Lepidium sativum (Garden cress): a review of contemporary literature and medicinal properties

Mali, Ravindra G,Mahajan, Shailaja G,Mehta, Anita A Kyung Hee Oriental Medicine Research Center 2007 Oriental pharmacy and experimental medicine Vol.7 No.4

The utility of Lepidium sativum Linn (Garden cress) as a medicinal plant has increased many fold over a period of time. A survey of literature relating to the medicinal uses of L.sativum reveals it to be one of the widely used medicinal plants. It finds place in folklore medicine, Ayurveda, Unani and other indigenous systems of medicine. Following a large number of claims on the wide range of traditional medicinal properties of the plant, considerable efforts have been made to verify its efficacy as a curative agent through pharmacological investigations and clinical trials. In this article, a comprehensive account of the traditional uses, phytochemical investigation and therapeutic potential of Lepidium sativum is presented.

Ginseng: a miracle sources of herbal and pharmacological uses

Kim, Jae Kwang,Tabassum, Nazia,Uddin, Md. Romij,Park, Sang Un Kyung Hee Oriental Medicine Research Center, Kyung 2016 Oriental Pharmacy and Experimental Medicine Vol.16 No.4

This review paper was considered to find out the relationship, how to bring together traditional uses and modern pharmacological uses and provide a foundation for a more rigorous systemic investigation of ginseng. Ginseng is well-known worldwide as a medicinal plant. Its traditional and modern medicinal applications have been well documented. This medicinal plant is of great value to the people of Korea, China, and Japan and has been used for many purposes. Though all the parts of these plants have medicinal value, the roots are used most extensively in traditional medicine, especially for its curative and restorative properties. Ginseng is used to treat a variety of illnesses in traditional medicine. It is most effective for impotence, insomnia, anorexia, hypodynamia, diabetes, palpitation, shortness of breath, and hemorrhage. From a modern medical point of view, ginseng possesses a variety of constituents, including ginsenosides, polysaccharides, peptides, and polyacetylenic alcohols that have been used effectively for the central nervous system, neuroprotective, immunomodulatory, and anticancer effects. In particular, ginsenosides as an active ingredient have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic, and immunostimulant properties. The understanding of ginseng efficacy from Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM) and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) can provide insights for modern chemical and pharmacological research. Such research will help clarify the pharmacodynamics and mechanisms of action of ginseng.

Evidence-based herbal medicine in efficacy and safety assessments

Park, Jin-Han Kyung Hee Oriental Medicine Research Center 2008 Oriental pharmacy and experimental medicine Vol.8 No.2

Herbal medicine is the use of medicinal plants for prevention and treatment of diseases: it ranges from traditional and popular medicines of every country to the use of standardized and tritated herbal extracts. Generally cultural rootedness enduring and widespread use in a traditional medical system may indicate safety, but also efficacy of treatments, especially in herbal medicine where tradition is almost completely based on remedies containing active principles at very low and ultra low concentrations or relying on magical-energetic principles. The efficacy and safety assessments of medicines, whether modern or herbal, invariably encounter challenges or problems during the course of pre-clinical and clinical research. Some of the challenges in evidence-based herbal medicinal research are unique, and the researcher must be cognizant of them in order to safeguard the quality of the data obtained. Key challenges are: the quality of raw materials; appropriateness of biological/pharmacological activity assessment methodology, and data interpretation; standardization methodology; pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of active constituents and metabolites; clinical dosage formulation/production; and clinical study designs and outcome measures.

A case report on regression of hepatocellular carcinoma treated with herbal medicine

Han, Sung-Soo,Kim, Jung-Sun,Park, Bong-Ky,Yoo, Hwa-Seung Kyung Hee Oriental Medicine Research Center 2007 Oriental pharmacy and experimental medicine Vol.7 No.4

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most prevalent malignant diseases worldwide and a leading cause for death in Asia, where the major risk factors are chronic hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infection. Because most HCC patients die within 3 to 6 months from the time of diagnosis, searching for a new treatment has become more urgent for HCC than other cancers because there is no existing effective systematic therapy. In Korea and Asia, traditional herbal medicine is frequently administered to patients with advanced HCC. We present a HCC case where complete regression was observed after taking herbal medicine. Since the specific mechanism is unknown, we cannot determine whether the herbal preparation had a direct effect on the regression of HCC. Nevertheless, this case provides us a reason and hope for further research.

