Tool from traditional medicines is useful for health-medication: Bezoar Bovis and taurine.

Bezoar Bovis (BB:dried cattle gallbladder stones) has been used empirically in Asia for over 3000 years to treat heart and liver disorders. Yet its therapeutic potential remains unexplored by Western researchers. The aim of this study has been to clarify the actions of BB on cultured cardiomyocytes and to identify its active component(s). BB is a component of 98.7% of the Japanese over the counter (OTC) cardioactive drugs. The water-extract of BB exhibits protection action against arrhythmias produced by low Ca2+ and high Ca2+ in the medium. On the other hand, the Ca(2+)-antagonist, verapamil, did not suppress arrhythmias that developed in cell culture. Rather, it aggravated the beating status of the cardiomyocytes. The major constituents of the BB extract are bile salts (cholate, deoxycholate, taurocholate) and amino acids (taurine, cysteine, leucine, isoleucine). Most cells incubated with bile salts developed morphological damage. However, one of the major constituents of the BB extract, taurine, was effective in protecting against the abnormal beating pattern induced by high Ca2+. Since beta-alanine, an inhibitor of taurine transport, antagonized the protective effects of both BB and taurine, it is likely that the effect of BB is partly mediated by taurine.

Cytotoxic activity of some Asarum plants.

The cytotoxic activity against some tumor cell lines of 16 commonly used species of Asarum was evaluated in this study. All of these plants were widely used in Asian countries as traditional medicines or folk medicines. Their inhibitory activities against four tumor cell lines (HL-60, BGC-823, KB and Bel-7402) were compared. It was observed that 10 of the tested extracts (eight ethanol extracts and two water extracts) among 32 extracts of these plants showed cytotoxic activity. Those 95% ethanol extractions from A. caudigerellum, A. forbesii, A. inflatum and A. maximum exhibited the highest cytotoxic activity, and 95% ethanol extracts or water extracts of A. sieboldii var. seoulense, A. himalaicum, A. splendens and A. crispulatum showed selective activity against one or two cells among the tested tumor cells. This is the first report of Asarum plants possessing cytotoxic activity against tumor cell lines.

[Study on identification of wild and cultirated Radix Scutellariae in different growing years].

OBJECTIVE: To identify Radix Scutellariae (Huangqin) of different growth years, to distinguish whether it's wild or cultivated and to provide useful information for the quality control of Huangqin crude drug. METHOD: By using morphological and histological methods, we studied 87 individuals of 45 specimens from 12 habitats of 5 provinces of China, which grew wild or were cultivated in different growing years. Moreover, 22 commercial samples of Huangqin from 7 provinces were also investigated. RESULT: The identification was performed base on morphological and histological characteristics, such as, the shape, color, cork, remaining stems, decayed central xylem, and vessels arrangement, xylem cork ring, growth rings, etc. CONCLUSION: We established an identification method for distinguishing Huangqin wild or cultivated in different growing years. Furthermore, the structure of annual rings in the transection of Radix Scutellariae has been discovered for the first time.

[Affection of different preparations on the content of toxic constituents in traditional Chinese medicines, examplified with Caulis Aristolochiae Manshuriensis].

OBJECTIVE: Taking Caulis Aristolochiae Manshuriensis (Guanmutong in Chinese, derived from the stem of Aristolochia manshuriensis) as an example, to study the affection of different preparations on the content of toxic constituents in traditional Chinese medicines. METHOD: The separation was performed on a zorbax SB-C18 column with mobile phase of acetonitrile-3.7 mmol x L(-1) phosphoric acid buffer, detected at 260 nm. RESULT: The extraction percentage of aristolochic acids I, II and IV a in water extraction (1 h x 2) of Guanmutong were 53.4%, 75.5% and 61.9%, respectively; the remaining quantity of aristolochic acids I, II and IVa in the dregs of the decoction were 22.3%, 15.7% and 30.3%, respectively; Aristolochic acid I was still main substance among these aristolohic acids in the decoction of Guanmutong. CONCLUSION: The content of toxic constituents of the traditional Chinese medicines varies evidently with different preparations of Guanmutong. So the preparation methods of traditional Chinese medicines should be suitably selected according to characteristics of the toxic constituents so as to lessen the body damages of human.

[Pharmacognostical identification of "guijiu ([symbol: see text])" in Shosoin of Japan].

OBJECTIVE: To identify the botanical origin of the Guijiu in Shosoin of Japan from Tang Dynasty, and trace its medicinal history. METHOD: Anatomical characteristics of the underground parts of Guijiu in Shosoin were compared with those of Hosta plantaginea and H. ventricosa, and research on the medicinal history of Guijiu was made based on its original identification results and describes in herbals. RESULT AND CONCLUSION: Guijiu in Shosoin of Japan was derived from the underground parts of H. plantaginea and is one of Guijiu used in Tang Dynasty and earlier on.

