Tuesday 5 November 2013

Chinese Herbs – Long Dan Cao (Radix Gentianae longdancao)

Long Dan Cao is also known as Gentiana. The bitter, cold and non toxic herb has been used in TCM to treat high fever and seizures, red swollen sore throat and eyes, swollen and painful ears or sudden loss of hearing, boils in mouth and tongue, hepatitis, jaundice, vaginal discharge, etc. as it clears Heat, dries Dampness, disperses Liver-Fire, etc., by enhancing the functions of
gallbladder, liver and stomach channels
 
Ingredients
1. Gentiopicrin
2. Gentianose
3. Swertiamarin
4. Gentisin
5. Gentiobiose
6. Gentisic acid
7. Etc.
 
Health Benefits
1. Gentisides C-K
Nine new alkyl 2,3-dihydroxybenzoates, gentisides C-K, were isolated from the traditional Chinese medicine Gentiana rigescens Franch., these metabolites are additional members of the gentisides which belong to a novel class of neuritogenic compounds. They are structurally different from one another because they possess varying alkyl chain lengths, with or without an isobutyl or isopropyl group at the end of the alkyl chain. These compounds are potent inducers of neurite outgrowth on PC12 cells(1)
2. Antiplatelet and vasorelaxing
In the futher isolated from the whole plant of Gentiana arisanensis Hayata, a new flavone C-glycoside, isovitexin 6″-O-glucoside (1), and three known flavonoids, quercetin, isovitexin, and luteolin-7-O-beta-D-glucoside, have been identified. Of the compounds tested, 6 showed potent antiplatelet effects on arachidonic acid (AA)-induced platelet aggregation (IC50 = 43.5 microM). Compound luteolin (6), depressed markedly the contraction induced by Ca2+ (1.9 mM) in high-K+ (80 mM) medium, with an IC50 of about 156 microM and also inhibited noradrenaline (3 microM)-induced phasic and tonic contractions, with an IC50 of about 68 and 72 microM, respectively(2)
3. Etc.
 
Side Effects
1. Do not use the herb in case of diarrhea caused by spleen deficiency
2. 2. Do not use the Huang Bai in newborn, children or if you are pregnant or
breast feeding with out approval first with the related field specialist
3. Etc.
Sources

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