Common Name: Chinese Quinine

General Information

Hydrangea febrifuga is an erect, evergreen shrub growing around 1 - 3 metres tall.
An important herb in traditional Chinese medicine, it is commonly harvested from the wild. The plant is cultivated in Russia as an anti-malarial herb[].

Known Hazards

One report says that the plant is toxic but gives no more details[].
The raw plant material can cause vomitting and so, in Vietnam, the plant is impregnated with alcohol and then torrefied before use[].

Botanical References

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Range

E. Asia - China, Japan, northern India, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam

Habitat

Shrubberies, damp places, stream banks, often gregarious in clearings of oak forests; at elevations from 900 - 2,400 metres[, ].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	2.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Hydrangea febrifuga is a plant of the subtropics and tropics of eastern Asia, it can also be cultivated in some warm of the warmer areas of the temperate zone.
An easily grown plant, succeeding in an open loamy soil[].
The flowers vary in colour according to the type of soil they grow in, the best blue colour is formed when plants are in very acid soils[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

This plant is commonly used in Chinese herbalism, where it is considered to be one of the 50 fundamental herbs[].
The alkaloids febrifugine and isofebrifugine have been isolated from the leaves and roots of the plant. Tests revealed isofebrifugine, administered intravenously, to be as equally effective as quinine in treating malaria, whilst febrifugine was 64 - 100 times more effective[]. However, the alkaloids are also more toxic than quinine and so should only be used with great care.
Another alkaloid, changrolin, exhibited significant protective and therapeutic effects against experimental arrhythmias induced by aconitine or ouabain[].

The roots and leaves are credited with antipyretic, expectorant, cathartic, emetic and diuretic properties[].
The leaves are purgative[]. They are used in the treatment of stomach cancer[]. The juice of the leaves is used in Nepal to treat coughs, colds and bronchitis[].
The leaves are finely ground, combined with Kaempferia galanga rhizomes; red onions; salt; and a little water, and applied as a poultice at the beginning of a fever[].
The fresh sap of the leaves and roots causes vomiting and depresses the circulation of blood. According to traditional medicine, these side effects, especially nausea and vomiting, may be controlled by heating the drug with a little vinegar, and by combination with other drugs as indicated in classic formulas[]. The dried drug should be steeped in alcohol and subsequently heated to achieve the same effect[].

The root is diuretic, emetic, expectorant, febrifuge and purgative[, , , , , , , , ]. The juice of the root is used in Nepal to treat fevers and indigestion[].
Roots are harvested when 3 - 4 years old and dried for later use[, ].

A decoction of the stem bark is used in the treatment of fevers[]. A decoction of the leaves is used to treat malarial fever[].

Other Uses

The wood is used as a fuel[].

Propagation

Seed -
Cuttings from young branches.

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