Jiezi (Sinapis Semen), as an essential herb for warming and resolving cold phlegm, possesses the effects of warming the lungs, dispelling phlegm, promoting qi flow, dispersing nodules, unblocking collaterals, and relieving pain. It plays a significant role in clinical applications of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Modern research has shown that Sinapis Semen primarily contains various chemical components such as glucosinolates, sinapine, flavonoids, and volatile oils. Among these, sinapine thiocyanate is listed as the quality control indicator for Sinapis Semen in the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia. However, the current quality evaluation indicators for Sinapis Semen remain relatively limited, making it difficult to comprehensively reflect its overall material basis of effective components, and further in-depth research is still needed. This article systematically and comprehensively reviews the research progress on the chemical composition and pharmacological effects of Sinapis Semen. Based on three essential criteria of effective components (identification, dose-effect precision, and mechanism clarification) and the “five principles” of quality markers for TCM—effectiveness, specificity, measurability, transmission and traceability, and compatibility environment, this study identifies sinalbin, sinigrin, sinapine, sinapine thiocyanate, and allyl isothiocyanate as potential core components for the quality evaluation of Sinapis Semen. This review can provide a theoretical reference for establishing a more scientific and comprehensive quality control system for Sinapis Semen.

Sinapis Semen  /  effective components  /  quality marker  /  sinigrin  /  sinalbin  /  sinapine  /  sinapine thiocyanate  /  allyl isothiocyanate