ABSTRACT
Fenugreek is a kind of Chinese herbal medicine with great development prospects.At present,there are many modern reports on its components extraction,quality standards,processing technology and pharmacological effects.However,there is still a lack of research on sorting out and analyzing the relevant ancient records,and people's herbological cognition of fenugreek is still controversial and incomplete.In this study,through systematic review and analysis of ancient records,the names,original plant,processing methods and properties(including nature,flavor,meridian tropism,action,application,toxicity and contraindication)of fenugreek were comprehensively verified for the first time,which provided a herbological reference for further development,utilization and in-depth study of Fenugreek.It is found that fenugreek has several names such as Kudou,Luba,Huba and Jidou.Based on analyzing the descriptions and pictures of fenugreek original plant in ancient records,there is a strong likelihood that the ancient and modern medicinal fenugreek belong to the same species.In addition to the current common method of stir-frying with salt solution,the ancient books also recorded eight processing methods of fenugreek,such as stir-frying,steaming,baking,and calcining.According to the research of properties,it is found that fenugreek is warm-hot in nature,bitter,sweet,and pungent in flavor,and attributive to the kidney,stomach,liver and bladder meridians.In addition to the efficacy recorded in pharmacopoeia,this study also complemented fenugreek's actions of"improving hearing and eyesight,guiding fire to origin"and application of"fullness and discomfort in abdomen and hypochondrium".According to the textual research of toxicity and contraindication,fenugreek has been recorded as non-toxic in the past dynasties,but it should be used cautiously in the excess-heat syndrome,Yin deficiency syndrome,and pregnant women.
ABSTRACT
ObjectiveTo provide references for the selection of Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens on the research of famous classical formulas and the reasonable uses for medicines and foods through herbal textural research and quality analysis of Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens from main producing areas in China. MethodBy consulting the ancient and modern literature, the name, origin, producing areas, harvest time, processing methods of Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens were summarized. According to the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia, the contents of 6-gingerol, 8-gingerol, 10-gingerol, and volatile oil in Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens samples were determined. ResultHerbal textural research indicated that medicinal Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens originated from the fresh rhizome of Zingiber officinale. Before Tang dynasty, Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens produced in Sichuan was the best. In the Song dynasty, Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens produced in Sichuan, Zhejiang, and Anhui was of excellent quality. The cultivation of Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens in Shandong developed during the Ming and Qing dynasties. From ancient times to the present, the harvest period extended from the autumnal equinox to the winter solstice. Quality evaluation standards of Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens were essentially the same in ancient and present documents, as those with little gluten or gluten-free and strong pungency were preferred. After determination, the contents of 6-gingerol, 8-gingerol, and 10-gingerol in 44 samples were qualified in 27 samples, with a qualified rate of 61.4%. Among them, 17 samples were unqualified in the total contents of 8-gingerol and 10-gingerol. Among these qualified samples, the content of 6-gingerol ranged from 0.067% to 0.255%, and the total contents of 8-gingerol and 10-gingerol ranged from 0.040% to 0.131%. The content of volatile oil in 36 samples were qualified in 33 samples, with a qualified rate of 91.7%. Among the qualified samples, the content of volatile oil ranged from 0.175% to 0.410%. ConclusionZingiberis Rhizoma Recens has been used as medicines and foods since ancient times, and the genuine producing areas are consistent in ancient and present times, while the quality of the products, especially the medicinal Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens, should be monitored. Medicinal Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens planted in Leshan city of Sichuan province contains high contents of effective components, followed by Qujing and Wenshan cities of Yunnan province. Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens planted in Shandong and other places is mostly edible.
ABSTRACT
On the basis of review and study on literatures of Chinese medicine, combining the history of medicinal plants of Salvia in China, and investigating the morphological description, geography distribution and therapeutic effects, herbal textural research were carried on the medicinal plants from Salvia. The results showed that the original plant of Danshen is S. miltiorrhiza and related species, the original plant of Dian Danshen is S. yunnanensis, the original plant of Li Zhi Cao is S. plebeia, the original plant of Shi Jian Chuan is Bidens pilosa. or S.chinensis, the original plant of Shu Wei Cao is S. japanica, the original plant of Ye Xia Hong is S. kiangsiensis. And the article aimed to point out the relationship of medicinal plants from Salvia and provided new insight and proof to explore the new natural medicine from medicinal plants of Salvia.