Sophora flavescens

Other names : Ku Shen Gen, Ku Shen, Bitter root, Yellow sophora root

• Patients with hormone-sensitive cancers should avoid taking S. flavescens as it demonstrated estrogenic effects in vitro, and can stimulate the proliferation of hormone-sensitive cancer cells.
• Toxic effects from use of the root may include nausea, dizziness, vomiting, constipation, spasms, disturbance of speech, irregular breathing, respiratory failure and death.

• Kang SC, Lee CM, Choi H, et al. Evaluation of oriental medicinal herbs for estrogenic and antiproliferative activities. Phytother Res. 2006 Nov;20(11):1017-9.
• De Naeyer A, Vanden Berghe W, Pocock V, et al. Estrogenic and anticarcinogenic properties of kurarinone, a lavandulyl flavanone from the roots of Sophora flavescens. J Nat Prod. 2004 Nov;67(11):1829-32.
• Yoo HH, Kim T, Ahn S, et al. Evaluation of the estrogenic activity of Leguminosae plants. Biol Pharm Bull. 2005 Mar;28(3):538-40.
• Bensky, Dan; Clavey, Steven; Stöger, Erich; Lai Bensky, Lilian (2015). Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica (Portable 3rd ed.). Seattle, USA: Eastland Press. pp. 575–578. ISBN 978-0-939616-82-4.