Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Hematologic Diseases ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Materia Medica ; Panax ; Panax notoginseng

Based on the systematic summary of the results of the fourth general survey of traditional Chinese medicine resources, the cultivation of large varieties of Chinese material medica and the latest research on health industrial development, the novel concepts and scientific connotations of generalized science of Chinese material medica are put forward, and the basic ideas and methods of a new Chinese medicine academic system, the cultivation system of large varieties of Chinese medicinal materials and the application system of the large health industry are constructed. This kind of generalized science of Chinese material medica, rooted in the traditional Chinese culture and the theory of "preventive treatment of disease", can avoid the narrow prospect induced by the increasing specialization and refinement of knowledge of science of Chinese material medica. It will play an important role in the modernization, industrialization, internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine.
Drug Industry ; Humans ; Materia Medica ; therapeutic use ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Research

OBJECTIVETo research the origin of Zibei Xiqi which included in Volume 3 of < Bencao Gangmu Shiyi > (A supplement to the compendium of materia medica).

METHODThe origin of Zibei Xiqi was confirmed with textural, botanical characteristics research and drug name, therapeutic effects and so on.

RESULTThe origin of Zibei Xiqi was confirmed.

CONCLUSIONThe Zibei Xiqi which is recorded in < Bencao Gangmu Shiyi > should be the immature herbs of Shuang Hudie [Tripterospermum chinense, Gentianaceae], and suggest to correct the original records of the drug name.

Drug Therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Magnoliopsida ; anatomy & histology ; chemistry ; Materia Medica ; chemistry ; therapeutic use ; Terminology as Topic

Medicinal plants or Chinese materia medica (CMM) are now attracting worldwide attention as they have increasingly prominent advantages over chemical drugs in disease treatment and healthcare. Since the 1990s, World Health Organization (WHO) and International Organization for Standardization established the Technical Committee of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ISO/TC 249) have carried out the development of quality standards on medicinal plants or CMMs respectively, and a considerable number of monographs and international standards have been published. Since the two international organizations adhere to different principles, the standards they develop naturally have different emphasis. Driven by market demand and international trade, ISO mainly takes quality, efficacy and safety into consideration when developing standards, while WHO pays more attention to clinical practice, quality control and medication guidance. Up to now, there is a lack of comparative analysis on the records, background, principles, basic content, and main requirements of quality standards on medicinal plants or CMMs respectively published by WHO and ISO. Therefore, based on international standards of CMM developed by ISO/TC 249 platform and WHO Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants, this paper systematically compares the purposes, selected principles, standard-developing process, basic content, and main quality requirements to summarize their similarities and differences, and find their merits, aiming to serve as a reference to the development of international standards for CMMs that helps them go global.
Materia Medica/therapeutic use* ; Plants, Medicinal ; Commerce ; Internationality ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Reference Standards ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; China

Animals ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; drug therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Ion Channels ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Materia Medica

OBJECTIVETo analyze the status of reaching meridian research for the Chinese Matria Medica and to raise point-medicine method.

METHODTo review and analyze the studied situation of the corresponding relationships between "materials", as the constituents in the Chinese materia medica (CMM) as reaching meridian material foundation, and "image", as the function states of the zang-fu viscera, to investigate the problems and the measures to solve it.

RESULTThere are imprinting relationships among "materials", as the constituents alike metabolic pathway in the CMM as reaching meridian material foundation, and "image", as the function of the zang-fu viscera related with meridians, and "symptom", the states of them, retroacted, represented and explored by the corresponding meridianed constituents in the CMM as quantitative pharmacologic parameters,also modified by special acupuncture points, finally to establish the new method of reaching meridian according to meridian point-medicine action and also to investigate the relations between the constituents in the CMM and network targets of disease as to kill two birds with one arrow.

CONCLUSIONThere are imprinting relationships among "materials", "image", "symptom" versus CMM, zang-fu viscera function related with meridians, their function status respectively, which are modified by acupuncture merisian points. The point-medicine method for assuring reaching meridian is the most simple way to investigate reaching meridian for CMM, is also a important way to investigate visceral and meridianal manifestations.