A relationship between Stroke and Sasang Constitution in Korean

Ko, Ho-Yeon,Jun, Chan-Yong,Park, Jong-Hyeong,Yoon, Yoo-Sik,Lee, Sun-Dong,Han, Chang-Ho,Jung, Woo-Sang,Moon, Sang-Kwan,Cho, Ki-Ho,Ko, Seong-Gyu Kyung Hee Oriental Medicine Research Center 2005 Oriental pharmacy and experimental medicine Vol.5 No.4

Experts of Sasang Constitution Medicine of Traditional Korean Medicine have classified stroke patients with four types of Sasang constitutions in their clinical practice and some types of Sasang constitutions have been regarded as risk factors of stroke, but this is uncertain because there were no evidences by large scale of prospective studies. The purpose of this was to study the association between strokes and Sasang constitutions. Case-control study has been conducted to the patients admitted to the research hospitals. The patients were confirmed stroke by brain MRI or CT scans and recruited from May 2003 to August 2005. The subjects who met the requirement of inclusion and exclusion criteria were 108 patients as the cases and 107 as healthy controls. Data collection has been performed by the trained specialists majoring neurologists through interviews, physical examinations, and laboratory testes. No statistical significance was obtained between the strokes and Sasang constitutions, yet Taeumin, and Soyangin types showed a trend of increase in the incidence of strokes as compared with Soeumin. To acquire more concrete data on this theme, we need further and large scale of prospective researches.

Gene-gene interaction in cerebral infarction patients: Relationship between apolipopreotein E gene polymorphism and Sasang-constitution

Um, Jae-Young,Kim, Jong-Kwan,Joo, Jong-Cheon,Kim, Kyung-Yo,Hong, Seung-Heon,Kim, Hyung-Min Kyung Hee Oriental Medicine Research Center 2004 Oriental pharmacy and experimental medicine Vol.4 No.2

Sasang Constitutional Medicine is a major branch of Korean Traditional Oriental Medicine. The differences of disease susceptibility to be shown in Sasang constitution may be due to genetic factors. Therefore, we examined interrelationship among cerebral infarction (CI), apolipoprotein E (apoE) gene polymorphism, and Sasang constitutional classification. ApoE is a key protein modulating the highly atherogenic apoB containing lipoproteins and is a candidate gene for the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). The ${\varepsilon}2\;and/or\;{\varepsilon}4$ alleles were the first to be implicated in premature CAD, which resulted in this polymorphism being extensively studied. We investigated the association between apoE genotype and CI by case-control study in a Korean population. We also classified CI patients and control group into groups according to Sasang Constitutional Medicine. 196 CI patients and 379 controls without CI were examined. ApoE genotype was determined by 8% polyacrylamide gel separation after DNA amplification. A significant difference in the apoE genotype distribution was observed in the CI patients compared with that in controls ($X^{2}$=14.920, df=4, P=0.005). Also, the frequency of Taeumin constitution in patients with CI was significantly higher than that in controls (58.0% vs. 36.9%; P<0.001). However, the Taeumin constitution did not enhance the relative risk for CI in the subjects with apoE ${\varepsilon}2\;and/or\;{\varepsilon}4$ alleles. No differences in the apoE genotypes frequencies were observed in the Taeumin compared with that in the other constitutions. In addition, we investigated whether the DD genotype of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene, a candidate gene for CI, was associated with CI, Taeumin constitution, and apoE polymorphism. As a result, the frequency of Taeumin constitution was significantly higher in CI patients with both apoE ${\varepsilon}3/{\varepsilon}4$ and ACE ID/DD genotypes than in the remaining Sasang constitutions (14.5% vs. 8.3% and 0%) ($X^{2}$=13.521, df=6, P=0.035). In summary, we concluded that the apoE polymorphism is a major risk factor for CI in Koreans and the ACE ID/DD genotype enhanced the relative risk for CI in the subjects with apoE ${\varepsilon}3/{\varepsilon}4$ genotype and Taeumin constitution.

Rubia cordifolia: a review

Patil, Rupali,Mohan, Mahalaxmi,Kasture, Veena,Kasture, Sanjay Kyung Hee Oriental Medicine Research Center 2009 Oriental pharmacy and experimental medicine Vol.9 No.1

Medicinal herbs are significant source of synthetic and herbal drugs. In the commercial market, medicinal herbs are used as raw drugs, extracts or tinctures. Isolated active constituents are used for applied research. For the last few decades, phytochemistry (study of plants) has been making rapid progress and herbal products are becoming popular. According to Ayurveda, the ancient healing system of India, the classical texts of Ayurveda, Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita were written around 1000 B.C. The Ayurvedic Materia Medica includes 600 medicinal plants along with therapeutics. Herbs like turmeric, fenugreek, ginger, garlic and holy basil are integral part of Ayurvedic formulations. The formulations incorporate single herb or more than two herbs (poly-herbal formulations). Medicinal herb contains multitude of chemical compounds like alkaloids, glycosides, saponins, resins, oleoresins, sesquiterpene, lactones and oils (essential and fixed). Today there is growing interest in chemical composition of plant based medicines. Several bioactive constituents have been isolated and studied for pharmacological activity. R. cordifolia is an important medicinal plant commonly used in the traditional and Ayurvedic system of medicine for treatment of different ailments. This review illustrates its major constituents, pharmacological actions substantiating the claims made about this plant in the traditional system of medicine and its clinical applications.

