Zha-xun is widely used in Tibetan medicine and is also an international traditional medicine. This article would summarize the use status and research progress of Zha-xun by various ethnic groups all over the world, and the results show that it has various synonyms but most of them imply its most characteristic feature-outflow from the rock; Zha-xun resources are distributed in various places of the world, and its bearing spots are closely related to the geological structure; there are sharp arguments on the origins of Zha-xun, mainly including the minerals origin, biological fossils origin, biological origin, etc. Zha-xun has multiple functions and is mainly used to treat stomach disease, liver disease and rheumatoid arthritis in China, and premature ejaculation, impotence, vaginitis embolism in foreign countries. "Iron" Zha-xun is used into medicines both at home and abroad. According to ancient materia medica texts, it was mainly classified into five types, including gold Zha-xun, silver Zha-xun, copper Zha-xun, iron Zha-xun and lead Zha-xun mainly based on the predominance of color rather than the minerals contained. It is commonly believed by the domestic and foreign scholars that humic acid is the main medicinal part of Zha-xun, and their studies have found that it has a variety of pharmacological activities such as anti-ulcer, anti-inflammatory, liver protection, analgesia, immune regulation, increasing sexual desire and fertility, antioxidation, antibacterial, antidiabetic, antiepileptic, antipsychotic, etc. This paper provides a scientific basis for the rational utilization of Zha-xun resources.
Introduction - Radix Gentianae Macrophyllae, a traditional Chinese medicine, has been frequently used to dispel rheumatism and ease pain. There are four species of <i>Gentiana </i>(<i>G</i>. <i>macrophylla</i>, <i>G</i>. <i>straminea</i>, <i>G</i>. <i>dahurica</i> and <i>G</i>. <i>crassicaulis</i>) recorded as herbal drugs in the <i>Chinese Pharmacopoeia </i>and two other <i>Gentiana</i> species (<i>G</i>. <i>officinalis</i> and <i>G</i>. <i>siphonantha</i>) are often used as substitutes. Currently, the LC fingerprint comparison among different species and evidence for the equivalent application of these herbs are lacking.<br>Objective - To develop an HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of four iridoid and secoiridoid glycosides and a comparative study of six species of <i>Gentiana</i>.<br>Methodology - HPLC analysis was performed on a C<sub>18</sub> column (Phenomenex, 150 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm particle size) with gradient elution using 0.4% aqueous phosphoric acid and methanol at 242 nm.<br>Results - The proposed method was precise, accurate and sensitive enough for simultaneous quantitative evaluation of four iridoid and secoiridoid glycosides (loganic acid, swertiamarin, gentiopicroside and sweroside) in the six species of <i>Gentiana</i>. Contents of the four marker compounds varied from each other even among the samples from the same species and the LC chromatograms of the six species of <i>Gentiana</i> showed high similarities.<br>Conslusion - The close similarity of LC chromatograms and chemical composition of the four genuine <i>Gentiana</i> species explain their popular usage as Radix Gentianae Macrophyllae in Chinese medicine. By comparing the four genuine <i>Gentiana</i> species, it is suggested that the two substitutes could be used as Radix Gentianae Macrophyllae to relieve the scarcity of resources. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.<br>An HPLC method has been developed for simultaneous determination of four iridoid and secoiridoid glycosides and the fingerprints of the six <i>Gentiana</i> species was analyzed and compared. The close similarity of LC chromatograms and chemical composition of the four <i>Gentiana</i> species (<i>G. macrophylla</i>, <i>G. straminea</i>, <i>G. dahurica</i> and <i>G. crassicaulis</i>) explain their popular usage as Radix Gentianae Macrophyllae in Chinese medicine. By comparing the four genuine <i>Gentiana</i> species, it is suggested that <i>G. officinalis</i> and <i>G. siphonantha</i> could be used as Radix Gentianae Macrophyllae to relieve the scarcity of resources.
In order to investigate the embryological characteristics of <i>Delavaya toxocarpa</i> Franch. and provide a basis for further understanding the phylogeny within Sapindaceae s.l., we studied the sporogenesis and gametogenesis of <i>D. toxocarpa</i> using the conventional paraffin section method. The results were as follows: anthers are tetrasporangium; tapetum is typically secretory type; cytokinesis in the microsporecyte meiosis is of the simultaneous type and microspore tetrads are tetrahedral; mature pollen contains two cells; the ovary is bilocular with two ovules per locule; placentation is axial; the ovule is amphitropous, bitegmic, and crassinucellate; the chalazal megaspore in a linear tetrad becomes functional; and the development of megaspore is of the polygonum type. Most similarities shared by the species observed suggest that the species and genera of Sapindaceae s.l. have phylogenetic consistency. The distinctive trait, lacking hypostase, indicates <i>Delavaya</i> (and <i>Handeliodendron</i>) might be more primitive than other genera in Sapindaceae. Moreover, some characters, such as opposite palmate compound leaf, apical thyrse, rounded seed without wing, 2 hemitropous ovules per locule, and lacking aril, indicate the close relationship between <i>Delavaya</i>, Aceraceae, and Hippocastanaceae. The preliminary data about the embryological and morphological characteristics in <i>Delavaya</i> might justify the basic systematic position of this genus in the family Sapindaceae s.s.
