Sang Ye (White Mulberry Leaf)

Chinese Herb Actions

Chinese Herb Dosage

• What is the typical dosage of Sang Ye (mulberry leaf)?

  Roughly 4.5–15 g decocted, using the dried leaf. For eye conditions, Sang Ye is also traditionally prepared as an external wash/eyebath rather than taken internally.

  Source: cross-referenced against multiple online sources (materia medica consensus); Sacred Lotus sources & references. Reference only — not a prescription.

Chinese Herb Contraindications & Cautions

• Are there cautions for Sang Ye (mulberry leaf)?

  Sang Ye is cool and dispersing, so it is used cautiously in cold-type Lung conditions or in Lung-qi deficiency — it is not indicated for a cough with clear, thin, or cold-type sputum, or for a weak, cold-natured constitution without accompanying heat signs.

  Source: cross-referenced against multiple online sources (materia medica consensus).

Western / Biomedical Research

Chinese Herb Clinical Studies & Research

Provided as research context — a summary of published biomedical study, not a therapeutic or medical claim.

• Is there modern research on Sang Ye (mulberry leaf) and blood sugar?

  Yes — mulberry leaf is rich in 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ), a natural alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, and several small human trials have studied standardized leaf extracts for post-meal blood glucose and insulin response. This is a genuinely active modern research area, but it concerns a specific extract/compound and glycemic metabolism — a different question from, and not a substitute for, the herb’s traditional wind-heat/eye/Liver-yang uses.

  • Type 2 diabetes, pilot RCT — a randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study of standardized mulberry leaf extract in adults with type 2 diabetes found a significant reduction in post-meal blood glucose versus placebo over three months, with HbA1c trending down but not reaching statistical significance; the authors also flagged a rise in serum creatinine warranting further safety study.
  • Normoglycemic adults, RCT — a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study of a standardized mulberry leaf extract (Reducose) in healthy adults found dose-dependent reductions in post-meal blood glucose rise (roughly 14–22%) and suppressed insulin response, with no significant gastrointestinal side effects.
  • Type 2 diabetes, double-blind RCT — a further double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in people with type 2 diabetes reported reduced insulin levels, reduced oxidative-stress markers (malondialdehyde), and increased HDL-cholesterol after 12 weeks, without significant change in other metabolic markers.

  These are extract-based human trials, generally small and short-term; they support DNJ-rich mulberry leaf extract as a researched postprandial-glucose ingredient, not a validated treatment for diabetes.

  Sources: PMID 28619294 (Mul-DM pilot RCT, Complementary Therapies in Medicine 2017); PMID 28225835 (Reducose RCT, PLoS One 2017); PMID 35623877 (double-blind RCT, Clinical Nutrition ESPEN 2022). Research context, not a therapeutic claim.

Chinese Herb Notes

• How is Sang Ye different from Sang Bai Pi, Sang Shen, and Sang Zhi?

  All four come from the mulberry tree (Morus alba) but are distinct medicinals with different parts, properties, and actions — they are not interchangeable.

  • Sang Ye (leaf) — disperses wind-heat, clears Lung and Liver/eye heat, calms Liver yang; this entry.
  • Sang Bai Pi (root bark) — drains Lung heat and calms wheezing/cough, and promotes urination to reduce edema; a separate, more purging Lung herb.
  • Sang Shen (fruit) — a yin/blood tonic that nourishes Liver and Kidney yin and moistens the intestines; sweet and nourishing rather than heat-clearing.
  • Sang Zhi (twig) — expels wind-dampness from the channels, used for joint and limb pain, especially in the upper body.

  Formula context: Sang Ye is the lead herb in Sang Ju Yin (“Mulberry Leaf and Chrysanthemum Decoction”), the classic mild formula for early wind-heat with cough, combined with Ju Hua, Lian Qiao, Bo He, Jie Geng, Xing Ren, Lu Gen, and Gan Cao. It is also the lead herb in Sang Xing Tang (“Mulberry Leaf and Apricot Kernel Decoction”), for a dry, wind-heat cough with dryness, alongside Zhi Zi, Dan Dou Chi, Xing Ren, Zhe Bei Mu, and Bei Sha Shen. (Formula context, not treatment advice.)

  Source: cross-referenced against multiple online sources (materia medica consensus); Sacred Lotus sources & references (formula-herb linkage).