The efficacy and function of Chinese medicine Asarum

Traditional Chinese medicine has been passed down from ancient times to the present day, and it has its own value. Traditional Chinese medicine cannot be replaced by any advanced Western medicine or technology. Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes radical cure and seeks the root cause of the disease. Traditional Chinese medicine can regulate the human body from the inside, allowing the disease to recover little by little from the root cause of its onset. There are many types of Chinese herbal medicines, and each has different medicinal effects. Let's take a preliminary look at the efficacy and effects of the traditional Chinese medicine Asarum.

1. The effect of Asarum

Antipyretic.

Its volatile oil has an antipyretic effect on artificial fever in rabbits when administered intragastricly, and can reduce the normal body temperature of the animals to below normal.

Analgesia.

Its volatile oil has analgesic effect on rabbits, and its analgesic intensity is equivalent to 0.5 mg/kg of antispirin. Oral administration of the decoction also has an analgesic effect on mice.

Local anesthesia.

The water decoction of Asarum chinense can block the impulse conduction of the sciatic nerve of toads, and its anesthetic effect is close to that of 1% procaine. The volatile oil of Asarum has a surface anesthetic effect on the corneal reflex of rabbits. The volatile oil has an infiltration anesthetic effect, but the decoction is ineffective. 50% asarum tincture also has a local anesthetic effect on the human tongue mucosa.

Calm.

Intraperitoneal injection of volatile oil into guinea pigs has a significant central nervous system inhibitory effect. Small doses can make animals quiet, while large doses can make animals sleep. Its central nervous system effects are similar to those of barbiturates and it has anticonvulsant effects.

Anti-inflammatory.

Asarum chinense has a certain inhibitory effect on formaldehyde-induced and egg white-induced joint swelling in rats. Asarum volatile oil can fight against ear swelling in mice and joint swelling in rats. Asarum volatile oil can inhibit granuloma in rats, and Asarum sinensis volatile oil can significantly inhibit serum zinc in rats. The mechanism of anti-inflammatory effect of Asarum is:

(1) Enhance adrenal cortex function.

(2) Inhibit the release of inflammatory mediators.

(3) Inhibit connective tissue proliferation.

(4) It has a strong ability to scavenge superoxide free radicals. Asarum can inhibit lipid peroxidation in rat liver homogenate and has a protective effect on superoxide free radical-induced hyaluronic acid and aminopolysaccharides in bovine synovial fluid.

Excited heart.

The volatile oil has a stimulating effect on isolated frog hearts at small doses. The alcohol extract of Asarum has a significant excitatory effect on the isolated rabbit heart and can increase the coronary flow of the isolated guinea pig heart. Asarum volatile oil has protective effects on acute myocardial ischemia and hypobaric hypoxia in mice. It can significantly improve the dog's left ventricular pump function and myocardial contractility. Basically similar to norcipaline and isoproterenol.

Dilation of blood vessels and effects on blood pressure.

Volatile oils showed a dilating effect on visceral vascular perfusion in toads. The soluble part of asarum ethyl acetate has a significant inhibitory effect on the contraction of rabbit thoracic aorta strips induced by 5-hydroxytryptamine, potassium chloride and histamine. Its active ingredients are lignans. The volatile oil has a hypotensive effect on anesthetized dogs and cats when injected intravenously, but the decoction has a significant pressor effect on cats when injected intravenously.

Immunosuppression.

The decoction has a significant inhibitory effect on both cellular immunity and humoral immunity of mice. The immunosuppressive effect is similar to that caused by intramuscular injection of hydrocortisone in mice.

The decoction can both inhibit the TH cells of mice and increase the number of Ts cells, thereby reducing the TH/TS cell ratio. It can lower the p-endorphin content in the hypothalamus and plasma of mice than that in the normal control group, which is similar to the effect of hydrocortisone. The mechanism is related to its effects on the distribution of T lymphocyte subsets and the production of β-endorphin.

Anti-allergic and anti-allergic.

The water extract can reduce the release of total allergic mediators in immediate allergic reactions by more than 40%, indicating that asarum has anti-allergic effects. The four components of asarum that have been discovered to have the ability to inhibit allergic reactions are methyl eugenol, γ-asarone, (a)asarone, and sesamin. There may be other undiscovered anti-allergic active ingredients.

Antitussive and antiasthmatic.

The volatile oil has antitussive effect. Asarum volatile oil, methyl eugenol and racemic noreugenol can relax bronchial smooth muscles and have an antiasthmatic effect. Intravenous injection of Chinese asarum alcohol extract into rabbits can counteract the respiratory depression caused by morphine.

Antispasmodic. The volatile oil increases the tension of the isolated uterus and intestine of rabbits at low concentrations and then decreases it, while it inhibits it at high concentrations. It has a relaxing effect on the spasmodic contraction of the isolated ileum caused by histamine. It has an inhibitory effect on the isolated uterus of rats.

Improve metabolism.

The racemic nor-hiddenine contained in it has a wide range of physiological effects similar to adrenergic β-receptor stimulants, and has multiple functions such as strengthening the heart, dilating blood vessels, relaxing smooth muscles, enhancing lipid metabolism and raising blood sugar. Other traditional Chinese medicines containing demethyllindermine include aconite, evodia rutaecarpa, lindera serrata, and galangal. They have a common characteristic, which is that they are all hot medicines that can dispel cold. The mechanism by which it causes internal heat may be that linalool is its material basis, and its cardiotonic, vasodilatory and lipid metabolism-enhancing effects may be its pharmacological basis.

Antibacterial.

Alcohol extracts, volatile oils, etc. have inhibitory effects on many Gram-positive bacteria, many bacilli and many fungi. Its active ingredient is safrole.

Anti-nephritis.

Intraperitoneal injection of asarone can inhibit the excretion of urinary protein in rats with renal injury, improve serum biochemical indicators, and have an anti-nephritis effect.

Anti-nodular.

Asarone can be used as a pyrethrum synergist, and its levorotatory form also has anti-nodular effects.