Stems and woodsWind-damp dispellingTrachelospermi Caulis et Folium

Luo Shi Teng (Chinese Starasmine Stem)

A practical guide to Luo Shi Teng: 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	Trachelospermi Caulis et Folium
Chinese Name & Pinyin	絡石藤 · Luo Shi Teng
Medicinal Part	Stems and woods
The item	Luo Shi Teng is the dried vine stem of star jasmine, used raw. It usually goes into decoctions, and in small doses it is steeped as a clearing tea.
Nature and channels	Bitter, astringent, slightly cold. Enters the Heart, Liver, and Kidney. It dispels wind, frees the channels, cools the blood, and reduces swelling.
Pharmacopoeia line	Dispels wind and frees the channels. Cools the blood and reduces swelling. Used for wind-damp bi pain, stiff joints, red swollen throat, and skin sores with swelling.
Pattern cues	Stiff joints with a trace of heat. Sore swollen throat. Red swollen skin sores.
In this article	Luo Shi Teng versus Hai Feng Teng. Clearing bi versus warming bi. Why the dose stays moderate. Why pregnancy is a caution. Why a painful throat needs a clinic. Who should skip it.

What Is Luo Shi Teng?

Luo Shi Teng (络石藤; Luò Shí Téng; Latin: Trachelospermum jasminoides; English: star jasmine stem) in the current pharmacopoeia is the dried vine stem, with leaves, of an oleander-family evergreen woody vine, collected from autumn to winter, cut free of foreign matter, and sun-dried, used raw. It is bitter, astringent, and slightly cold, enters the Heart, Liver, and Kidney channels, and its core actions are to dispel wind and free the channels, and to cool the blood and reduce swelling. It usually goes into decoctions. The usual amount is 6–12 g. It needs no special cooking order. In home practice it is also steeped lightly as a channel-freeing tea in small doses.

It is not Hai Feng Teng. Sea wind pepper stem is slightly warm, acrid and bitter, and warms the channels for cold-type bi; it has no blood-cooling or throat-relieving action. Spleen-stomach deficiency cold with loose stools is a poor match. Cold-type joint pain with no heat signs should not be topped up. Avoid in pregnancy and lactation. Allergy to oleander-family plants is a hard skip.

It is used most often for three patterns:

Wind-damp bi with stiff joints and a trace of heat
Red, swollen, painful throat with difficulty swallowing — seek care
Skin sores with red swelling before bursting

Bitter, astringent, and slightly cold, it is not a daily “vine tea” to keep increasing. Clearing when there is no heat chills the spleen and consumes fluids.

When wind-damp fouls the channels and heat swells upward, joints stiffen with a trace of heat, and the throat turns red, swollen, and painful. Luo Shi Teng is bitter, astringent, and slightly cold. It dispels wind, frees the channels, cools the blood, and reduces swelling, which is why it appears in Luo Shi Teng Tang (Star Jasmine Vine Decoction)–type formulas. It clears while astringing. A cold-type bi with no heat, and a weak cold spleen and stomach, get worse if more is added.

Luo Shi Teng is not a catch-all joint or throat vine. In spleen-stomach deficiency cold, with no heat signs, or in pregnancy and lactation, using it alone is a poor match. Raw, and whether it belongs in a formula, should be decided by a licensed Chinese medicine practitioner after pattern diagnosis.

Luo Shi Teng: Materia Medica Profile

Identification & Quality Standard

Trachelospermi Caulis et Folium

Botanical Origin

The dried vine with leaves of Trachelospermum jasminoides (Lindl.) Lem.(Apocynaceae)

Production Regions

Primarily produced in the Chinese provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Shandong, Fujian.

Quality Requirements

Superior medicinal material has numerous leaves, green color.

Macroscopic Features

Stem is cylindrical, curled, with numerous branches, uneven length, diameter is 1~5mm; externally reddish-brown, with spotted lenticels and adventitious roots; hard texture, fractured surface is pale yellowish-white, often hollow. Opposing leaves, with short stem; after being flattened, leaves are elliptical or oval-lanceolate shaped, 1~8cm long, 0.7~3.5cm wide; entire leaves, slightly curled over, upper surface is dark green or brownish-green, lower surface is relatively pale, leathery. faint odor, slightly bitter taste.

