BACKGROUND: Skin smoothness in aging skin, in combination of intrinsic aging and photoaging, is of ever-increasing interest which leads to the development of various wrinkle diminuation products including those containing herbal medicines. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of cosmetics containing roots of Ephedra sinica and Betula platyphylla var. japonica on reducing skin furrows. METHOD: Creams containing Ephedra sinica's root and Betula platyphylla var. japonica were applied to forearms of 30 healthy subjects in 2 age groups for 8 weeks and 4 weeks, respectively while silicone skin replicas were taken from medial and lateral sides of the forearm every 4 weeks of the study starting from the week 0. Then the changes of the skin furrows were analyzed with skin visiometer. RESULTS: 1. At week 8, a significant reduction of average roughness and maximum roughness were observed in volunteers younger than age 50 on their Ephedra sinica's root-treated side compared with the placebo-treated side (p<0.05). 2. No statistically significant changes were observed with both Ephedra sinica's root and Betula platyphylla var. japonica in the group of age over 50. 3. Comparison of the changes between treatment groups of both Ephedra sinica's root and Betula platyphylla var. japonica at any assessment time did not show statistically significant differences between the medial and lateral side of forearm, while the treatment group of Ephedra sinica's root showed statistically significant differences between the young and old at week 8 (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The treatment of Ephedra sinica's root seems to be partially effective in improving skin furrows in youth. To our knowledge, this study is the first trial to evaluate the efficacy of both Ephedra sinica's root and Betula platyphylla var. japonica on decreasing wrinkle in the world.
Adolescent ; Aging ; Betula* ; Ephedra sinica* ; Ephedra* ; Forearm ; Humans ; Silicones ; Skin* ; Volunteers

Since the polyjuice potion ingredient is complex, we need to develop an analysis method with well separation and high stability to perform qualitative analysis. After dividing chemical components of Mahuang Decoction into fat-soluble and water-soluble constituents by gradient extraction, GC-MS was used to analyze the chemical components of the ethyl acetate extraction. The results showed that forty compounds had been identified by NIST MS search 2.0 standard mass spectrometry Library and literatures. Next, UPLC-Q-TOF-MS was applied to idendify the chemical components of the water extraction. The results showed that thirty-nine compounds had been identified by MZmine-2.9.1, Isotope Pattern, fragmentation regularity of mass spectrometry and literatures. This experiment will provide evidences for elucidation of the effective substance in Mahuang decoction and can be used as a simple, shortcut method for analysis and identification for the polyjuice potion.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Ephedra ; chemistry ; Ephedra sinica ; chemistry ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; methods

BACKGROUND: In recent years alternative medicine such as herbal medicines has been attractive and useful in dermatologic therapy. But there is little scientific information about its therapeutic effects and potential side effects. OBJECTIVE: We performed this study to assess the whitening effect of the root of Ma Huang. METHODS: Thirty subjects were tanned by UVB irradiation on their abdomen and 4 pigmented patches in square were obtained. In a single-blind fashion, participants applied the root extract of Ma Huang to two pigmented patches and vehicle to another patch on the abdomen twice a day, and applied nothing to the other patch for 8 weeks. Participants were followed up every week and checked on a melanin index with a mexameter. We also checked the last clinical improvement 8 weeks after the application of the root extract of Ma Huang. RESULTS: MED of the middle back was 73+/-24.66cmJ/cm2. Melanin index of the abdomen was 473.2+/-16.27. Eight weeks after application, the mean change percent of the melanin index of the right upper and lower squares applied with the root extract of Ma Huang were +0.02%(p=0.96) and -0.16%(p=0.76). The mean change percent of the left upper square applied with vehicle was -0.08%(p=0.89). The mean change percent of the left lower square untreated was +0.20(p=0.65). One-way layout ANOVA showed no difference among four squares. Clinical evaluation of improvement did not satisfy: no change 36%; slight improvement 53%; moderate improvement 9%; marked improvement 2%. CONCLUSIONS: The root of Ma Huang did not show the whitening effect on the UVB-induced pigmentation checked by the mexameter but showed slight improvement in visual assessment.
Abdomen ; Complementary Therapies ; Ephedra sinica* ; Melanins ; Pigmentation ; Triacetoneamine-N-Oxyl

OBJECTIVETo identify Ephedrae Herba using the ITS2 barcode and to secure its quality and safety in medication.

METHODTotal genomic DNA was isolated from Ephedrae Herba and its closely related species. Nuclear DNA ITS2 sequences were amplified, and purified PCR products were sequenced. Sequence assembly and consensus sequence generation were performed using the CodonCode Aligner. The Kimura 2-Parameter (K2P) distances were calculated using software MEGA 5.0. Identification analyses were performed using BLAST1, Nearest Distance and neighbor-joining (NJ) methods.