Simultaneous determination of five aristolochic acids and two aristololactams in Aristolochia plants by high-performance liquid chromatography.

An HPLC method was developed for the simultaneous determination of five aristolochic acids (AAs) and two aristololactams (ALs) in the following six Chinese drugs derived from Aristolochia species. Samples were analyzed on a C(18) column with acetonitrile and 3.7 mm phosphoric acid buffer gradient elution, detected at 260 nm. Assay was linear over the range (microg/mL) 0.386-38.6 for aristolochic acid Va, 0.632-63.2 for aristolochic acid IVa, 0.200-20.0 for 9-hydroxy aristolochic acid I, 0.352-35.2 for aristololactam II, 0.296-29.6 for aristolochic acid II, 0.274-27.4 for aristololactam I and 3.12-312 for aristolochic acid I. Average recoveries (%) of samples were 102.0, 95.9, 99.2, 102.2, 97.2, 97.1 and 97.8 for these seven constituents, respectively. The detection limit and retention time for the seven constituents ranged from 10.0 to 15.8 ng/mL and from 12 to 21 min. As a result of drug determination, contents (in mg/g) were as follows: AA-I, 0.69-1.77; AA-II, 0.02-0.18; 9-OH AA-I, 0.04-0.12; AA-IVa, 0.76-3.36; AA-Va, 0.04-0.31; AL-I, 0.07-0.36; and AL-II, 0.01-0.09 in Madouling; AA-I, 0.03-0.41; AA-II, 0.01-0.11; 9-OH AA-I, 0.00-0.60; AA-IVa, 0.00-0.77; AA-Va, 0.00-0.14; and AL-I, 0.00-0.04 in Tianxianteng; AA-I, 1.19-4.71; and AA-II, 0.24-1.69 in Qingmuxiang; AA-I, 2.79-5.48; AA-II, 1.06-1.86; 9-OH AA-I, 0.01-0.09; AA-IVa, 0.38-0.69; AA-Va, 0.00-0.61; AL-I, 0.00-0.02; and AL-II, 0.00-0.02 in Bei-madouling-gen; AA-I, 0.64-4.23; AA-II, 0.06-0.40; and AA-IVa, 0.08-0.25; in Guangfangji; and AA-I, 1.88-9.72; AA-II, 0.26-1.88; and AA-IVa, 0.09-0.52 in Guanmutong. The other constituents were not detected in Tianxianteng, Qingmuxiang, Guangfangji and Guanmutong.

[A historical study of coffee in Japanese and Asian countries: focusing the medicinal uses in Asian traditional medicines].

The medicinal properties of coffee, making it a diuretic and stimulant, because of the effects of caffeine, have been known since ancient times, and coffee is today a popular beverage worldwide. In Japan it was introduced at the end of the eighteenth century through overseas trading with the Netherlands. During this period, various Western cultures flowed into Japan, and coffee was one of the subjects introduced through the translations of Dutch medical books. The pharmacological effects of coffee have been presented by Yamamoto in "Komo Honzou, (--, 1783)"; by K. Takahashi, G. Ohtsuki, and Y. Udagawa et al. in "Kosei Shimpen (--, 1811)"; and by Kai Hirokawa in "Nagasaki Bunkenroku (--, 1795)." In the Chinese and Arabic traditional systems of medicine, the uses of coffee were based on its diuretic and central nervous system stimulant properties, attributed in general to caffeine. This study dealt with the uses of coffee in the traditional medicines of Asian countries and with some biological activities related to aging, infectious diseases, and cardioprotective effects. In various biological tests, the water extract of coffee showed no notable effect on myocardial cell beating; however, it did show superoxide anion-scavenging effects, inhibitory activity of lipid peroxidation, and suppression of hepatitis B virus surface antigen. These biological activities are closely related to the presence of caffeic acid derivatives, especially chlorogenic acid. The findings suggest that besides its stimulant effect, coffee has properties to prevent the deleterious actions of free radicals and viral infections.

[Historical and herbological investigation of Yinchenhao].

The description of "Yinchenhao" in Chinese and Japanese medical and pharmaceutical literature, Bencao, was historically examined.Yinchenhao was consistently considered an indispensable medicine for treating jaundice. It was estimated that in China, a shrubby Artemisia plant just like the Artemisia capillaris, or a related plant, was utilized as Yinchenhao in the Liuchao and Song dynasties. Further, several kinds of. plants, including Artemisia, were used in the Song Dynasty and probably thereafter. Until the Song Dynasty, the leaves and stems of elongated aerial parts of the plants described above were used, while young (non-elongated) shoots on the stems of the previous year, which were called Mianyinchen after the Qing Dynasty, were found to be already utilized in the Ming Dynasty. In Japan, the botanical source of Yinchenhao was believed to be A. capillaris since the Edo era, without any differentiation in opinion. In the early Edo era, the leaves and stems of the plant seem to have been used. But late in Edo era, the flower heads of the plant gradually prevailed in the market.