We visited Mongolia in the summer of 1999 and again in the summer of 2000, and investigated the traditional and natural medicines of this country. Mongolian traditional medicine is classified into seven categories, namely, massage, acupuncture, herbal medicine, dietary cures, aromatherapy, phlebotomy and sutra recitation. Herbal medicines, as well as acupuncture and massage, are the principal remedies. These remedies are based on Tibetan traditional medicine, which is derived from Indian traditional medicine. In both rural and urban areas, the Mongolian people use many herbs and herbal prescriptions to prevent and cure acute or chronic diseases. Important herbal plant sources, such as the Ephedra and Glycyrrhiza species, are abundant. Since the abandonment of socialism, traditional medicine has made a rapid comeback and is now a popular and important remedy in Mongolia.

We investigated the effects of an ethanol extract of potato peel on T helper cytokines production in cultured murine Peyer’s patch cells ex vivo. Oral administration of the 70% ethanol extract at 100 mg/kg/day significantly enhanced the production of the Th1 cytokine IL-2 in response to concanavalin A. A decrease in the production of the Th2 cytokine IL-4 and the Th17 cytokine IL-17 was observed. The production of the Treg cytokine IL-10 was not affected. These results suggest that the potato peel extract stimulates Th1 immune response.

Coix lacryma-jobi L. var.ma-yuen Stapf (Coix seed) is a grass crop that has long been used in traditional medicine as a nourishing food. However, high-intake safety of the extract of the husks, pellicles and astringent skin of Coix seed has rarely been evaluated. We performed a safety test of hot water extract of all parts of Coix seed (CRD extract) in rats. CRD extract showed no significant toxicity on body weight, blood analyses, urinalysis and histopathological examination in acute toxicity tests.

On the study of polyphenols from Fragaria ananassa fruit, we reported that some polyphenols showed inhibition of metabolic enzyme, cytochrome P450. Continuous study of health effects of F. ananassa fruit, we isolated a new quercetin glycoside, flagarin, quercetin-3-O- β-glucuronyl- (2→1)- β-D-xyloside along with ten known compounds. Those compounds showed inhibitory activity of fat accumulation in rat white adipocyte. Among the isolated compounds, strictinin and the new compound, flagarin showed high inhibitory activity of fat accumulation in rat white adipocyte.