Horses & racing · plain-English handbook
Yunnan Baiyao for Horses: Powder, Capsules, and What the Research Says
If you spend time around racehorses, you have probably heard Yunnan Baiyao talked about like a “bleed” fix. Most barns mean the powder stirred into feed — not the green Jiaonang capsule box this shop sells. Below, we walk through what that means in everyday language, what two solid horse studies actually found, and why U.S. racing authorities treat Baiyao/Paiyao products as a rules risk. No race-day recipe. No performance claim.
The short version
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Barns mean powder Track talk is usually powder in the mash — not the green Jiaonang box.
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Studies did not show a bleed fix Treadmill + clotting trials: powder/paste did not beat placebo at the doses tested.
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Racing treats it as a risk HIWU has warned horsemen after Baiyao/Paiyao samples hid banned or controlled drugs.
- On the track, people usually mean the powder mixed into feed — not the green capsule box.[8]
- Trying to match a 4 g powder scoop with capsules means emptying a whole Jiaonang box (sixteen 0.25 g capsules). That is why barns do not shop like dog owners.[1]
- A treadmill study in Thoroughbreds did not show that Yunnan Paiyao powder reduced lung bleeding versus a fake treatment.[1]
- A Cornell study in healthy horses did not show stronger clotting on lab tests after three days of paste.[2]
- HIWU has told U.S. horsemen to throw away Baiyao/Paiyao products after samples hid banned or controlled drugs.[3][4]
- This store sells authentic Jiaonang capsules. That is not barn powder, not a clean-sport green light, and not a claim that it stops bleeders.
Powder vs capsules — why barns buy the powder
Powder
- What barns usually buy
- Mixed into feed / mash
- Used in the treadmill study
- Not sold as racetrack powder here
Capsules · Jiaonang
- Green box this shop ships
- 16 × 0.25 g + red insurance pill
- What dog / human pages usually mean
- Not a race-day clearance
Same formula family on the label shelf — different packs, different shopping habits.
When a trainer says “get Yunnan Baiyao for the horse,” they almost always mean powder for the mash. The company makes more than one form. Capsules (Jiaonang, 0.25 g each) are what this store ships. Powder is what historically sat in a feed room. Same brand family, different packs.[8]
Research method — not a store recipe. Do not convert powder scoops into capsule counts from this page.
The math is the practical reason. One capsule is 0.25 g. A box has sixteen. The amount used in a well-known treadmill study — 4 g of powder — equals one full capsule box if you tried to swap. Opening sixteen shells into a bucket for every dose is not how a barn runs. Powder goes in once and gets eaten with the feed.[1]
| Question | Powder (Paiyao powder) | Capsules (Jiaonang) |
|---|---|---|
| Who usually buys it | Racing and large-animal barns | Pet owners and labeled human use |
| How it is given | Stirred into feed or a mash | Swallowed whole, or opened into a small mash |
| Typical pack | Sachets or bulk powder | Green Jiaonang box: 16 × 0.25 g plus one red insurance pill |
| 4 g (amount in the treadmill study) | One powder dose as that paper described | Sixteen 0.25 g capsules — a whole Jiaonang box |
| This shop | Does not ship racetrack powder | Ships authentic Yunnan Baiyao Group Jiaonang |
That 4 g figure comes from a research paper. It is not a recipe from this store, and it is not a race-day dose chart. Please do not turn a powder scoop into capsule counts based on this page.
In the U.S., herbal catalogs often sell the same idea as “Yunnan Paiyao” powder. The Kansas State treadmill paper used Mayway powder — not an export Jiaonang blister. Those powder tubs are also the kind of product HIWU has actually lab-tested for undeclared drugs. A sealed green Jiaonang box is still not a stand-in for racetrack powder, and it is not permission to race.[1][4]
Why trainers talk about it
After hard work, many racehorses get blood in the airways. Vets call that EIPH — exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. Owners and trainers just say “bleeders.” It is a real welfare and performance problem. The treatments with the strongest published backing are furosemide (where legal) and an equine nasal strip. Herbal “bleed control” powders caught on because they are easy to mix into feed and sound helpful — not because a clear win showed up in controlled horse trials.[6]
Barn talk is not the same as proof, and it is not the same as ordering Jiaonang. If an equine vet mentions Yunnan Baiyao Capsules, they usually mean careful, off-label use for a hospital or farm horse — not a feed-room powder program for a horse that is entered to race.
Does it stop “bleeders”? What the studies checked
Here is the big question people ask: will Yunnan Baiyao keep a horse from bleeding in the lungs after a hard breeze? The honest answer from research so far is we do not have a positive horse trial that says yes. The tables below put the treadmill study, the Cornell clotting study, and HIWU warnings side by side in plain language.[1][6]
- Barn hope “It will stop bleeders / thicken the blood.”
