Chinese herbal medicine preparation

Decoction is the most common form of administration of Chinese herbal medicine. Decoctions are usually taken orally. They can be absorbed quickly and have the strongest action of all of the traditional types of preparation. 

Several adulterants added to nonherbal supplements, vitamins, and herbal medicine preparations can cause renal dysfunction and renal failure. Aristolochic acid is used as a herbal remedy for weight loss and has been reported to cause Chinese herb nephropathy characterized by extensive interstitial fibrosis with tubular atrophy and loss. Herbal medicine preparations produced in South Asia contain potentially harmful levels of lead, mercury, and/or arsenic which can lead to renal toxicity. 

The extracts of a famous Chinese herbal medicine, the heartwood of Dalbergia odorifera displayed potent repellent activity toward A. cochlioides zoospores. Three isoflavonoids were isolated as the active factors from the extract by a series of column chromatography followed by preparative TLC [36,82], Their chemical structures were assigned on the basis of physicochemical data including 2D NMR. 

The characteristics of multiconstituent, multitarget effect mechanisms have restricted the revelation of the active material basis of Chinese herbal medicine, which makes the quality control of herbal medicine a problem. Therefore, study of analytical methods of the chemical constituents in Chinese herbal medicine is not only a significant challenge that pharmaceutical analysts face but also a key link in the investigation of the material basis of Chinese herbal medicine. Generally, there are three types of chemical analysis of Chinese herbal medicine (1) the analysis of chemical constituents in Chinese medicine materials (2) the analysis of chemical constituents in a prescription and (3) the analysis of the original drug and its metabolites in body fluids (such as blood serum, tissue, urine, etc.) or in vitro bacteria/cell metabolism. The analysis of various trace-level constituents and metabolites in Chinese herbal medicines and their pharmaceutical preparations is critical to the research of such complex mixture systems. 

There are few reports concerning the isolation of free histamine from higher plants. Among them, it was reported that from the dried roots of Phytolacca americana, as much as 1.3—1.6mg/g of histamine was present [3]. Histamine was not detected, or was detected as only a trace amount from extracts of the dried roots of Phytolacca esculenta and Phytolacca japonica. The dried roots of P. esculenta and/or P.japonica are used as the material for the crude drug Sho-riku in Chinese herbal medicine.Two out of four samples of marketed Sho-riku in Japan contained almost the same amount and about half the amount of histamine as that of P. americana, respectively. So it is considered that some of the marketed Sho-riku in Japan are prepared from the dried roots of P americana, or are increased in quantity with the root of P americana, which is naturalized widely in Japan and which possesses a larger root than those of P. esculenta and P.japonica. 

Research in Chinese medicinal herbs has been conducted for decades in China, Japan, and Korea and recently in the West. Unfortunately, language barriers and the unreliability of sources and herbal material have hampered progress. A basic scientific understanding of the Chinese herbal preparations is the first step toward building consumer confidence in herbal medications. Proper procedures to eliminate adulteration, contamination, and toxic side effects are also urgently needed to regulate the use of Chinese herbs. 

A review of adverse events related to herbal medicines reported in the medical literature from 1992 to 1996 has been compiled. This report highlights cases of hypersensitivity reactions, hepatotoxic reactions, and various types of renal damage associated with various herbal products. Some Chinese herbal preparations appear to be notorious for causing nephropathy.One of the more infamous adverse events related to the consumption of a dietary supplement was associated with the amino-acid L-tryptophan, touted for it s ability to reduce pain and promote sleep. 

Outside orthodox Western medieine, there are herbal preparations whieh are used to treat diabetes and whieh ean be given by mouth. Blueberries were traditionally used by the Alpine peasants, and bitter gourd or karela Momordica charantid) is an established part of herbal treatment in the Indian subcontinent and elsewhere. Traditional Chinese medieine also has herbal medieines for diabetes. As yet it is not known how these herbal medicines aet and their effieaey awaits formal olinieal evaluation. 

The crude drug prepared from the roots of Sophora flavescens (Fabaceae) is known as Kujin in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It possesses a strong bitter taste, and has been used as a medicine from ancient times in China, where it was recorded in the very old text book of herbal medicine known as Jinno-Honzo-Kyo in Japanese. Jinno-Honzo-Kyo was said to be first written in China at the end of 5th century, but the original has not survived until now. 

The Chinese herbal drug Mao (Japanese name Chinese name is Ma-huang) is prepared from the above-ground parts of Ephedra sp. plants, such as Ephedra equisetina. Ephedra distachya, and Ephedra sinica (Ephedraceae) which are native to China. Mao is used in Chinese traditional medicine prescriptions, and as a material for the preparation of ephedrine hydrochloride used for the treatment of cough. 

This book is an authoritative and comprehensive reference guide to a very large number of significant Chinese medicinal herbs. A gold mine of information is available on their chemical constituents and therapeutic applications. This will be extremely useful to a wide range of health-care professionals who deal in one way or another with medicinal plants. The current heated debate regarding the comparative values of traditional herbal preparations and physician-prescribed pharmaceuticals should in no way detract from the value of this book, since Chinese medicinal herbs are not simply useful in herbal form, but also have immense potential for contributing to the development of new pharmaceuticals. 

Providing rapid multiresidue analytical profiling is a first step toward effective quality control of herbal preparations. For example, Luo et al. [5] developed a method for the simultaneous analysis of protoberberine alkaloids, indolequinoline alkaloids, and quinolone alkaloids (Figure 13.1) extracted from the traditional Chinese medicinal... 

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids can be found in numerous plants used in Indian and Chinese medicine (Roeder, 2000 Zhao et al., 1989). For example, a medicinal herbal preparation containing Heliotropium eichwaldii and its... 

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