The efficacy and function of American pokeweed leaves

Everyone is familiar with the American Herb. It has a long history and has good effects on regulating the body and treating diseases. It is a good choice for health preservation. Let’s take a look together.

【Other name】 Psoralea corylifolia

[Source] Medicinal material source: The leaves of Phytolacca verticillata of the Phytolacca family.

[Original form] 1. Perennial herb, up to 1.5m tall. The whole plant is smooth and hairless. The roots are thick, conical, fleshy, with pale yellow outer skin, long and horizontal lenticels, and many lateral roots. The stem is green or purple-red and much branched. Simple leaves are alternate and petiolate; the base of the petiole is slightly flat and wide; the leaf blade is ovate-elliptic or elliptic, 12-15cm long, 5-8cm wide, with acute or acuminate apex, gradually narrowed base, and entire margin. The racemes grow at the tips of branches or laterally on the stems, and the inflorescences are erect; there are 5 tepals, which are white at first and then gradually turn to light red; there are 8-10 stamens; there are 8-10 carpels, which are separate but closely together. The berries are oblate, with persistent calyx, and are dark red-purple or black when ripe. Seeds kidney-shaped, black. Flowering and fruiting period is from May to October.

[Habitat distribution] Ecological environment: 1. Grown under sparse woods beside the road, or cultivated in gardens.

[Properties] Identification of properties: The leaves are often wrinkled, and when flattened, they are ovate-oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 10-14cm long, 4-6cm wide, entire, light green on the upper surface, light brown on the lower surface, with pinnate reticulate veins prominent on the back of the leaf, and the main vein is thick; the petiole is about 2cm long, with shallow grooves on the upper side, light weight and brittle. Slight odor, light taste.

[Chemical composition] The leaves of Phytolacca americana contain kaempferol, kaempferol-3-β-D-xyloside, astragalin, reynoutrin, isoquercitrin, nicotiflorin, rutin, phytolaccoside E, polysaccharides and Phytolacca americana antiviral protein (PAP).

[Pharmacological action] 1. Effect on metabolism The American pokeweed antiviral protein (PAP) contained in the leaves of Pokeweed has an inhibitory effect on the protein synthesis of eukaryotic cells and can inhibit the synthesis of globin and phenylalanine peptide on the ribosomes of rabbit reticulocytes. PAP is a ribosome inactivating protein that inactivates eukaryotic cell ribosomes through enzymatic action, inhibits protein synthesis, and causes cell death. The inhibitory effect of PAP on phenylalanine synthesis in the cell-free system was more pronounced than that on rabbit reticulocyte ribosomes. Experiments have shown that PAP does not act on the initiation stage of protein synthesis, but on the peptide chain extension stage, inactivating the 60S subunit enzyme of the eukaryotic cell ribosome, thereby inhibiting the extension of the peptide chain. PAP has a strong inhibitory effect on protein synthesis. The doses (ID50) required to inhibit protein synthesis by 50% in a cell-free system were 0.24 nmol for leaf PAP and 0.25 nmol for summer leaf PAP-Ⅱ, respectively.

【Functions and indications】 Clears away heat. Main foot

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decocted in water, 3-6g.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Materia Medica

Through the above introduction, I found that the American rhubarb leaves have so many pharmacological effects, and they also have good effects on some diseases. In fact, there may be many "treasures" around our lives, but most of the time we don’t have a heart that is good at discovering them.