ObjectiveTo provide scientific evidence supporting the efficacy of forest bathing as a natural therapy for human hypertension.
Methods
Twenty-four elderly patients with essential hypertension were randomly divided into two groups of 12. One group was sent to a broad-leaved evergreen forest to experience a 7-day/7-night trip, and the other was sent to a city area in Hangzhou for control. Blood pressure indicators, cardiovascular disease-related pathological factors including endothelin-1, homocysteine, renin, angiotensinogen, angiotensin II, angiotensin II type 1 receptor, angiotensin II type 2 receptor as well as inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor α were detected. Meanwhile, profile of mood states (POMS) evaluation was used to assess the change of mood state of subjects. In addition, the air quality in the two experimental sites was monitored during the 7-day duration, simultaneously.
Results
The baselines of the indicators of the subjects were not significantly different. Little alteration in the detected indicators in the city group was observed after the experiment. While subjects exposed to the forest environment showed a significant reduction in blood pressure in comparison to that of the city group. The values for the bio-indicators in subjects exposed to the forest environment were also lower than those in the urban control group and the baseline levels of themselves. POMS evaluation showed that the scores in the negative subscales were lowered after exposure to the forest environment. Besides, the air quality in the forest environment was much better than that of the urban area evidenced by the quantitative detection of negative ions and PM10 (particulate matter <10μm in aerodynamic diameter).
Conclusion
Our results provided direct evidence that forest bathing has therapeutic effects on human hypertension and induces inhibition of the renin–angiotensin system and inflammation, and thus inspiring its preventive efficacy against cardiovascular disorders.
This paper is in order to discussion with the composition and characteristics of Tibetan medicine plant resources, and promote the reasonable protection and utilization of the resources of Tibetan materia medica. Statistical analysis of species, distributions, and others of Chinese endemic seed plant from Tibetan medicine plants and usually used in the clinic of Tibetan medicine. The results showed that there are 523 species (25%) of Chinese endemic seed plant, belonging to 65 families and 162 genera, in about 2 000 varieties of Tibetan medicine plants recorded in relevant literatures. There are 180 Chinese endemic seed plant species (28%) belonging to 42 families and 72 genera from 625 medicine plants usually used in the clinic of Tibetan medicine. Specifically, the most of these Chinese endemic seed plant species are characteristic crude drug used in Tibetan medicine, and mainly or only distributed in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. And a few species of them were intersected with traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) and other ethnic medicines. In addition, about 10% are listed in China Species Red List. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is the most abundant areas of Areal-types of the Chinese endemic seed plant. This is the biological and ecological reason formation the characteristics of Tibetan medicine plant resources. Therefore, strengthen the research of Chinese endemic seed plants used in Tibetan medicine is great significance for the reasonable protection and utilization of Tibetan medicine plant resources.
Objective: To clarity the original plants and the main application varieties of White Flos Gentianae.; Method: Herbal textual research, wild specimen collection, investigation and collection of the samples from Tibetan hospital, Tibetan pharmaceutical factory and medical material market were carried out simultaneously to identify the original plants of White Flos Gentianae.; Result: The results of varieties textual research and specimen identification showed that Gentiana szechenyii, G. purdomii and G. algida were in accord with the record of Tibetan herbal textual The three species above were the original plants of White Flos Gentianae. The identification of 20 batches samples showed that G. szechenyii was the main application variety. The other varieties were only used in Tibetan hospitals. All the samples above were flowering branches.; Conclusion: It was necessary to strengthen the research on variety systematization of White Flos Gentianae make a further discussion on the taxonomy position of G. purdomii, G. algida and the white flos population. Its was also nessary to establish and improve the quality standard of different variety based on the principle of "one species, one name". The quality specification of White Flos Gentianae should be established and improved to standard clinical utilization and produce feeding. More study of resources investigation and cultivation of G. szechenyii should be carried on to meet the demand of produce and clinic.;
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