Acupuncture Points ; China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; history ; therapeutic use ; History, Ancient ; Humans ; Materia Medica ; chemistry ; history ; Meridians ; Phytotherapy ; history

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is commonly used in treating liver diseases worldwide, especially in China. The advantages of using TCM for treatment of liver diseases include: protecting hepatocytes, inhibiting hepatic inflammation and antifibrosis in the liver. In this article, we introduce TCM herbal preparations from the Chinese materia medica (such as Fuzheng Huayu) that are typically used for the treatment of liver diseases. Literature surrounding the mechanisms of TCM therapy for treatment of liver diseases is presented and discussed. We propose that side effects of herbal compounds are often under-appreciated, and that more care should be taken in the prescription of potentially hepatotoxic medicines. Further, to deepen the understanding of TCM mechanisms, new techniques and methodologies must be developed. Future studies will lead to the enhancement of clinical outcomes of TCM. As complementary and alternative therapies, TCMs will play an expanding role in the future of liver disease treatment.
Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury ; prevention & control ; Humans ; Liver Diseases ; drug therapy ; Materia Medica ; therapeutic use ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

To investigate the historical origins of folk herbal medicine 'Xuelihua', the origin of 'Xuelihua' was confirmed by textural, botanical characteristics research, investigation of therapeutic effects and field survey. The 'Xuelihua' which was originally recorded in 'Bencao Gangmu Shiyi' (A Supplement to the Compendium of Materia Medica) should be 'Riben Shegencao' (Ophirrhiza japonica) of Rubiaceae family.
China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; classification ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Materia Medica ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Rubiaceae ; classification ; growth & development

OBJECTIVETo study the renal protective effect of Paecilomyces hepiali Cs-4 (Abbr. to Cs-4) on rats with adriamycin-induced nephropathy (AIN).

METHODSTwenty-four male SD rats were randomly divided into four groups: the control group (A), the model group (B), the Benazepril group (C), and the Cs-4 group (D). AIN rat model was established by left unilateral nephrectomy and repeated caudal vein injection of adriamycin. Gastric perfusion of Cs-4 [500 mg/( kg x d)] and Benazepril [4 mg/( kg x d)] was given respectively to the groups D and C, starting from 1 week after modeling. Blood biochemical indices including blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatine (Scr) and 24-hour urinary protein excretion (24 h-UP) were assessed 4 and 8 weeks after medication. Rats were sacrificed at the end of 8-week medication, their renal tissue was get for pathological examination with electric microscopy, the expressions of fibronection (FN), collagen IV (COL-IV ) and osteopont (OPN) in renal tissue were assessed by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSLevels of 24h-UP, BUN, Scr, mesengial matrix percentage, as well OPN, FN, COL-IV were significantly lower in group D than in group B (P < 0.05); and the fat metabolic disorder was improved in group D (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONCs-4 displays its renal protective action in rats with AIN through reducing the urinary protein excretion, correcting lipid metabolic disturbance, inhibiting the over accumulation of extracellular matrix, improving the pathological damage of kidney, thus restoring the renal function.

Animals ; Cordyceps ; chemistry ; Doxorubicin ; Kidney Diseases ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; Male ; Materia Medica ; therapeutic use ; Paecilomyces ; chemistry ; Protective Agents ; therapeutic use ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of Poria cocos (Pcs) in preventing acute rejection of rats after renal transplantation and its mechanism.

METHODSRat orthotopic renal transplantation model was performed with Wistar rat as donor and SD rat as donee. All donees were divided into 4 groups, 10 in each group, before transplantation. They were treated respectively with normal saline 5 mL x kg(-1) x d(-1) (A), Pcs 25 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1) (B), Pcs 50 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1) (C) and ciclosporin A (CsA) 5 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1) (D) by intragastric administration. The renal allograft survival time (ST) was recorded, and the serum levels of creatinine (SCr), interleukin-2 (IL-2), gamma-interferon (gamma-IFN), CD4+, CD8+ lymphocytes percentage, CD4+/CD8+ ratio, as well as the pathologic changes were observed one week after transplantation.

RESULTSST of the renal graft in Groups C and D was significantly longer with pathologic change evidently less than those in Groups A and B (P<0.01), and the ST in Group C was shorter that in Group D (P<0.05). Changes of renal function and urine volume were identified to the pathological change of graft, the initiating time of renal dysfunction was later in Groups C and D than that in Groups A and B. Serum levels of IL-2, IFN-gamma and CD4+ percentage in Group C were significantly lower than those in Groups A and B, but higher than those in Group D respectively (P<0.05 or P<0.01), while CD8+ percentage in Group C was significantly lower than that in Group A (P<0.05), but insignificantly different to that in Groups B and D (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONPcs shows good dosage-dependent effect in suppressing acute rejection of renal transplantation, but the effect is inferior to that of CsA.

Animals ; Cyclosporine ; therapeutic use ; Graft Rejection ; prevention & control ; Kidney Transplantation ; Male ; Materia Medica ; therapeutic use ; Poria ; chemistry ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats, Wistar