traditionally used in East Asia as folk medicine for eczema, mumps, tuberculosis, contusions, insomnia, and acute arthritis.
in TCM the roots are used as "Chuan-po-shi" for gonorrhea, rheumatism, jaundice, boils, scabies, bruising, and dysmenorrhea. in Korea it became one of the most commonly used folk remedies against cancer over the last few decades.

leaves are used as alternative silkworm feed when mulberry is unavailable, which is the origin of the "silkworm thorn" name.

contains 158 flavonoids and 99 xanthones, plus organic acids and polysaccharides.
xanthones and flavonoids are the main active constituents, taken from the whole plant including roots, leaves, bark, stems, and fruits.

the fruits are preferable over roots and bark as sources of antitumor compounds due to their abundant isoflavone content.

the specific cancers screened include breast, liver, lung, colon, and leukemia cell lines across multiple studies.

ten new isoflavones — cudraisoflavones B-K — were isolated from the fruits. compounds 7-9 and three known isoflavones showed neuroprotective activity against 6-hydroxydopamine-induced cell death in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells, with EC50 values of 0.5–9.2 µM. the 6-OHDA model is the standard in vitro model for Parkinson's disease research — it mimics the specific dopaminergic neuron death that defines the disease.

chlorogenic acid, rutin, and kaempferol were confirmed as active marker compounds in leaf extracts. the flavonoid-rich fraction showed xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity, suggesting potential for treatment and prevention of hyperuricemia-related diseases including gout.

active constituents from roots and leaves include pancreatic lipase inhibitory and monoamine oxidase inhibitory effects, as well as anti-obesity activity. pancreatic lipase inhibition is how the pharmaceutical weight loss drug orlistat works — blocking fat digestion before absorption. monoamine oxidase inhibition from the same plant hits antidepressant pathways (same mechanism as MAO inhibitor antidepressants). hepatoprotective and antiatherosclerotic effects are also established across accumulated studies.