RESULTThe intra-specific genetic distances of Ephedrae Herba were ranged from 0 to 0.002. The inter-specific genetic distances between Ephedrae Herba and its closely related species were ranged from 0.004 to 0.034. All the three methods showed that ITS2 could discriminate Ephedrae Herba from its closely related species correctly.

CONCLUSIONThe ITS2 region is suitable to be used for authentication of Ephedrae Herba, and our study further confirmed the effectiveness of ITS2 to identify traditional Chinese medicinal materials.

DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic ; methods ; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer ; genetics ; Ephedra sinica ; classification ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo investigate the change regularity of ephedrine and glyrihhzine acid in Ephedra sinila and Glycyrrhiza uralencis pair medicines and in Maxing Shigan decoction.

METHODThe contents of ephedrine and glycyrrhizic acid were determined by HPLC in samples of E. sinica extracts, G. uralencis extracts, pair medicines extracts of Maxing Shigao decoction sinica and G. uralencis, and extracts of E. sinica.

RESULTThere were no significant difference in ephedrine contents amoung different samples; the contents of glycyrrhizic acid were lower in decoctions of Maxing Shigan decoction than in G. uralencis decoction and pair medicines extracts.

CONCLUSIONMacromolecular complex was NOT formed by ephedrine and Glycyrrhizic acid in decoctions containing pair medicines of E. sinica and G. uralencis.

Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Ephedra sinica ; chemistry ; Ephedrine ; chemistry ; Glycyrrhiza ; chemistry ; Glycyrrhizic Acid ; chemistry

Many species of the genus Ephedra plants are used as Chinese traditional medicines, in Chinese which are known as "Mahuang" (Ephedrae Herba). In order to get a clear picture of resources distribution and varieties on Chinese markets of the crude drug Mahuang and provide scientific basis for their resource conservation and sustainable use, during recent years we conducted field investigations and market researches many times. The results showed that the most common species on the Chinese markets was E. sinica (33/38 commercial samples), followed by E. intermedia (5/38 commercial samples), which was also used in local clinics in Qing-hai, Gansu and Xinjiang province, no E. equisetina was found in the market. We noticed that the resources of both official and non-official plants of Mahuang, especially Zhong-Mahuang and Muzei-Mahuang, were seriously damaged in the past decade because of the ecological environment damage and over-digging. Zhong-Mahuang was distinguished in Ningxia and north Gansu, which was once one of the most distribution areas and contains more than 10,000 t Zhong-Mahuang. Muzei-Mahuang was distinguished in most places and distributed sparsely around Altay Mountains in northeast in Xinjiang. Thus, Cultivation of Mahuang, especially Zhong-Mahuang and Muzei-Mahuang should be greatly developed. At the same time, wild resources of Mahuang must be preserved strictly, i.e., proper method of cutting Ephedra plant could prevent the damage of the resource.
China ; Conservation of Natural Resources ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; classification ; supply & distribution ; Ephedra sinica ; classification ; growth & development

To provide the basis for the future research on the nephrotoxicity of Chinese herbal medicine through systematic and comprehensive summary of all the Chinese herbal medicines which may lead to nephrotoxicity. Foreign resources included PubMed and Cochrane library， and domestic research resources was China Food and Drug Administration(CDFA) Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring Center database. The databases were searched from establishment to January 1， 2017. There was no limitation on research type. 28 English studies were found， including 97 Chinese herbs or prescriptions with the risk of nephrotoxicity. The following six Chinese herbal medicines with the risk of nephrotoxicity had a large number of studies： aristolochic acid(5 studies)， Tripterygium wilfordii(4 studies)， Erycibe obtusifolia(2 studies)， Rheum palmatum(2 studies)， Ephedra sinica(2 studies)， and Atractylodes lances(2 studies). The remaining 91 Chinese medicines were reported with risk of nephrotoxicity in only 1 study respectively. CDFA reported 16 Chinese herbal medicines with the risk of nephrotoxicity， including Ganmaoqing Pian(capsule)， Zhenju Jiangya Pian， T. wilfordii preparation， Vc-Yinqiao Pian， Chuanhuning injection， Shuanghuanglian injection， Qingkailing injection， Lianbizhi injection， herbal decoction containing Aristolochiae Radix， Guanxin Suhe Wan， Shugan Liqi Wan， Ershiwuwei Songshi Wan， herbal decoction containing Aristolochia Fangchi， herbal granules containing root of Kaempfer Dutchmanspipe， Ganmaotong(tablets)， and Longdan Xiegan Wan. Currently， in addition to aristolochic acids， the most reported Chinese herbal medicine with the risk of nephrotoxicity is T. wilfordii preparation.
Aristolochia ; toxicity ; China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; toxicity ; Ephedra sinica ; toxicity ; Humans ; Kidney ; drug effects ; Tripterygium ; toxicity

