Research Progress in Modern Pharmacology of Magnolia Officinalis / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex（MOC） is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） in China. It is spicy-warm in property and bitter in flavor. It has the effects in eliminating dampness， eliminating phlegm and removing fullness. It is commonly used for dampness obstruction to spleen and stomach， chest and epigastric distension， glutinous grains， nausea， vomiting， abdominal pain and abdominal distension. It has a good efficacy in treating gastrointestinal discomfort and anorexia in clinic. The results showed that MOC mainly contains phenolic compounds， alkaloids and volatile oil. Magnolol， honokiol and other phenolic compounds are the main active substances， with obvious pharmacological activities on digestive， nervous， cardiovascular and respiratory systems. In addition， it also has anti-inflammatory， analgesic， anti-bacterial， anti-tumor and anti-oxidation effects. Except for magnolol and honokiol and other active substances， MOC flowers also contain volatile oil， with a similar effect with MOC but a weaker function. It is mainly used for treating spleen and stomach dampness， fullness， chest and epigastric distension. In addition to magnolol and honokiol and other phenolic compounds， MOC leaves also contain volatile oil， flavonoids and polysaccharides and other chemical components， which have antibacterial， antioxidative， vasodilatory and other pharmacological effects. It can be used as medicine instead of MOC in clinic. In this paper， the pharmacology studies of MOC in recent 5 years was reviewed， in order to better develop and utilize magnolia bark and its waste flowers and leaves， and further develop relevant functional products with MOC as the main drug， while providing new ideas for expanding the resources of TCM.