Effects of Polygonum cuspidatum Extract

Speaking of the plant Japanese knotweed, many people may not know much about it. It is a plant in the Polygonaceae family. The greatest function of Polygonum cuspidatum is the medical value of its extract, which has a good therapeutic effect on cardiovascular and liver diseases, and can also treat fungal infections. It has a wide range of uses. Today we will mainly learn about the main functions of Polygonum cuspidatum extract.

Knotweed is a plant of the Polygonaceae family, native to East Asia and widely distributed in China. Knotweed is used in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine to treat a variety of ailments, including fungal infections, various skin inflammations, cardiovascular disease and liver disease. Resveratrol and rhamnolide are the main functional components in Polygonum cuspidatum. Studies have shown that resveratrol and rhamnosin exhibit broad antioxidant properties, such as LDL cholesterol oxidation and lipid peroxidation. Resveratrol has also been shown to help with cardiovascular health and blood circulation, relieve pain, clear away heat and dampness, and remove toxins and phlegm. Other components including danthron, physoxanthin and rhein all have anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic and antimicrobial activities.

Medicinal function

Studies have shown that resveratrol and rhamnosin exhibit broad antioxidant properties, such as LDL cholesterol oxidation and lipid peroxidation. Resveratrol has also been shown to help with cardiovascular health and blood circulation, relieve pain, clear away heat and dampness, and remove toxins and phlegm. Other components including danthron, physoxanthin and rhein all have anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic and antimicrobial activities.

1. Antipyretic and analgesic effects

Resveratrol exerts its therapeutic effects through a variety of different pathways, showing some antipyretic and analgesic activities as shown in studies in intact mice and rats (Lin and Hu, 1987). Its extract has been shown to give the gastric mucosa the ability to resist stress ulcers caused by suppressed gastric secretion without affecting blood pressure.

2. Anti-cancer and anti-mutation abilities

As an antioxidant, antimutagent, and anti-inflammatory agent, resveratrol has shown chemopreventive capabilities against cancer. It can also induce differentiation of human promyelocytic leukemia cells (anti-proliferative effect) and inhibit the development of pre-breast cancer lesions in mice. Resveratrol also inhibits protein tyrosine kinase, a substance that catalyzes tyrosine phosphorylation. This kinase is involved in cytoplasmic signaling in cells that regulate mitosis. Inhibition of protein tyrosine kinases using resveratrol may have an antimutagenic effect by preventing kinase function.

3. Prevent heart and liver damage

Resveratrol can inhibit the deposition of triglycerides and cholesterol in the liver of mice. It can also increase the levels of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase by inhibiting fat peroxidation in the mouse liver. Analysis of these two enzymes in serum gives good diagnostic information on heart and liver damage.

4. Anti-thrombotic function

Resveratrol inhibits the synthesis of lipoxygenase, an enzyme found in white blood cells, heart, brain, lungs, and spleen. Resveratrol therefore prevents the formation of blood clots in blood vessels. It can also inhibit platelet aggregation after treatment with the antihypertensive drug clonidine.

5. Enhance immune system activity in wound healing

Resveratrol can also promote the healing of burns by boosting the immune system. Luo (1993) studied the efficacy of resveratrol in restoring suppressed cellular, humoral and nonspecific immune functions in scalded mice. Controlled administration of resveratrol provides a drug-dependent immunomodulatory effect. Luo et al. (1995) conducted a study on mice with different degrees of severe burns and showed that resveratrol can restore their damaged functions such as the ability to respond to antigen signals, proliferation ability, interleukin II synthesis ability and antibody synthesis ability through lymphocytes. Severely burned animals treated with controlled resveratrol had their neutrophil levels and neutrophil adhesion rates restored to near normal levels and had prolonged survival.