This study aimed to establish the HPLC characteristic chromatogram and content determination method for index components with the primary standard substances of the classical prescription Mahuang Decoction, and to provide data basis for the establishment of its quality standard and the development and utilization of compound preparations. First, HPLC was used to establish the material reference chromatograms of Mahuang Decoction, and 15 batches of standard samples of Mahuang Decoction were determined. Their similarity was calculated by the median method. Secondly, the content of the standard substances was determined and a simplecontent determination method was established by HPLC. Relevant methodology was investigated, and the extraction ratio, index component transfer rate and moisture content of 15 batches of primary standard samples were calculated. The results showed that the two sets of HPLC methods had their own characteristics. The six chromatographic peaks identified from the 10 common peaks in the former characteristic chromatogram covered all the herbal medicines in the standard substances, which can better indicate the quality characteristics of the standard substances of Mahuang Decoction. The latter method(content determination method) was simple and practical, so it was suitable for establishing the quality standard of its compound preparation. Two sets of methods were jointly used to evaluate the quality of 15 batches of Mahuang Decoction. The results were as follows: the similarity of 15 batches of samples was greater than 0.90; the average extraction ratio was 18.1%; the average moisture content was 9.7%; the average content and transfer rate of the standard ingredients ephedrine hydrochloride and total pseudoephedrine hydrochloride were 2.3% and 26.7% respectively, and the average content and transfer rate of amygdalin were 2.2% and 48.3% respectively. None of the data showed dispersion(beyond 70%-130% of the mean value), which met the application data requirements for the substance standards of ancient classical Chinese herbal compound preparations(draft for comments). Based on the above research, the primary substance quality standard of Mahuang Decoction was established in order to provide reference for the development and research of the compound preparation of Mahuang Decoction.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Ephedra sinica ; Prescriptions ; Quality Control ; Reference Standards

To study the molecular mechanism of Mahuang Lianqiao Chixiaodou Decoction in the treatment of eczema by means of network pharmacology and molecular docking. First, the TCMSP database was used to excavate the active ingredient of each drug in Mahuang Lianqiao Chixiaodou Decoction and predict its target, and the Uniprot database was used to standardize the names of target proteins, in order to obtain the disease targets of eczema through GeneCards, OMIM, PharmGkb, DrugBank and other databases. And next, the potential targets on which drug targets and disease targets work together were selected to make a Venn diagram, the Cytoscape 3.6.1 software was used to screen out and construct the "active ingredient-core targets" network. STRING database was used to construct a protein-protein interaction(PPI) network, and the R language was used to perform GO enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway analysis. Finally, the molecular docking verification of main active ingredients and core targets of the drug was performed by AutoDock software. The study showed that 74 active ingredients and 103 targets of Mahuang Lianqiao Chixiaodou Decoction for the treatment of eczema were screened. The main active ingredients included quercetin, luteolin, wogonin, kaempferol, and the main targets included PTGS1, ESR1, PPARG, and MAPK3. In addition, eight key targets, including MAPK8, MAPK3, JUN, MAPK14, TP53, MAPK1, ESR1 and RELA, were calculated by PPI network. GO enrichment analysis involved 2 024 biological processes, 81 cell components, and 140 molecular functions. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis was performed to screen out 158 eczema-related pathways, which mainly acted on AGE-RAGE signaling pathway, IL-17 signaling pathway, virus-related pathways, and the results of molecular docking showed that the main active compounds could respectively bind to representative targets and exhibit a good affinity. The study proved that the treatment of eczema with Mahuang Lianqiao Chixiaodou Decoction involved multiple signaling pathways and biological processes, and the combination of main active ingredients(such as quercetin, luteolin, wogonin, kaempferol) and key targets(such as MAPK8, MAPK3, JUN, MAPK14, TP53, MAPK1, ESR1, RELA) may be one of the important mechanisms of action.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Eczema ; Ephedra sinica ; Humans ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Technology

Shegan Mahuang Decoction has been used in clinical practice for thousands of years, and is a classical formula for treating asthma and other respiratory diseases, with the effects of ventilating lung, dispersing cold, and relieving cough and asthma. This paper summarized the history, clinical application and mechanism of Shegan Mahuang Decoction, and predicted its quality markers(Q-markers) based on the "five principles" of Q-markers. The results suggested that irisflorentin, tectoridin, tectorigenin, irigenin, ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, asarinin, methyleugenol, shionone, epifriedelanol, tussilagone, 6-gingerol, trigonelline, cavidine, schizandrin, and schizandrin B could be used as Q-markers of Shegan Mahuang Decoction, which provided a basis for the quality control and subsequent research and development of Shegan Mahuang Decoction.
Humans ; Ephedra sinica ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Asthma/drug therapy* ; Lung ; Cough/drug therapy*