- What trials checked Lung wash after treadmill work; clotting labs after paste.
- What showed up No better than placebo at those doses.
- Racing reality HIWU: dispose of Baiyao/Paiyao — contamination risk.
What the research and racing authorities found
| Source | What kind of check | Who / what | What they measured | What happened | Takeaway |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epp et al., 2005 [1] | Blinded crossover trial | 5 Thoroughbreds on a treadmill | How much blood showed up in a lung wash after hard work; time to fatigue | 4 g Yunnan Paiyao powder twice a day for 3 days + race morning: lung bleeding was not better than placebo; horses did not last longer. | Did not help bleeders |
| Ness et al., 2017 [2] | Blinded crossover trial | 12 healthy adult horses | Platelet, clotting, and clot-strength lab tests | Yunnan Baiyao paste at 15 mg/kg twice a day for 3 days: no useful change versus placebo on those tests. | Clotting tests unchanged |
| Birks et al., 2003 (review) [6] | Expert review article | Racehorses with EIPH | Why horses bleed and what has evidence | Lung capillaries are under huge pressure during hard work. Furosemide and nasal strips have the clearest published support — not herbal “bleed” powders. | Background, not a YB trial |
| HIWU dietary alert, 2024 [4] | Racing lab finding | A product sold as Yunnan Paiyao | Hidden ingredients | Ephedrine (a serious controlled medication) showed up; it was not on the label. | Rules / contamination risk |
| HIWU horsemen’s advisory, 2026 [3] | Official warning | Baiyao / Paiyao products | Banned & controlled substances in samples | Told horsemen to dispose of these products after more undeclared banned or controlled drugs were found. | Do not race on it |
Barn hope vs what we can honestly say
| What people often hope | What the evidence supports today |
|---|---|
| It will stop “bleeders” on race day | The 2005 treadmill study: Yunnan Paiyao powder did not beat placebo on the lung-bleed test. Authors did not recommend it for preventing EIPH. |
| It strengthens clotting so the lungs cannot bleed | The 2017 Cornell study: after three days of paste, clotting and platelet tests in healthy horses looked like placebo. EIPH is mostly about high pressure in tiny lung vessels — not a simple “thin blood” problem. |
| Capsules will work where powder failed | The negative bleed study already used the powder barns buy. Capsules are a different pack (sixteen 0.25 g capsules = 4 g). They are not a success study for racehorses. |
| It is safe because it is herbal / natural | HIWU has found undeclared prohibited substances in Baiyao/Paiyao products. FEI also warns about herbal products when ingredients are unclear. In horses this is still off-label — vet only. |
| It can replace Lasix (furosemide) or a nasal strip | Those have clearer published support for reducing EIPH severity. Yunnan Baiyao powder and capsules do not have matching controlled evidence in horses. |
Bottom line in everyday words: we do not have a solid horse study showing Yunnan Baiyao powder or paste prevents lung bleeding or “thickens the blood” at the doses tested. Powder and capsules are still off-label in horses, and U.S. racing treats Baiyao/Paiyao as a clean-sport risk.
Researchers at Kansas State gave Thoroughbreds either placebo or Yunnan Paiyao powder (4 g by mouth twice a day for three days, plus race morning), then ran a hard treadmill test. They rinsed the lungs afterward and counted red blood cells. The powder group was not better than placebo. Horses also did not last longer on the treadmill. In plain English: that study did not support the powder for preventing EIPH.
That trial already used the powder form barns buy. Switching to Jiaonang capsules does not “fix” a missing success story. It only changes which pack you would empty to reach the same unproven gram amount.
Does it “thicken the blood”? What clotting tests showed
Another common hope is that Yunnan Baiyao makes a horse clot better. Cornell researchers tested that idea carefully: twelve healthy horses got either a Yunnan Baiyao paste or a placebo, twice a day for three days, at 15 mg per kg of body weight. They ran a big panel of clotting and platelet tests. Nothing useful moved compared with placebo.[2]
Clotting labs in healthy horses (Cornell, 2017)
| What they checked | In everyday terms | Vs placebo | Takeaway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platelets (clot starters) [2] | How sticky platelets get; timing tests; cell-marker checks | Looked like placebo after three days of paste. | No change |
| von Willebrand factor [2] | A protein that helps platelets grab vessel walls | No useful difference versus placebo. | No change |
| Routine clotting screens [2] | Standard blood-clot timing tests and fibrinogen | No helpful shift at 24 or 72 hours. | No change |
| Clot strength & breakdown [2] | TEG (how strong a clot forms) and how fast it dissolves | Clots were not stronger or more stable than placebo. | No change |
| Clotting screens in the bleed study [1] | Pre-work blood checks in Epp et al. | Powder did not produce a useful clotting change alongside the “no less bleeding” result. | No change (powder) |
Researchers’ takeaway: at a dose often used in practice, they did not see stronger platelets or stronger clots in the lab. They left open the idea that a higher dose or an actual injury site might look different — and they did not test a race-day program.
