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Chai Hu

Q: Is Chai Hu natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: No perfumery extraction exists. Used in TCM as decoction of dried root slices..

FLOWERS / fresh · green · citrus

Chai Hu

Category	FLOWERS
Subcategory	fresh · green · citrus
Origin
Volatility	Heart Note
Botanical	Bupleurum chinense
Appearance	Pale yellow to amber liquid with herbaceous, slightly bitter, earthy odor
Odor Strength	Medium
Producing Countries	China
Pyramid	Heart

Herbaceous-bitter, rooty, medicinal. Chai Hu (Bupleurum) smells of dried Chinese medicinal roots — austere, slightly camphoraceous, earthy-bitter.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Herbaceous-bitter, rooty-earthy, faintly camphorous. Quiet and austere — less forceful than many TCM roots. The scent of the herb before it is brewed: dried, dusty, medicinal-plain.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Herbaceous-bitter, rooty-earthy, faint camphor

After a few hours

Quiet medicinal warmth, dried-root depth

After a few days

Faint bitter-earthy trace, clean austere fade

The Full Story

Chai Hu refers to the root of Bupleurum chinense or B. scorzonerifolium, a key herb in Traditional Chinese Medicine used to 'harmonize the interior and exterior' — principally for treating alternating fever and chills.

The dried root has an herbaceous-bitter, slightly camphorous, earthy scent. Less aromatic than cangzhu, less pungent than angelica. A quiet, background TCM note.

No perfumery extraction exists. The concept note provides another quality of the TCM pharmacy atmosphere — dried roots, medicinal bitterness, the specific character of Chinese herbal preparations.

This note in Première Peau. Nuit Elastique · Rose Monotone. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Did You Know?

Did you know?

Bupleurum is a prescribed herbs in Japanese Kampo medicine (Shosaikoto formula). A 2002 Japanese study linked long-term high-dose use to interstitial pneumonia, leading to regulatory warnings — the herb that 'harmonizes' occasionally damages lungs at pharmaceutical doses.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: No perfumery extraction exists. Used in TCM as decoction of dried root slices.

Molecular Formula	N/A - complex herbal extract (key: saikosaponins)
CAS Number	89958-12-3
Botanical Name	Bupleurum chinense
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	CHINESE THOROUGHWAX · BUPLEURUM
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	Medium
Appearance	Pale yellow to amber liquid with herbaceous, slightly bitter, earthy odor

In Perfumery

Fantasy TCM concept providing herbaceous-bitter root character. No extraction exists. Functions in medicinal and East Asian-themed compositions as atmospheric element.