Main Regions and Quality Identification

Traditional materia medica and industry experience value the Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shandong producing regions, though actual quality also depends on variety, harvest time, processing, and storage. In appearance, good-quality Luo Shi Teng stems are slender cylinders, 0.2–1 cm in diameter, with a brownish surface and fine longitudinal lines; the texture is hard yet brittle, breaking easily; the cross-section is yellow-white and hollow. The leaves are mostly wrinkled and broken; complete ones flatten to an elliptic, dark green shape. In odor and taste: faint odor, slightly bitter. The raw and processed forms differ little — the common processed form is the raw product cut into sections for dispensing and preparation. The common look-alike is another vine of the same family, such as Shi Xue — its leaves are thicker with slightly rolled-back edges; tell them apart by leaf shape and the stem's aerial-root features.

Traditional Properties & Historical Lineage

Nature, Flavour & Channel Tropism

Bitter; CoolHeartLiverKidney

1. Records in Classic Materia Medica

Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing: lists it as an upper-grade herb — "treats wind-heat, dead-flesh sores and injuries, dry mouth and scorched tongue, abscesses that do not resolve, swollen throat and tongue, and the inability to take water or gruel."
Ming Yi Bie Lu: adds that it "treats great fright entering the abdomen, removes evil qi, nourishes the kidney, treats lumbar-hip pain, firms the sinews and bones, and frees the joints."
Xin Xiu Ben Cao: notes it "treats postpartum lochia, treats throat bi, and dissolves abscesses."
Ben Cao Gang Mu: clarifies that it "frees the blood vessels, treats lumbar-foot and lumbar-knee pain, boosts the qi, treats lumbar-hip pain, removes bi, and dissolves abscesses."
De Pei Ben Cao: records — "paired with Niu Xi, it treats bi; paired with She Gan, it treats throat bi."
Zhong Hua Ben Cao: summarizes its actions as dispelling wind and freeing the channels, and cooling the blood to reduce swelling.

2. How Views of Its Nature Changed

Different physicians saw it somewhat differently. Some — such as the authors of the Ming Yi Bie Lu — stressed its tonifying side, holding that it nourishes the kidney and firms the sinews and bones. The Ben Cao Gang Mu emphasized its channel-freeing, swelling-reducing actions, using it for lumbar-foot pain, abscesses, and throat bi. Others, such as the De Pei Ben Cao, focused on its pairing applications — with different herbs it works differently, some pairings leaning toward freeing the channels and some toward clearing heat. This difference shows how ancient physicians applied herbs flexibly from clinical practice, and also that Luo Shi Teng is not a universal herb — the use must be adjusted to the specific pattern.

Core Efficacies & Traditional Applications

Traditional Functions

Dispels wind and unblocks the collaterals, cools blood and reduces swelling.

1. First Direction: Dispelling Wind and Freeing the Channels

Traditional action: dispel wind and free the channels — clearing the wind-damp evil in the channels and easing the bi-obstruction discomfort of the limbs and joints.
Typical signs: wind-damp bi pain, limited joint bending, and sore lumbar-knees — joint pain that worsens in cold and eases with warmth, or limb numbness and difficulty moving.
Usual combinations: often paired with channel-freeing, damp-removing herbs such as Du Huo and Sang Ji Sheng to strengthen the wind-damp dispelling, channel-freeing, pain-stopping effect.
Who should not self-use: those with deficiency-cold joint pain — fear of cold, liking warmth and pressure — without heat signs; pregnant women; and people with spleen-stomach cold who tend to diarrhea — use under a doctor's guidance, do not self-administer.

