Japanese Teasel

Dipsacus asper

Also known as Himalayan Teasel, Xu Duan (Chinese: 续断), Rough Teasel, Nepal Teasel

At a glance

Family

Dipsacaceae (teasel family)

Type

Biennial to short-lived perennial herb

Parts used

Root

Size

3 to 6 feet tall, with a stiff, prickly, branching stem

Bloom

Dense oval heads of pale lilac to pink flowers in summer

Habitat

Mountain slopes, forest margins, and grassy ravines from 1,000 to 8,000 feet, native across China, the Himalayas, Nepal, and Bhutan

Acquisition

Grow or buy

Traditional remedies in HerbSense

Key benefits

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Supports strong bones and joints

Traditionally eases low back ache

Helps knit tendons and sinews

A traditional women's health root

Traditional uses

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Known in Traditional Chinese Medicine as Xu Duan, meaning roughly 'restore what is broken,' this root has been used for well over a thousand years to help mend fractures, sprains, and torn sinews, and to steady an aching low back and weak knees. Practitioners traditionally paired it with other roots to nourish what TCM calls the Liver and Kidney systems, the organs thought to govern bone, tendon, and reproductive strength. It also holds a long-standing place in traditional women's health formulas, where it was used to support the lower back and pelvis during and after pregnancy. In the villages of its native mountain ranges, the freshly dug root was simply simmered into a warming, earthy broth for anyone recovering from a fall or a hard season of labor in the fields.

How to grow & use it

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Pairs well with

✦Eucommia bark (Du Zhong)
✦Chinese Angelica (Dang Gui)
✦Achyranthes root (Niu Xi)

Substitutes

✦Common Teasel root (Dipsacus fullonum)
✦Eucommia bark (Du Zhong)

Choose it when

“For the deep, mending work of a weary low back and hard-worked joints.”

Did you know?

The Chinese name for this root, Xu Duan, translates to something like 'reconnect the broken,' a name so literal that herbalists have used it for centuries specifically for mending fractures and torn tendons.

Safety

Japanese teasel's effect on blood clotting and hormone-sensitive conditions is not well understood, so use caution with blood thinners or hormone medication. It has a traditional association with pregnancy and should only be used then under a qualified TCM practitioner's guidance.