Straight answers for owners and trainers
| Question | Plain answer |
|---|---|
| If lab clotting tests look normal, does that mean it can never help a bleeding horse? | Cornell saw no lab signal in healthy horses. The authors said a real effect — if any — might need a different dose or might only show up at an injury site. That is a vet judgment call, not a green light to dose before a race. |
| Is 15 mg/kg or 4 g powder a dose from this store? | No. Those numbers came from researchers (paste vs Mayway powder). For a ~1,100 lb horse, 15 mg/kg is about 7.5 g each time — far more than casually emptying Jiaonang boxes. Only your veterinarian sets product, amount, and timing. |
| Can I use Jiaonang instead of racetrack powder? | Only if an equine vet writes that plan for a specific non-racing case. Capsules are not a proven EIPH fix, and turning 4 g of powder into sixteen capsules per dose is not how barns stock the formula. |
| Do dog or human surgery studies prove it works in horses? | No. Results in other species are not horse EIPH or race-day proof. Please do not copy a dog weight chart or a human hospital schedule onto a horse from this website. |
| Is authentic green-box Jiaonang “HIWU-safe”? | No. HIWU’s warnings cover Baiyao/Paiyao product classes after undeclared substances showed up in samples. Covered persons stay responsible for everything that enters a covered horse. |
Bottom line: controlled horse trials do not support Yunnan Baiyao powder or paste as a lung-bleed preventive or as a lab-proven clotting booster at the doses studied. Any Jiaonang use is off-label under an equine veterinarian — never a substitute for a scope, legal Lasix programs, or HIWU/FEI rules.
For a roughly 1,100 lb (500 kg) horse, that study dose is about 7.5 g each time — thirty of our 0.25 g capsules if you tried to build it from Jiaonang. The researchers used a paste instead. A horse that is actually bleeding in a clinic is not the same as a healthy research horse. That is a reason to keep a veterinarian in charge — not a reason to load the stall before a race.
Racing rules: why HIWU and FEI care
In January 2024, HIWU said a product sold as Yunnan Paiyao tested positive for ephedrine — a serious controlled medication that was not on the label. In May 2026, HIWU went further and told horsemen to dispose of products labeled Yunnan Baiyao, Yunnan Paiyao, or Baiyao after more samples showed undeclared banned or controlled substances.[3][4]
That matches how racing usually shops: powder tubs from herbal catalogs, not a sealed Jiaonang blister from a capsule specialty shop. A positive test can still stick even if the bottle never listed the drug. Dietary supplements are not FDA-checked for purity the way licensed drugs are. FEI clean-sport guidance also warns about herbal products when you cannot fully trust what is inside.[5]
Our green-box Jiaonang is real Yunnan Baiyao Group medicine — not a U.S. racetrack “supplement” tub. HIWU’s testing covered products from more than one source. Do not assume the green box is invisible to a lab, and do not assume a powder sachet from somewhere else is safer. Ask the official vet and read the current rules for your track or federation before anything goes into a covered horse.
If your equine vet still wants Jiaonang
That call belongs to the veterinarian for one specific horse — usually off-label use in a hospital or on a farm — not a store protocol and not a swap for racetrack powder. The green Jiaonang carton holds 16 capsules of 0.25 g plus one red insurance pill. Follow the written plan from that vet.
- Give only the amount and schedule the veterinarian wrote. Study milligram-per-kilogram figures and the 4 g powder protocol are research methods, not a barn chart from this website.
- Capsules can be opened into a small, tasty mash so the horse actually swallows the powder. Skip alcohol. Do not scale that mash up into a racing powder program.
- Leave the red insurance pill in the foil unless that veterinarian specifically asks for it.
- Write down the batch code. If the horse is in training, the attending vet should know every product in the feed room — including powder bought elsewhere.
- Nosebleed, collapse, or a lot of blood after work is an emergency. Powder and capsules do not replace a scope, legal furosemide programs, or a clinic.
Dog owners have a separate handbook: dogs handbook. Please do not copy a canine weight table onto a 1,100 lb horse.