2. Second Direction: Cooling the Blood and Reducing Swelling

Traditional action: cool the blood and reduce swelling — clearing the internal heat evil and dissipating abscesses, sores, and swollen, painful throat.
Typical signs: swollen, painful throat, abscesses and sores, and local red, swollen, hot pain after a fall or injury — a red, swollen throat with difficulty swallowing, or skin sores that are red and swollen but not yet burst.
Usual combinations: often paired with heat-clearing, throat-benefiting, toxin-resolving, swelling-reducing herbs such as She Gan and Jin Yin Hua to strengthen the heat-clearing, throat-benefiting, swelling-reducing, pain-stopping effect.
Who should not self-use: those with spleen-stomach cold who tend to diarrhea and loose stools, and those with cold-pattern sores — pale sores without redness, swelling, or hot pain — use under a doctor's guidance.

3. Classic Pairing: Luo Shi Teng With Niu Xi

The classic herb pair is Luo Shi Teng with Niu Xi. Luo Shi Teng excels at dispelling wind and freeing the channels — clearing the wind-damp evil in the channels; Niu Xi excels at tonifying the liver and kidney, strengthening the sinews and bones, and guiding the herb's strength downward to the lower-limb joints. Together they strengthen the wind-dispelling, channel-freeing, pain-stopping effect while also tonifying the liver and kidney — suiting the patterns of lower-limb wind-damp bi pain, sore, weak lumbar-knees, and limited joint bending. This pairing needs a practitioner's pattern diagnosis; it is not for all joint pain — especially not for people without wind-damp bi or liver-kidney deficiency — do not pair herbs casually.

Modern Research

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

1. Main Chemical Constituents

Detected constituents include lignans such as tracheloside and nortracheloside; flavonoids such as quercetin and luteolin; triterpenes such as oleanolic acid and ursolic acid; plus volatile oils and polysaccharides. In vitro experiments observed that some lignan and flavonoid constituents may have some anti-inflammatory activity; in animal experiments, the extract at certain doses may have some inhibitory effect on joint inflammation. No sufficient human clinical study has yet confirmed the specific effect in people.

2. Current Research Directions

Current research mainly focuses on the anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving activity of Luo Shi Teng: experiments observed that some extracts ease joint swelling and pain in animal models. Work so far is concentrated on the isolation of active components and preliminary pharmacological screening — more human studies are still needed to verify its effectiveness and safety in people.

3. Limitations of Current Research

Lab results are not clinical efficacy — in vitro and animal results cannot be directly equated with the same effect in a person, because the human physiological environment differs greatly from animal and in vitro environments.
Extracts and monomers are not the same as traditional decoction pieces — the extracts or single components used in modern research differ from the daily-use Luo Shi Teng slices in dose, composition, and mode of action; they cannot be substituted directly.
Doses and preparation methods vary between studies — differing doses and extraction methods across studies may bring inconsistent results, making a unified conclusion hard to form.
A single component does not define the whole herb — Luo Shi Teng works as a whole through many components; one component's action cannot decide that the whole herb's effect equals that component's action.

Comparing Similar Herbs

1. What They Share

Luo Shi Teng and the similar herb Hai Feng Teng share three main points:

Both have dispelling wind and freeing the channels as a main action — both help ease the bi pain of the limbs and joints.
Both are used for the traditional patterns of wind-damp bi pain and limited joint bending — suiting people with limb-joint soreness and difficulty moving.
Both need constitution and dose care — adjust by your own cold-heat, excess-deficiency; do not take too much.

