Traditional medicinal plants for arthropod-borne diseases of five countries in Lancang-Mekong region:a review / 中国中药杂志

Arthropod-borne diseases, such as malaria and dengue fever, have frequently beset five countries(Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand) in the tropical rainy Lancang-Mekong region, which pose a huge threat to social production and daily life. As a resort to such diseases, chemical drugs risk the resistance in plasmodium, non-availability for dengue virus, and pollution to the environment. Traditional medicinal plants have the multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway characteristics, which are of great potential in drug development. Exploring potential medicinals for arthropod-borne diseases from traditional medicinal plants has become a hot spot. This study summarized the epidemiological background of arthropod-borne diseases in the Lancang-Mekong region and screened effective herbs from the 350 medicinal plants recorded in CHINA-ASEAN Traditional Medicine. Based on CNKI, VIP, and PubMed, the plants for malaria and dengue fever and those for killing and repelling mosquitoes were respectively sorted out. Their pharmacological effects and mechanisms were reviewed and the material basis was analyzed. The result is expected to serve as a reference for efficient utilization of medicinal resources, development of effective and safe drugs for malaria and dengue fever, and the further cooperation between China and the other five countries in the Lancang-Mekong region.

Analysis of Curcuma longa Q-markers based on traditional efficacy and modern research / 中草药

Curcuma longa, a well-known traditional Chinese medicine, which is warm in nature, acrid and bitter in taste. It has the effects of supplementing qi and activating blood circulation, treating amenorrhea, and pain relief. It was first collected in the Annotation of Materia Medica with long medication history. In this paper, chemical composition and main pharmacological activities of C. longa were summarized, and the quality markers of C. longa were predicted and analyzed based on traditional efficacy and modern research. It is suggested that the identification and quantification of ar-turmerone, α-turmerone, β-turmerone, curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin, and flavonoids should be carried out and the further research of the chemical group of terpenoids and sterols from C. longa should be focused, which could provide scientific basis for clarifying the quality marker (Q-marker) and quality evaluation research of C. longa.