Where to read more
U.S. racing
HIWU Yunnan Baiyao advisory
The current horsemen’s warning on Baiyao/Paiyao products and undeclared prohibited substances.
International sport
FEI prohibited substances
Check the list with your FEI veterinarian before any herbal powder or capsule.
Research paper
Epp et al. treadmill / EIPH study
The Thoroughbred treadmill study that used Yunnan Paiyao powder and did not support it for preventing lung bleeding.
Research paper
Ness et al. Cornell clotting study
Healthy horses, paste for three days: clotting and platelet tests did not improve versus placebo.
Back to the usage directory for dogs, cats, and labeled human use.
Sources we cite
- Epp TS, McDonough P, Padilla DJ, Cox JH, Poole DC, Erickson HH. The effect of herbal supplementation on the severity of exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage. Equine Comp Exerc Physiol. 2005;2(1):17–25.Five Thoroughbreds, randomized crossover. Mayway Yunnan Paiyao powder, 4 g by mouth twice daily, did not reduce BAL red-cell counts versus placebo.
- Ness SL, Frye AH, Divers TJ, Rishniw M, Erb HN, Brooks MB. Randomized placebo-controlled study of the effects of Yunnan Baiyao on hemostasis in horses. Am J Vet Res. 2017;78(8):969–976.Oral paste at 15 mg/kg every 12 hours for 3 days. No significant effect on platelet, vWF, or clot-formation assays versus placebo.
- Horsemen’s Advisory: Yunnan Baiyao / Yunnan Paiyao. Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU). 27 May 2026.Advises horsemen to dispose of Yunnan Baiyao/Paiyao products after samples contained undeclared banned and controlled substances.
- Dietary Supplements Alert: Prohibited Substances in Herbal Products. HIWU. 5 January 2024.A Yunnan Paiyao product tested positive for ephedrine, a Class A controlled medication not listed on the label.
- FEI Equine Prohibited Substances List and clean-sport supplement warning.Herbal products with unknown or undeclared ingredients are a documented risk in FEI sport.
- Birks EK, Durando MM, McBride S. Exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract. 2003;19(1):87–100.Clinical review of EIPH mechanisms. Does not establish Yunnan Baiyao powder or capsules as a treatment.
- Veterinary Partner (VIN). Yunnan Baiyao — extra-label veterinary monograph.Owner-facing overview: registered for people, extra-label in animals, veterinarian-directed only.
- Yunnan Baiyao Group. Product presentations (capsules / Jiaonang and powder / San).The manufacturer lists more than one presentation. Powder and capsules are different packs, not interchangeable SKUs from this store.
Quick questions
Do racehorse trainers usually buy powder or capsules?
Powder. Barns mix it into feed. A published treadmill protocol used 4 g of powder twice a day — that would be a whole 16-capsule Jiaonang box per dose if you tried to swap 0.25 g capsules. That is why stables rarely order the green capsule carton for horses.
Does this store sell Yunnan Baiyao powder for horses?
No. We ship authentic green-box Jiaonang capsules — the pack vets often discuss for dogs and the labeled human capsule form. It is not racetrack powder and not a race-day product.
Can I open Jiaonang capsules instead of buying powder?
Only if your equine veterinarian wrote that plan for a specific horse. Opening capsules into a mash is a clinic workaround, not how racing barns stock the formula. Big powder amounts would empty many boxes. This site will not convert a barn powder scoop into capsule counts.
Does Yunnan Baiyao stop EIPH (“bleeders”)?
A blinded treadmill study in Thoroughbreds found Yunnan Paiyao powder did not reduce lung bleeding versus placebo. Furosemide and an equine nasal strip have better-documented effects. Neither powder nor Jiaonang is a proven race-day bleed stopper.
Can powder or capsules go into a horse that is entered to race?
Ask the attending vet and the racing authority first. HIWU has warned U.S. horsemen that Baiyao/Paiyao products have tested positive for undeclared prohibited substances. A positive can stick even if the label never listed the drug.
Is the authentic green box “HIWU-safe”?
No. We sell original Yunnan Baiyao Group capsules. That is not a clean-sport clearance. Covered persons are responsible for everything that goes into a covered horse, including powder bought elsewhere.
What amounts did the horse studies use?
Researchers chose study amounts — 4 g of powder twice daily in the treadmill paper, and 15 mg/kg every 12 hours for three days in the Cornell clotting study (a paste, not Jiaonang). Those are study methods, not a prescription from this store.
We sell Jiaonang — not racetrack powder
If an equine veterinarian asked for the green capsule box for a farm or clinic horse, pick a warehouse. If you came looking for barn powder for a covered racehorse, read the HIWU advisory with the official veterinarian first.