2. The Key Differences: Luo Shi Teng vs. Hai Feng Teng

Nature and flavors: Luo Shi Teng is slightly cold with bitter-astringent flavors, entering the heart, liver, and kidney channels — overall clearing-draining and channel-freeing, suiting bi pain with heat signs; Hai Feng Teng is slightly warm with pungent-bitter flavors, entering the liver channel — overall warming and channel-freeing, suiting cold-leaning bi pain.
Focus: besides dispelling wind and freeing the channels, Luo Shi Teng also cools the blood and reduces swelling — usable for swollen painful throat and abscess sores (heat patterns); Hai Feng Teng mainly excels at dispelling wind-damp, freeing the channels, and stopping pain — more focused on easing the pain and contracture of the limbs and joints, without an obvious heat-clearing action.
Qi tendency: Luo Shi Teng clears-drains and frees — resolving the heat evil and damp evil in the channels, draining-with-astringent; Hai Feng Teng warms-scatters and frees — warming and transforming the cold-damp in the channels — warm-freeing and scattering.
Best fit: Luo Shi Teng suits joint pain with mild heat signs (such as slight local heat, dry mouth), possibly with throat discomfort or small skin sores; Hai Feng Teng suits joint pain that worsens in cold and likes warmth and pressure, without obvious heat signs.
Not suitable: Luo Shi Teng is not for spleen-stomach cold with loose stools, nor for cold bi without heat signs; Hai Feng Teng is not for bi pain with heat signs (obvious red, swollen, hot, painful joints) nor for yin-deficiency fire-flourishing.
Use scenes: Luo Shi Teng appears in formulas balancing channel-freeing and heat-clearing, or as an auxiliary for throat swelling and sores; Hai Feng Teng appears in formulas focusing on warming and freeing the channels, or for the regulation of simple cold limb-joint pain and contracture.

3. One-Sentence Summary

Simply put, Luo Shi Teng leans toward clearing-draining and channel-freeing with cooling the blood to reduce swelling, whereas Hai Feng Teng leans toward warming and freeing the channels with dispelling wind-damp. Both can be used for wind-damp bi pain, but they are not interchangeable.

Classical Formulas Containing Luo Shi Teng

Classic Formula 1: Luo Shi Teng Tang (Star Jasmine Vine Decoction)

Combination logic: Luo Shi Teng is the lord — playing the core role of dispelling wind and freeing the channels, and cooling the blood to reduce swelling; with Du Huo and Sang Ji Sheng it strengthens the wind-damp dispelling, channel-freeing, pain-stopping effect; with She Gan and Ban Lan Gen it strengthens the heat-clearing, throat-benefiting, swelling-reducing effect. The herb sits at the core of the formula, addressing wind-damp bi pain and swollen painful throat, working together with the other herbs — it is not used alone, because alone it cannot cover the multiple needs of damp-removing, throat-benefiting, and so on.

Traditional use: traditionally used for the patterns of wind-damp bi pain and limited joint bending accompanied by swollen painful throat and abscesses and sores — suiting people with both limb-joint discomfort and heat signs.

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 a condition. If you have wind-damp bi pain or swollen painful throat, consult a doctor first and adjust the herbs to the specific pattern — do not take the formula directly.

Classic Formula 2: Feng Shi Tong Luo Tang (Wind-Damp Channel-Freeing Decoction)

Combination logic: Luo Shi Teng is the minister — assisting the lord Hai Feng Teng in dispelling wind and freeing the channels; with Niu Xi it strengthens the liver-kidney tonifying and sinew-bone strengthening; with Qin Jiao it strengthens the heat-clearing, damp-draining effect. The herb plays an assisting role in freeing the channels while also clearing heat, working with the other herbs to regulate wind-damp bi pain — it is not used alone, because alone it cannot cover the multiple needs of liver-kidney tonifying and damp-removing.

Traditional use: traditionally used for the patterns of wind-damp bi pain, sore, weak lumbar-knees, and joint pain with mild heat signs — suiting people with both limb-joint discomfort and liver-kidney deficiency.

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 a condition. If you have wind-damp bi pain or sore, weak lumbar-knees, consult a doctor first and adjust the herbs to the specific pattern — do not take the formula directly.

Formulas vs. Single Herbs

A formula is a whole worked out by many herbs together — through combination, the herbs achieve synergy or checks. A single herb cannot simply replicate a full formula's effect. The formula's doses and combinations are holistic — every herb's amount and pairing are adjusted by a practitioner's pattern diagnosis to fit the patient's specific pattern. The common misunderstanding: that because a herb works inside a formula, taking it alone will work the same way — in fact, a single herb's action is limited and cannot cover the synergy of several herbs in the formula. Don't build your own formula from online articles.

