ABSTRACT
In this paper， the name， origin， producing area， quality evaluation， harvesting and processing methods of Scrophulariae Radix used in the famous classical formulas were researched by consulting related ancient materia medica， medical books and prescription books. The results showed that the name of Scrophulariae Radix originated from its shape and color. Scrophularia ningpoensis， one of the eight flavors of Zhejiang， has been highly praised in the past as a genuine base， and its authentic production area is Zhejiang. Quality of Scrophulariae Radix is best if it has a dry body， thin skin， thick branches， firm physique， black inner color， net basal part of stem， and no fine whiskers. In ancient times， the origin processing was divided into two types， including sun-dried after steaming and directly sun-dried. While it mostly used a combination of drying and sweating in modern times. Before the Ming dynasty， the processing of Scrophulariae Radix was mainly steamed. Occasionally， the stir-frying appeared. In the Ming dynasty and after the Ming dynasty， wine processing emerged such as hot wine mixed roasting， wine washing， wine steaming， because the ancients believed that wine could enhance its efficacy and reduce its cold property. In the Qing dynasty， the method of steaming and baking appeared in the water and fire system. According to the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia， the processing of Scrophulariae Radix includes removing rhizome residues and impurities， washing， moistening， cutting into thin slices， and drying， or soaking slightly， steaming thoroughly， drying slightly， cutting into thin slices， and drying. Referring to the relevant national documents， it is suggested that raw products of Scrophulariae Radix should be used in Liangditang and Simiao Yong′antang.
ABSTRACT
In this paper， the name， varieties， raw materials and manufacturing technology of maltose in the famous classical formulas were researched by consulting the herbal medicines， medical books， prescription books and modern literature of past dynasties， which provided the basis for the development and utilization of formulas containing maltose. Through textual research， it can be seen that the name of maltose has been derived from its shape， texture， preparation method， raw materials and producing area. In ancient times， maltose was mainly divided into soft and hard types according to the texture. Those who are wet and soft as honey are called "syrup" or "jelly"， while those who are hard and white are called "malt" and "sugar". In modern times， they are mostly called malt sugar， only jelly is used as medicine， and malt is mostly used as food. Throughout the ages， medicinal maltose were made of Oryza sativa var. glutinosa as the raw material and Hordeum vulgare as malt， prepared by fermenting， decocting and concentrating. The maltose made from other cereals such as Setaria italica var. germanica， Panicum miliaceum is slightly inferior in quality. The 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia did not include maltose， but included malt sugar， a pharmaceutical excipient， which was a crystal powder with high purity. But maltose was included in the national food standard and the local processing specification. Based on the textual research results， it is suggested that malt syrup in GB/T 20883-2017 can be used as the reference for the development of formulas containing maltose， and O. sativa var. glutinosa， H. vulgare are clearly used as raw materials.
ABSTRACT
At present, 141 compounds have been isolated from Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora and P. kurroa of the Scrophulariaceae plants, including 46 iridoid glycosides, 29 tetracyclic triterpenoids, 25 phenylpropanoids, and 11 phenylethanoid glycosides. Pharmacological studies have demonstrated that they have liver-, heart-, brain-, kidney-, and nerve cells-protecting effects as well as anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-asthma, anti-diabetic, immunomodulatory, and blood lipid-lowering activities. This article reviews the chemical components and pharmacological activities of P. scrophulariiflora and P. kurroa, aiming to provide a basis for the in-depth research, development, and utilization of the two plants.