Textual research of Schizonepetae Herba and Schizonepetae Spica / 中国中药杂志

Schizonepetae Herba and Schizonepetae Spica are well-known Chinese herbal medicines for wind dispersing and exterior releasing. Through textual research on Schizonepetae Herba and Schizonepetae Spica, the discrimination of their medicinal parts in history was clarified, and the processing, the property(nature and flavor), meridian tropism, functions, indications, usage, dosage, and the selection of decoction pieces were compared to provide the basis for clinical application. As a result, the whole herb of Schizonepeta tenuifolia was used as medicine in the early records. The aerial part and the dried spike of S. tenuifolia were used as medicines separately in the Song Dynasty, which was recorded in the Atlas of Materia Medica(Ben Cao Tu Jing). Some ancient classics emphasized that only the dried spike could be used as medicine. The separation of Schizonepetae Herba and Schizonepetae Spica meets the different needs of clinical medication and supports the concept of rational development and utilization of Chinese medicine resources. About ten processing methods for Schizonepetae Herba and Schizonepetae Spica have been recorded since ancient times, and raw and charred drugs were the major products. Raw Schizonepetae Herba is required to be used in sections, whereas raw Schizonepetae Spica in clean preparation. Both charred products should avoid scorching. Schizonepetae Herba and Schizonepetae Spica are similar in the property(pungent, bitter, and warm), meridian tropism(lung and liver meridians, as well as qi and blood aspects), and functions(releasing exterior, dispersing wind, regulating and stopping blood, promoting eruption, dispelling sores, promoting digestion, eliminating alcohol effect, etc.), but Schizonepetae Spica is superior in efficacy. For Schizonepetae Herba and Schizonepetae Spica in traditional Chinese medicinal prescriptions, the raw and charred products are similar in usage and dosage, while their focuses in clinical compatibility vary. The raw and charred products of Schizonepetae Herba and Schizonepetae Spica are widely applied clinically. Decoction pieces of different specifications can result in different efficacies and clinical applications, so medication should be performed with caution.

Recent advances on genuineness evaluation of Lingnan herbal drugs / 中国中药杂志

Chinese medicine is the traditional treasure of China nation. As the basis of Chinese medicine, traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) plays an important part for the development of Chinese medicine. Genuine medicinal materials with special characteristics of TCM growing in special ecological environment, is recognized as the high quality medicine. Research on genuineness evaluation of TCM is the key to ensure its clinical applications, efficacy and the process of modernization and internationalization for Chinese medicine. Lingnan region of China is situated in the tropical and subtropical zones, where there are rich geothermal and hydrothermal resources. The superior natural and geographic environment of Lingnan has given birth to a variety of native herbal drugs. And treating and preventing diseases with Lingnan herbal drugs has a long story. This study mainly evaluated the genuineness of Lingnan herbal drugs from the aspects of ecological factor, thegenetic information, the history, the culture, the clinical efficacy and the processing, and proposed a new idea to investigate the genuineness of TCM, aiming to provide a scientific basis for genuineness evaluation.

Quality assessment of crude and processed Leonuri Fructus by chemical and color analysis combined with chemometric method / 中草药·英文版

Objective: Crude Leonuri Fructus (CLF), the fruits of the Leonurus japonicus Houtt, and processed Leonuri Fructus (PLF) by stir-baking as the important Chinese herbal medicines, have been used in China and other Asian countries for thousands of years. The objective of this research is to reveal the difference between CLF and PLF. Methods: The sensory technologies of the colorimetry, sensitive and validated HPLC-ELSD and GC combined with flame ionization detector (GC-FID) were employed to discriminate CLF and its processed product PLF. The color parameters of the samples were determined by colorimetric instrument CR-410. Moreover, the content of stachydrine and six fatty acids were determined by HPLC and GC. Subsequently, analysis of variance (ANOVA), principal components analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), and Kendall's correlation test were performed for data analysis. Results: The CLF and PLF were divided into two categories by PCA and HCA in terms of their component content and color. The results distinctly demonstrated significant changes in color and the content of indicative components between CLF and PLF. Conclusion: The study revealed that HPLC, GC, and colorimetric method in combination with chemometric method could be used as comprehensive quality evaluation for CLF and PLF.