Corydalis is one of the primary painkillers in traditional Chinese medicine, where it's preferred for relief of arthritis, menstrual cramps, traumatic injuries, and almost all other types of pain. The herb has a mildly sedative and tranquilizing effect, and is sometimes used for mood disorders and emotional disturbances. Its tendency to reduce spasms won it a place in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

The active constituents consist of Isoquinolines. The following is a list of those present.

Corydalis Yanhusuo

* Columbamine
* Domestine
* Glaucine
* Isocorypalmine
* Leonticine
* Secoglaucine

Corydalis Spp.

* Allocryptopine
* Adlumidine
* Adlumine
* Berberine
* Bulbocapnine
* Canadine
* Capaurine
* Capnoisine
* Capnoisinine
* Cheilanthifoline
* Coptisine
* Coreximine
* Corgoine
* Corycavidine
* Columbamine
* Corydaline
* Cryptopine
* Dehydrocorydaline
* Dehydronantenine
* Domestine
* Glaucine
* Isoboldine
* Isocorydine
* Isodsendaverine
* Jatrorrhizire
* N-Methyllaurotetanine
* Palmatine
* Predicentrine
* Peticuline
* Tetrahydrocorysamine
* Tetrohydropalmatine