The chemical constituents in dried roots of Atractylodes macrocephala were investigated in this study. Through utilizing normal-phase silica gel and ODS column chromatography, TLC, and semi-preparative HPLC, 4 new sesquiterpenoids were purified from the ethyl acetate extract of A. macrocephala. By various spectroscopic techniques, such as 1D and 2D NMR, HR-ESI-MS, IR, UV, and CD, their structures were identified as atractylmacron A (1), 9β-hydroxyasterolide (2), atractylenolide H (3), atractylenolide J (4). Compound 1 possesses a rare 6/7 bicyclic skeleton.

Effective supplementation of probiotics can be beneficial to intestinal health, but in situ analysis of probiotics activity has rarely been reported. In this study, by coupling fluorescein 5-isothiocyanate (FITC) and 5(6)-carboxytetramethylrhodamine N-succinimidyl ester (5(6)-TAMRA-SE) with D-lysine, two fluorescent D-amino acids (FDAAs) probes were obtained: green probe (fluorescein-D-lysine, FDL) and red probe (TAMRA-D-lysine, TDL). Then, we tried to label the three kinds of probiotics, Lactobacillus acidophilus (LA), Lactobacillus casei (LC) and Veillonella atypica (VA) in vitro. FDAAs was applied to the labeling of intestinal flora in mice, and a method was established to investigate the oral survival rate of three commonly used probiotics. All animal experiments were approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine. The results show that the two synthetic FDAAs can be non-toxic and 100% for the in vitro labeling of the three probiotics. Known by FDAAs two-step labeling of oral probiotics, the high survival rate of LA was 92.30% ± 1.67%. The survival rates of VA and LC are similar, 84.13% ± 4.06% and 82.27% ± 2.43%, respectively. This study can quickly compare the changes of colonization survival rate of different probiotics in vivo, provide theoretical support for the in situ colonization activity of probiotics in the intestine, and guide the rational drug use of clinical probiotics.

Through consulting the ancient herbs， medical books and modern literature， this paper made textual research on the name， origin， producing area， quality evaluation， collection and processing of medicinal materials of Sang （Mori Folium， Mori Cortex， Mori Ramulus， Mori Fructus） in famous classical formulas， in order to provide a basis for the development of famous classical formulas containing medicinal materials of Sang. According to the research， Mori Folium and Mori Cortex were first used as medicines in Shengnong Bencaojing ， Mori Ramulus was first used as medicine in Jinxiaofang， and Mori Fructus was first used as medicine in Xinxiu Bencao. Before the Tang dynasty， there were Nyusang and Shansang. Since Tang dynasty， there were many sources of medicinal materials of Sang， including Baisang （Morus alba）， Jisang （M. australis）， Shansang （M. mongolica）， etc. According to textual research， the mainstream varieties were M. australis， M. alba and their cultivated varieties. In modern times， according to the relevant information and the Chinese Pharmacopoeia， M. alba is the original base. In ancient times， the origin of mulberry changed with the development of sericulture， mulberry has been widely planted since the Song dynasty. In the Ming and Qing dynasties， mulberry has been planted most in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. In modern times， they are mainly produced in Jiangsu， Zhejiang， Anhui， Hunan and other places. In recent years， due to the related policies and strategies such as "moving silkworms from east to west"， the center of silkworm breeding has gradually transferred to the west. As for the quality evaluation and harvesting and processing of mulberry medicinal materials， Most of the ancient and modern records of Mori Folium are the same. They are harvested after frost， and dried after removing impurities. The quality is better when the leaves are large and thick， yellowish green， holding prickly hands and undergoing frost. The harvesting period of Mori Cortex is slightly different in ancient and modern records. Ancient books record that it can be harvested all the year round， but in modern times， it is mostly harvested from late autumn to the next spring. The processing methods include removing soil and fibrous roots， scraping off yellow-brown rough skin， peeling off white skin and drying in the sun. The quality is better when they are white， thick， flexible， free of rough skin and full of powder. There are few records about the collection， processing and quality evaluation of Mori Ramulus and Mori Fructus in ancient Chinese herbal books. According to modern literature， Mori Ramulus is usually collected in late spring and early summer， with leaves removed， slightly dried， sliced while fresh， and dried in the sun. The best quality of Mori Ramulus is fine and tender with the yellow and white section. Mori Fructus is harvested from April to June when the fruit turns red， and dried in the sun， or slightly steamed and dried in the sun， and it is better to be big， dark purple， oily and thick. There are many processing methods of mulberry medicinal materials. Ancient books record stir frying， baking， burning and steaming of Mori Folium， in modern times， there is honey-roasted method， but most of them are used as raw products. In ancient materia medica， Mori Cortex has firing method， baking method， stir-frying method， honey-fried method， etc. In modern times， there are stir-fried and honey-fried methods， and most of them are used as raw products. Ancient books record that Mori Ramulus has cutting and frying methods， while modern ones have cutting， frying， wine-processed and bran-processed methods. Processing methods of Mori Fructus are consistent in ancient and modern times， and they are mostly dried after being cleaned or steamed. Based on the research results， it is suggested that M. alba should be selected as mulberry medicinal materials in the famous classical formulas， and appropriate medicinal parts and processing methods can be selected according to the indications of the famous classical formulas.