Diet & Daily Home Use

1. Home Tea and Soup

Tea — Luo Shi Teng Sang Zhi Cha: Luo Shi Teng 3 g, Sang Zhi 5 g, Ju Hua 2 g. Wash the three ingredients, put them in a teapot, steep in boiling water for 10 minutes, and drink; can be re-steeped until the taste fades. Suited to mild seasonal joint stiffness and slight throat pain, or post-sitting channel blockage of the limbs — 2–3 times a week. Not for those with spleen-stomach cold who tend to diarrhea, nor pregnant women.

Soup — Luo Shi Teng Dong Gua Tang: Luo Shi Teng 6 g, Dong Gua 100 g, Sheng Jiang 2 slices. Peel and cut the winter melon, slice the ginger, put them with the washed Luo Shi Teng into a pot with water, bring to a boil on high heat, then simmer 20 minutes; season with a little salt. Suited to summer damp-heat mild joint pain, mild edema, or throat discomfort — 1–2 times a month. Not for those with spleen-stomach cold, nor pregnant women. Note: Luo Shi Teng is a medicinal decoction piece — don't treat it as an ordinary food and eat it freely; control the dose and frequency.

2. Decoction and Processing Differences

The raw and processed forms differ little — the common processing is cutting the raw product into sections for dispensing and decocting. At home, Luo Shi Teng generally needs no pre-boiling, late addition, or bagging — it can be decocted together with the other food ingredients or herbs. Different forms cannot be converted directly: the slice and the patent-medicine dose and mode of action differ; do not swap them casually.

3. Dosage and Course

The common dose range in traditional prescriptions is 6–12 g; food-therapy amounts should be halved — kept around 3–6 g — to avoid excess. The difference between food therapy and medicinal use: food therapy is an auxiliary regulation with a smaller dose and cannot replace medicinal treatment. Long-term continuous use is not advised — generally each use does not exceed 7 days; for long-term regulation, consult a doctor or pharmacist. Special groups — pregnant women, children, and the elderly — should adjust the dose and course under a doctor's guidance.

Contraindications & Safety Warnings

1. Who Should Avoid It

Specific constitutions or traditional patterns: those with spleen-stomach cold who tend to diarrhea and loose stools, and those with cold bi without heat signs (joint pain worse in cold, liking warmth and pressure) should not self-use Luo Shi Teng.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding: there is not enough clinical research data yet; pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid it, or consult a doctor if use is needed.
Children and the elderly: children's development is incomplete and the elderly's liver-kidney function is weaker — strictly control the dose and use under a doctor's guidance.
Liver or kidney impairment: Luo Shi Teng is metabolized through the liver and kidney; using it may add burden — avoid self-use and consult a doctor.
Allergy to related plants: people allergic to Apocynaceae (dogbane-family) plants — such as Luo Shi Teng and Chang Chun Hua — may have an allergic reaction; avoid use.
Those in special treatment: people on anticoagulant, blood-pressure, or blood-sugar treatment may have interactions with Luo Shi Teng — consult a doctor before use.

2. Interactions and Diet Notes

Luo Shi Teng may have potential interactions with anticoagulants (such as warfarin), blood-pressure medications, and blood-sugar medications, possibly affecting drug absorption or metabolism — those taking these drugs should avoid self-use of Luo Shi Teng; if use is needed, talk to the attending doctor and adjust the drug dose if necessary. 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 not combine food or herbs on their own.

3. Adverse Reactions and Overdose Risk

At normal doses, Luo Shi Teng is generally safe, but overuse may cause gastrointestinal discomfort — nausea, vomiting, diarrhea — and some people may have mild dizziness or rash allergy signs. 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.

Frequently Asked Questions About Luo Shi Teng

What is Luo Shi Teng? Are Ren Dong Teng and Hai Feng Teng the same?

