ABSTRACT
By reviewing ancient materia medica， medical books， prescription books and modern literature， this paper conducted a systematic research on name， origin， medicinal parts， producing area， quality， harvesting and processing methods， functions and toxicity of Polygoni Multiflori Radix（PMR） and Polygoni Multiflori Caulis（PMC） in famous classical formulas. It was found that the name of Heshouwu was first found in the Biography of Heshouwu and originated from its discoverer， and then still in use today. Since the Song dynasty， Heshouwu has been included in the materia medica with Fallopia multiflora as the mainstream origin. Since the Ming dynasty， in addition to F. multiflora， Cynanchum bungei， C. wilfordii， C. auriculatum have been used as the origin of Heshouwu. Heshouwu is widely distributed， the production areas recorded in ancient times are mainly Luchuan， Guangxi and Ganzhou， Jiangxi， and in modern times， Deqing， Guangdong and other places are respected as the geo-authentic habitats. Its origin processing is mostly dug out， washed， sliced and dried in the sun. Modern literature concludes that the quality of PMR is better in terms of weight， solid quality and powder， while PMC is better in terms of uniformity and purplish-red skin. In the Qing dynasty and before that， it was recorded in the materia medica that PMR was harvested mainly in late spring， mid-summer and early autumn， in modern times， it was harvested mainly in spring and autumn， while PMC was harvested in autumn. In Song dynasty， the processing method of PMR was mainly soaked with rice-washed water， the Ming dynasty for black bean steaming method， the Qing dynasty for steaming followed by black bean juice maceration， while in modern times， it is mostly sliced and steamed with black bean juice and yellow rice wine until the juice is absorbed. PMC is prepared by removing impurities， washing or moistening， and cutting into sections to dry. During the five dynasties， PMR was used to treat infertility as well as gastrointestinal diseases and blood in the stool caused by wind chill， and during the Song dynasty， it was mostly used raw products for the treatment of scrofula and carbuncles， and in the Yuan and Ming dynasties， raw and processed products were used， and Polygoni Multiflori Radix Praeparata was used to treat hemorrhoids， waist and knee soreness. PMC is mainly used for treating insomnia， fatigue and sweating， wind sores and scabies， etc. In the Song dynasty， the ancients considered that PMR was non-toxic， but its toxicity was gradually discovered after the Ming dynasty， and the toxicity mechanism has not been clearly analyzed yet. Based on the results of the textual research， it is recommended that F. multiflora be used as the base for development of famous classical formulas containing PMR， and from the safety perspective， it is recommended to use raw products with caution， oral administration must be used processed products. PMC is recommended to use raw products.
ABSTRACT
Objective::To establish a scientific and reasonable grade evaluation standard for Polygoni Multiflori Caulis. Method::The quality constant method was used to conduct a grade evaluation study on Polygoni Multiflori Caulis. A total of 16 batches of samples were collected from Chinese herbal slices enterprises and medicinal materials markets. By measuring its appearance traits (average quality and average thickness of the decoction pieces) and the intrinsic quality indicators (content of 2, 3, 5, 4′-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-D-glucoside), then its quality constant and percentage quality constant were calculated comprehensively, finally, the grades of Polygoni Multiflori Caulis were classified by quality constant method. Result::The quality constant of 16 batches of the decoction pieces was 0.054-0.417, and the percentage quality constant was 12.98-100.00.If these samples were divided into three grades, the quality constant shall be ≥0.334 for the first-grade decoction pieces, the quality constant shall be <0.334 and ≥0.209 for the second-grade decoction pieces, while for the third-grade decoction pieces, the quality constant shall be <0.209. Conclusion::The grade evaluation method based on quality constant can overcome the shortcomings of traditional evaluation method for decoction pieces, and can realize scientific, objective and simple classification of Polygoni Multiflori Caulis. This study enriches the research data of modern grade evaluation of Polygoni Multiflori Caulis, and provides reference for grade evaluation and market circulation of other decoction pieces.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To establish the common model of four kinds of rattan traditional Chinese medicinal materials (TCMM) (Paederiae Scandens Caulis, Lonicerae Japonicae Caulis, Polygoni Multiflori Caulis, and Ipomoea batatas Caulis) determinate the drying kinetic parameters, and study the stability of active ingredients in the drying process. Methods: The experimental data of four rattan TCMM were fitted to the nine thin layer models (Page, Wang and Singh, Two-term exponential, Newton, Logarithmic, Aghbashlo, Two-term, Midilli, Diffusion approach) at the temperature of 40, 50, 60, and 70 ℃. R2, χ2, and RMSE were used as the criterion of fit. Fick diffusion law was used to calculate the drying dynamical parameters. Based on the principle of chemical kinetics, the stability of active ingredients in the drying process was studied. Results: Aghbashlo model was the best one to describe drying process of four rattan TCMM. The effective moisture diffusion coefficients D and activation energy Ea of four rattan TCMM were between 1 × 10−10 and 1 × 10−9 m2/s and 40—50 kJ/mol respectively. The degradation reactions of ursolic acid, THSG, and polysaccharide conformed to the first-order kinetic equation. The content of chlorogenic acid increased with the drying temperature and drying time increased. Conclusion: The drying dynamical parameters values of TCMM with different parts have different ranges, their drying process should be described by a common model. The quality of TCMM was affected greatly by drying process.