Comparison of heavy metal concentrations in hairs of a small sample of Korean patients taking traditional herbal medicine

Park, Yeong-Chul,Kim, Myung-Dong,Park, Sung-Kyun,Kim, Hyun-Do,Lee, Sun-Dong Kyung Hee Oriental Medicine Research Center 2010 Oriental pharmacy and experimental medicine Vol.10 No.3

A concern of safety issue for traditional herbal medicine is the possibility of some herbs containing heavy metals responsible for several cases of metal poisoning. In our previous study, the physiological levels of heavy metals, such as Cd, Cu, Hg and Pb, were examined to evaluate a potential risk in patients taking herbal medicine. In this study, the levels of 12 heavy metals, including non-metallic element, Se, were analyzed in hair and compared to the results from the previous study. In the previous study, the levels of Cd, Cu, Hg and Pb in hair showed a significantly lower odds ratio than 1. In this study, however, all metals did not show any significant odds ratio higher or lower than 1 even if 5 of 12 metals showed lower odds ratio than 1. In addition, the levels of metal concentrations, especially for Cu, Fe, Pb and Zn, exceeding the WHO reference values were observed in hair. However, any evidence for metal accumulation in hair caused by taking herbal medicines for long duration was not observed in analysis of multiple regression and odds ratio from case-control study. This result would show another possibility for a role of herbs as a non-enzymatic chelator inhibiting the gastrointestinal absorption of heavy metals.

The regulatory effect of Alisma Rhizomes and their triterpenoids on α3β4 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor activity

Lee, Sung Bae,Noh, Shinhwa,Yeom, Hye Duck,Kim, Hyunah,Kim, Wonkil,Kim, Yoon Suh,Bae, Hyunsu,Lee, Jun-Ho Kyung Hee Oriental Medicine Research Center, Kyung 2016 Oriental Pharmacy and Experimental Medicine Vol.16 No.4

Alisma Rhizomes is used as a diuretic, hypolipidemic, anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory agent in traditional East-Asian medicine. In this study, we tested the effect of Alisma Rhizomes on the <TEX>${\alpha}3{\beta}4$</TEX> nicotinic acetylcholine (nACh) receptor channel current in Xenopus oocytes. The acetylcholine-induced inward peak current (<TEX>$I_{ACh}$</TEX>) was measured with the two-electrode voltage-clamp technique. This experiment shows that the <TEX>${\alpha}3{\beta}4$</TEX> nACh receptor cRNA injected into oocytes followed by co-application with Alisma Rhizomes inhibited <TEX>$I_{ACh}$</TEX> in a noncompetitive or voltage insensitive condition. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (<TEX>$IC_{50}$</TEX>) of Alisma Rhizomes was <TEX>$12.5{\pm}3.4{\mu}g/ml$</TEX> and the Vmax was <TEX>$55.4{\pm}4.7$</TEX>. Protostane-type triterpenoids are the main active ingredient of Alisma Rhizomes (Alisol A, Alisol B, Alisol B 23-acetate, Alisol C 23-acetate). The respective IC50 values of Alisol A, Alisol B, Alisol B 23-acetate, and Alisol C 23-acetate were <TEX>$1.7{\pm}0.1$</TEX>, <TEX>$2.8{\pm}0.5$</TEX>, <TEX>$2.6{\pm}0.7$</TEX> and <TEX>$3.5{\pm}0.3{\mu}M$</TEX> in the <TEX>${\alpha}3{\beta}4$</TEX> nACh receptor expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Altogether, our research shows that protostane-type triterpenoids may modulate the <TEX>${\alpha}3{\beta}4$</TEX> nACh receptors expressed in oocytes in a reversible, concentration dependent and non-competitive manner. Furthermore, this modulation of the nACh receptor activity by protostane-type triterpenoids could underlie the pharmaceutics actions of Alisma rhizome.

Analgesic effect of Clematidis Radix (CR) herb-acupuncture in a rat model of pain and inflammation

Hwang, Hye-Jeong,Kim, Seung-Tae,Lee, Hye-Jung,Kim, Young-Suk,Shim, In-Sop,Park, Hi-Joon,Choi, Won-Ju,Kim, Jang-Hyun,Hahm, Dae-Hyun Kyung Hee Oriental Medicine Research Center 2008 Oriental pharmacy and experimental medicine Vol.7 No.5

Anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of Clematidis Radix (CR)-distillates were investigated in three different pain animal models. Highly purified distillate of CR was injected to Zusanli (ST36) acupoint, called CR herb-acupuncture in the Korean traditional medicine. In tail flick latency test, the CR herb-acupuncture treatment did not show a significant effect of relieving acute phasic pain. To investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of CR herb-acupuncture, inflammatory pain was induced by subcutaneous injection of formalin to the plantar tissue or intra-articular injection of carrageenan to the tibio-tarsal joint in the rats. And the medicinal effect of CR herb-acupuncture was evaluated by analyzing pain behavior such as licking or biting behavior, or by measuring weight distribution ratio between two foot and ankle circumference. In the rat formalin test, the analgesic effect of CR herb-acupuncture was more pronounced in the late phase (for 20 min after the early phase) than in the early phase (for the first 10 min post formalin injection). It also significantly alleviated the carrageenan-induced monoarthritis, in terms of weight distribution ratio and ankle edema. These results revealed that CR herb-acupuncture was effective to treat the inflammatory pain and could be used as an analgesic treatment with an antiinflammatory effect.