Research progress on chemical components and pharmacological effects of Leonurus japonicas / 中草药

ABSTRACT

Leonurus japonicas is a common clinical medicine, with the effect of activating blood circulation and regulating menstruation, inducing diuresis to alleviate edema, and clearing heat and detoxification. It has been used to treat menoxenia, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, lochia, edema of the body, oliguresis, sores, ulcerations, and other diseases in human. Recently, more than 120 compounds, including alkaloids, diterpenes, flavonoids, phenylethanoid glycosides, phenylpropanoids, coumarins, triterpene, organic acid, volatile oils and so on, have been isolated from L. japonicas. L. japonicas and its active ingredients have pharmacological effects in uterus, cardiovascular system, blood, and kidney. In this review, we summarized domestic and foreign literatures about chemical composition and pharmacological activity of L. japonicas in recent 20 years, in the hope of providing reference for further studies of L. japonicas.