Common Name: Yin Yang Huo

General Information

Epimedium brevicornu is a herbaceous perennial plant growing from a slowly spreading rhizomatous rootstock and producing a clump of growth around 20 - 60cm tall[, ].
This is one of several species known as Yin Yang Huo in China and widely used in Chinese herbalism.to treat bone diseases and problems connected with the reproductive system. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use and is widely traded. The popularity of this species in herbal treatment has led to a major overexploitation of the plant in the wild and it is now being cultivated on a large scale in order to satisfy the demand[].

Known Hazards

Because it is widely used in Chinese herbal treatments, the plant has had extensive toxicity tests carried out upon it, all of which have shown the plant to be safe to eat at rates considerably above recommended doses.

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - central and southern China (Gansu, Henan, Hubei, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan)

Habitat

Forests, thickets, slopes; at elevations from 600 - 3,500 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.40 m
Pollinators	Bees
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Epimedium brevicornu is found at high elevations in southern central China where it is known to withstand winter temperatures that can fall to -20°c, though like many Epimediums the young growth in spring can be damaged by late frosts[].
Species in this genus are generally easy to grow, succeeding in most fertile, humus-rich soils, but preferring a moist, well-drained peaty loam[, ]. Requires a lime-free soil[]. Plants generally grow best in the light dappled shade of a woodland[, ].
This species grows very well on a shady ledge in the rock garden or wild garden[].
Plants are self-sterile and so more than one clone is required for cross-fertilization in order for seed to be produced. Plants will often hybridise with other species growing nearby[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - cooked[]. The leaves are highly valued in China for their medicinal actions and so are added to foods such as soups in order to add their positive properties to the food[].

Medicinal

Yin Yang Huo is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it has a long history of successful use in the treatment of bone diseases, pregnancy, and gonad dysfunction[]. It is often used on its own, and is also a component in many traditional multi-herbal preparations[].

The aerial parts of the plant are antiasthmatic, antibacterial, antirheumatic, antitussive, aphrodisiac, hypoglycaemic, tonic and vasodilator. Its use lowers blood sugar levels[, ]. The plant is used in the treatment of impotence, seminal emissions, lumbago, arthritis, numbness and weakness of the limbs, hypertension and chronic bronchitis[].

The leaves are harvested summer and early autumn, when the vegetation at its greatest abundance, then cleaned and dried in the sun[].

The plant has an action on the genitals similar to testosterone, and can increase the weight of the prostate gland and seminal vesicle - it has increased copulation in animals and increases the secretion of semen[].
The plant has been shown to have a positive action upon postmenopausal symptoms and inhibit osteoporosis and other bone loss diseases, while few hyperplastic effects on the uterus were found[, ]. These antiosteoporotic effects may be related with the oestrogenic properties by the intrinsic phytoestrogens including some of the flavonoids, lignans, sterols, etc[]
In the systems pharmacology study, there are 77 components in Epimedium possessing the analogous structure to oestrogen. Many of these phytoestrogenic compounds have the beneficial effects to inhibit osteoporosis, including icariin, epimedin A, epimedin B, epimedin C, icariside II and icaritin, epimedoside C, baohuoside I, baohuoside II, etc[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in late summer[, ]. Sow stored seed as early as possible in the year in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in light shade in the cold frame or greenhouse for at least their first winter[]. Plant them out in mid to late summer[].
Division is best carried out in late summer according to one report[], in late spring according to another[]. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.
Cuttings in late summer[].