ABSTRACT
Morus alba, a traditional economic crop, is also a significant medicinal plant. The branches(Mori Ramulus), leaves(Mori Folium), roots and barks(Mori Cortex), and fruits(Mori Fructus) of M. alba are rich in chemical components, such as alkaloids, flavonoids, flavanols, anthocyanins, benzofurans, phenolic acids, and polysaccharides, and possess hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-microbial, liver protective, immunoregulatory, and other pharmacological activities. This study analyzed the sources, classification, and functions of the main chemical components in M. alba and systematically summarized the latest research results of essential active components in M. alba and their pharmacological effects to provide references for in-depth research and further development as well as utilization of active components in M. alba.
Subject(s)
Anthocyanins , Flavonoids/pharmacology , Morus , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Plant LeavesABSTRACT
Through consulting the ancient herbs， medical books and modern literature， this paper made textual research on the name， origin， producing area， quality evaluation， collection and processing of medicinal materials of Sang （Mori Folium， Mori Cortex， Mori Ramulus， Mori Fructus） in famous classical formulas， in order to provide a basis for the development of famous classical formulas containing medicinal materials of Sang. According to the research， Mori Folium and Mori Cortex were first used as medicines in Shengnong Bencaojing ， Mori Ramulus was first used as medicine in Jinxiaofang， and Mori Fructus was first used as medicine in Xinxiu Bencao. Before the Tang dynasty， there were Nyusang and Shansang. Since Tang dynasty， there were many sources of medicinal materials of Sang， including Baisang （Morus alba）， Jisang （M. australis）， Shansang （M. mongolica）， etc. According to textual research， the mainstream varieties were M. australis， M. alba and their cultivated varieties. In modern times， according to the relevant information and the Chinese Pharmacopoeia， M. alba is the original base. In ancient times， the origin of mulberry changed with the development of sericulture， mulberry has been widely planted since the Song dynasty. In the Ming and Qing dynasties， mulberry has been planted most in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. In modern times， they are mainly produced in Jiangsu， Zhejiang， Anhui， Hunan and other places. In recent years， due to the related policies and strategies such as "moving silkworms from east to west"， the center of silkworm breeding has gradually transferred to the west. As for the quality evaluation and harvesting and processing of mulberry medicinal materials， Most of the ancient and modern records of Mori Folium are the same. They are harvested after frost， and dried after removing impurities. The quality is better when the leaves are large and thick， yellowish green， holding prickly hands and undergoing frost. The harvesting period of Mori Cortex is slightly different in ancient and modern records. Ancient books record that it can be harvested all the year round， but in modern times， it is mostly harvested from late autumn to the next spring. The processing methods include removing soil and fibrous roots， scraping off yellow-brown rough skin， peeling off white skin and drying in the sun. The quality is better when they are white， thick， flexible， free of rough skin and full of powder. There are few records about the collection， processing and quality evaluation of Mori Ramulus and Mori Fructus in ancient Chinese herbal books. According to modern literature， Mori Ramulus is usually collected in late spring and early summer， with leaves removed， slightly dried， sliced while fresh， and dried in the sun. The best quality of Mori Ramulus is fine and tender with the yellow and white section. Mori Fructus is harvested from April to June when the fruit turns red， and dried in the sun， or slightly steamed and dried in the sun， and it is better to be big， dark purple， oily and thick. There are many processing methods of mulberry medicinal materials. Ancient books record stir frying， baking， burning and steaming of Mori Folium， in modern times， there is honey-roasted method， but most of them are used as raw products. In ancient materia medica， Mori Cortex has firing method， baking method， stir-frying method， honey-fried method， etc. In modern times， there are stir-fried and honey-fried methods， and most of them are used as raw products. Ancient books record that Mori Ramulus has cutting and frying methods， while modern ones have cutting， frying， wine-processed and bran-processed methods. Processing methods of Mori Fructus are consistent in ancient and modern times， and they are mostly dried after being cleaned or steamed. Based on the research results， it is suggested that M. alba should be selected as mulberry medicinal materials in the famous classical formulas， and appropriate medicinal parts and processing methods can be selected according to the indications of the famous classical formulas.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To investigate the influence of different drying methods on physical fingerprint and total flavonoids content of Mori Ramulus extract.Method: The Mori Ramulus extract was dried by freeze drying,vacuum drying,ambient pressure drying,respectively.The content of total flavonoids in samples with different drying methods were determined and compared with each other.Physical fingerprint of Mori Ramulus extract was established by radar map and the physical fingerprint of samples with different drying methods were compared with each other.In the meantime,compressible parameters were employed to analyze the compressibility characteristics of Mori Ramulus extract treated by different drying methods.Result: Similarity of control physical fingerprint of Mori Ramulus extract treated by different drying methods was 77.8%-87.3%,relative standard deviation(RSD) of average value of the first level indexes and the compressible parameters was 0-16.6%.Except for homogeneity and stability,the remaining RSDs were less than 10%.Effects of different drying methods on homogeneity and stability of Mori Ramulus extract were greater than that of other factors.Conclusion: Different drying methods have certain effects on physical fingerprint of Mori Ramulus extract,but they have little influence on total flavonoids content in Mori Ramulus extract.
ABSTRACT
Mulberry resources including Mori Folium, Mori Fructus, Mori Ramulus, and Mori Cortex are used in clinic of traditional Chinese medicine, and have important functional effects on type 2 diabetes. In order to better explore diabetic drugs and take better advantage of mulberry resources, we review the chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of mulberry including hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidant activities.