In this paper， the name， origin， producing area and other aspects of Menthae Haplocalycis Herba in the famous classical formulas were carried out by consulting herbal literature， medical books， prescription books in the past dynasties and related modern documents. Through the textual research， it can be seen that the name of Bohe was used as the correct name in the mainstream of the past dynasties， and there were still multiple synonyms， most of which originated from the false transmission of dialectal accent， producing area and efficacy. There are many varieties recorded in the literature of the past dynasties such as Bohe， Longnao Bohe， Hubohe and Shibohe. According to the textual research， Bohe， Longnao Bohe and Yebohe are consistent with Mentha haplocalyx， whcih is the mainstream variety. Longnao Bohe is named for its form of producing area， Shibohe is Mosla chinensis， Daye Bohe is Agastache rugosa， and Nanbohe is M. crispata. Menthae Haplocalycis Herba has been widely planted since Tang dynasty. It was mainly grown in Jiangsu， Zhejiang， Jiangxi and Sichuan in Ming and Qing dynasties， and Jiangsu is the genuine production area. Its quality is best if it has dry body， no roots， many leaves， green color and strong smell. In ancient times， the stems and leaves of Menthae Haplocalycis Herba were often picked and dried in summer and autumn， which is basically the same as the records of modern times when the stems and leaves are luxuriant in summer and autumn， or when the flowers bloom to three rounds， they are picked in sunny days and cut in different times， and then dried in the sun or in the shade， and the raw products was often used as medicine in ancient and modern times. Before the Song dynasty， Menthae Haplocalycis Herba was recorded as pungent and warm. Until the Song dynasty， it was written as “extremely cool” in Lyuchanyan Bencao. It may have been thought in the early stage that it was similar to several warm herbs， such as Perilla frutescens， Stachys japonica， Elsholtzia ciliata and M. chinensis in appearance， all of which have the function of Xinsan， so it was recorded as warm. Since the Qing dynasty， Menthae Haplocalycis Herba has been recorded as cool property in the mainstream materia medica， Menthae Haplocalycis Herba recorded as pungent and cool in the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia， and its effect is to dissipate wind heat， clear the head， relieve the pharynx and so on， the records of efficacy in ancient and modern times are basically the same. Based on the research results， it is suggested that raw products of M. haplocalyx should be selected when developing the famous classical formulas containing Menthae Haplocalycis Herba.

Rubi Fructus is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine. The origin of Rubi Fructus is the dried fruit of Rubus chingii, a plant of the family Rosaceae, according to the 2015 edition of Chinese pharmacopoeia. There are some differences in the plant origin of Rubi Fructus in ancient herbal literature, to trace back its sources, we conducted a textual research on its origin, producing areas, quality evaluation, processing and concocting, properties, tastes and efficacy etc. based on the records of ancient herbal literatures and combined with plant morphology and related investigation. RESULTS:: showed that the variety of Rubi Fructus was more complex among ancient herbal literature, including R. coreanus, R. hirsutus, R. corchorifolius, R. foliolosus and other mixed varieties. Most scholars believe that the R. chingii has not been recorded in ancient herbal literature, while R. chingii was recorded as early as the Ming Dynasty in Compendium of materia medica through our textual research. Ancient Chinese herbs recorded that Rubi Fructus was mostly produced in Hubei, Shandong, Shanxi and Jiangsu provinces, while R. chingii mainly produced in Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian and other provinces nowadays. Also, it was recorded that Rubi Fructus harvested in wheat field during May were the best. Besides, R. chingii with big, full, grain integrate, firm, yellow and green color, sour taste and impurity free possess the best quality in the contemporary. The ancient records of processing and concocting, properties, tastes and efficacy were basically the same as modern ones.These results provide the basis for the correct utilization and further development of Rubi Fructus.
China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Fruit ; Humans ; Materia Medica ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Rubus

Visci Herba， a commonly used Chinese medicinal， was often mistaken as Taxilli Herba in ancient Chinese materia medica. The two Chinese medicinals have often been confused even in present clinical practice， and their origins are difficult to be identified. Hence， it is necessary to carry out systematic and in-depth textual research. This paper explored the origin， producing area， quality evaluation， harvesting and processing， property， flavor， and efficacy of Visci Herba based on ancient Chinese materia medica of the past dynasties and modern plant morphology， so as to provide evidence for the development and utilization of Visci Herba. The findings demonstrated that Visci Herba was mostly recorded as Taxilli Herba until the name of Visci Herba appeared in the Tang Dynasty. The records of the two Chinese medicinals could be traced back to the Song Dynasty. Visci Herba and Taxilli Herba were officially listed as two different Chinese medicinals in the 1977 edition Chinese Pharmacopoeia for the first time， where the origin of Visci Herba was determined to be Viscum coloratum（Komar.）Nakai. According to the ancient Chinese materia medica， V. coloratum was mainly distributed in Lingbao， Henan province and Xuzhou， Jiangsu province and now it mostly grows in Northeast China and North China. In ancient times， Visci Herba with deep yellow cross-section and sticky fruit juice on the tree was preferred， which was often harvested on 3， March in spring， dried in the shade， grinded together with the roots， branches， stems， and leaves using the copper file， and preserved away from fire. By contrast， it is now usually harvested from winter to the next spring and then cut into sections for drying after the removal of thick stems， or dried after being steamed. As described in ancient Chinese materia medica， Visci Herba， bitter and sweet in flavor， neutral in property， possessed the effects of dispelling rheumatism， tonifying kidney， strengthening sinews and bones， benefiting blood vessels， and preventing abortion， basically consistent with its modern functions of dispelling rheumatism， tonifying liver and kidney， strengthening sinews and bones， and preventing abortion.