Luo Shi Teng (络石藤) is the dried leafy stem of Trachelospermum jasminoides (Trachelospermi Caulis), a common Chinese herb centered on dispelling wind and unblocking the collaterals, cooling the blood and reducing swelling. Ren Dong Teng clears heat and disperses wind while unblocking the collaterals, leaning to heat bi. Hai Feng Teng dispels wind-damp and unblocks the collaterals, leaning to wind-cold-damp. The three cannot be interchanged by equal weight. Write Luo Shi Teng. Use caution in yin deficiency with aversion to cold.

What is the composition and traditional use of Luo Shi Teng?

Pharmacopoeial name Luo Shi Teng, Latin Trachelospermum jasminoides. Bitter and slightly cold; enters the Heart, Liver and Kidney channels. It acts to dispel wind and unblock the collaterals, cool the blood and reduce swelling. It is used for wind-damp heat bi, sinew and vessel contracture, lumbar and knee soreness, throat bi, and traumatic injury. Dispels wind, unblocks the collaterals and cools the blood.

How do you choose raw versus prepared? Can Ren Dong Teng replace it?

Cut into sections and used raw. Ren Dong Teng leans to clearing heat without specialized blood-cooling and swelling-reducing; 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 collateral-unblocking tea?

Decocted, 6-12 g. Modern use requires a practitioner to name the dose. It is not a four-season “star jasmine stem tea.” Yin deficiency with aversion to cold only injures further. Heat bi needs a practitioner to name a short course; it does not replace assessment.

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

Do not use in yin-organ people who fear cold and easily have diarrhea. Pregnancy requires practitioner assessment. Stop if loose stool or aversion to cold appears. Red swollen severe joint pain needs immediate medical care.

Can Luo Shi Teng dispel wind and unblock the collaterals, cool the blood and reduce swelling?

It can help wind-damp heat bi with sinew and vessel contracture, lumbar and knee soreness, throat bi, and traumatic injury. It dispels wind and unblocks the collaterals, cools the blood and reduces swelling—not a specific for every bi pain or every traumatic injury.

Can Luo Shi Teng be drunk daily as a collateral-unblocking or swelling-reducing tea?

Wind-damp heat bi may enter a short formula; yin deficiency with aversion to cold only injures further. “Star jasmine stem must unblock the collaterals” does not replace assessment. Dispelling wind and unblocking the collaterals, cooling the blood and reducing swelling should be named by a practitioner with form and dose.

How do you choose among Luo Shi Teng, Ren Dong Teng, Hai Feng Teng, Qin Jiao and Wei Ling Xian?

Luo Shi Teng dispels wind and unblocks the collaterals while cooling the blood and reducing swelling, leaning to wind-damp heat bi and throat bi. Ren Dong Teng clears heat and disperses wind while unblocking the collaterals, leaning to heat bi. Hai Feng Teng dispels wind-damp and unblocks the collaterals, leaning to wind-cold-damp. Qin Jiao dispels wind-damp and clears damp-heat, leaning to damp-heat. Wei Ling Xian dispels wind-damp and unblocks the collaterals, leaning to bi pain. Heat bi favors Luo Shi Teng; heat bi favors Ren Dong Teng; wind-cold-damp favors Hai Feng Teng; damp-heat favors Qin Jiao; unblocking collaterals favors Wei Ling Xian. They may be referenced after pattern differentiation; yin deficiency with aversion to cold forbids large Luo Shi Teng.

How is Luo Shi Teng commonly modified? What is the representative use?

Depends on the pattern. Heat bi may add Ren Dong Teng; traumatic injury may add Hong Hua. Write Luo Shi Teng; do not replace the blood-cooling and swelling-reducing action with an equal weight of Ren Dong Teng.

How do you choose and store Luo Shi Teng?

Choose regulated Chinese medicinal materials with intact leafy stems. Moldy, damp, or abnormal-smelling lots are discarded. Store cool and dry. Buy "Luo Shi Teng"; do not replace dispelling wind and unblocking the collaterals, cooling the blood and reducing swelling with an equal weight of Ren Dong Teng or Hai Feng Teng.

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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.