosed condition.