In this study, the evidence mapping methodology was used to systematically retrieve and sort out the clinical research evidence of Chinese patent medicines in the treatment of tension-type headache(TTH), and to understand the distribution of evidence in this field and the basis and quality of evidence. Chinese and English articles on the 28 Chinese patent medicines for TTH, which were recorded in National Essential Medicines List(2018), Medicine Catalogue for National Basic Medical Insurance, Work Injury Insurance, and Maternity Insurance(2020), and Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020), were retrieved from China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI), Wanfang, VIP, China Biology Medicine disc(CBMdisc), PubMed, EMbase, and Cochrane Library from the establishment to June 2021, followed by descriptive analysis. Then, tables and bubble charts were plotted to analyze the distribution characteristics of evidence. A total of 129 eligible articles were yielded: 126 randomized/non-randomized controlled trials, and 3 systematic reviews. The functions, indications, and composition of the 28 medicines, as well as the proportion of related articles, publication trends, intervention measures, and outcome indicators were compared and analyzed. The results showed that the 28 Chinese patent medicines, composed of 128 Chinese medicinals, can be classified into six categories in terms of function: reinforcing healthy Qi, tranquilizing mind, dispelling stasis, regulating Qi, treating wind, and resuscitating. There are ongoing efforts to study the treatment of TTH with Chinese patent medicine in China, despite of little evidence. The clinical positioning of Chinese patent medicine for TTH is not clear, and clinical research fails to highlight the advantages of Chinese medicine. In addition, the outcome indicators have not been standardized and unified, and there is a lack of evidence on the long-term efficacy of Chinese patent medicine for TTH. This study is the first exploratory application of evidence maps to compare the characteristics and clinical research progress of 28 Chinese patent medicines for TTH, which can provide a reference for research on the optimization of Chinese medicine strategies for TTH.
Asians ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Female ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Medicine, East Asian Traditional ; Nonprescription Drugs ; Pregnancy ; Tension-Type Headache

OBJECTIVE: To explore the changes of normal vaginal micro-ecological environment after vaginal lavage with ozonated water and its effect on lactobacillus.METHODS: From April to October 2016,30 volunteers with normal vaginal microecological examination results were recruited from female workers in Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital and selected to receive vaginal lavage with ozonated water,during non-menstrual periods 5 minutes per day,for 3 consecutive days.The vaginal secretions were taken before the first vaginal ozone lavage,the first week,the second week and the third week after the last lavage,and the microecological examination and the difference in the diversity and abundance of the vaginal microbial community were analyzed after 16 S rRNA high-through put sequencing.RESULTS: Before and after healthy women received ozone water for vaginal lavage,there were no significant differences in the microflora evaluation of vaginal secretions,vaginal microbial community diversity or lactobacillus(|cor. p| <0.2).CONCLUSION: Ozonated water for vaginal lavage does not destroy the normal vaginal microecology and has no significant effect on lactobacilli.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of Kushen gel on the growth of six common vaginal lactobacilli in vitro.METHODS: This study was conducted at Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital from June 2018 to March 2019.Six different vaginal lactobacilli isolated from the healthy women of reproductive age in China were purified and cultured in vitro. The effect of different concentrations of Sophora flavescens alkaloid,which was the main active ingredient of Kushen gel,on the growth of various clinical lactobacillus isolates was observed by the agar dilution method.RESULTS: The minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC)of Sophora flavescens alkaloid to Lactobacillus rhamnosus was 40 mg/mL. The MICs for Lactobacillus crispatus,Lactobacillus jensenii,Lactobacillus gasseri and Lactobacillus reuteri were all 20 mg/mL. The MIC for Lactobacillus vaginalis was 10 mg/mL.When the concentration of Sophora flavescens alkaloid was lower than the MIC value,it had a certain effect on promoting proliferation of both Lactobacillus gasseri and Lactobacillus reuteri,but had no effect on Lactobacillus crispatus or Lactobacillus vaginalis.CONCLUSION: Under the clinical dosage,Kushen gel does not inhibit the growth of common vaginal lactobacilli,which is conducive to the recovery of the vaginal microecosystem.