Is it toxic to take Polygala?

Many patients are unfamiliar with the word Polygala tenuifolia. They do not think of it as a medicine, nor can they associate it with medicine. In fact, Polygala tenuifolia is a commonly used Chinese medicine. It tastes bitter and has a spicy taste when eaten, but its medicinal nature is mild and it is helpful in the treatment of many diseases. So is it poisonous to take Polygala tenuifolia? Polygala tenuifolia is a non-toxic traditional Chinese medicine and patients can drink related medicines with confidence.

In addition to being non-toxic, Polygala has many other effective functions, such as:

1. Antioxidant and anti-aging effects

D-galactose induced aging mice were used to observe the effects of Polygala tenuifolia decoction on the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in red blood cells (RBC) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in liver tissue of aging mice. The results showed that the water decoction of Polygala tenuifolia could significantly increase the activity of SOD in RBC and GSH-Px in liver tissue of aged mice, indicating that the water decoction of Polygala tenuifolia had anti-aging effects on aged mice, and the optimal medication time was 30 days.

2. Anti-mutation and anti-cancer effects

The Amse experiment found that the water-soluble extract of Polygala tenuifolia had a significant inhibitory effect on the number of revertant colonies induced by Aspergillus flavus B1, and had a significant inhibitory effect on the number of revertant colonies of strain TA9, but had no inhibitory effect on the TAIo strain. This indicates that the water-soluble extract of Polygala tenuifolia only contains mutagenic factors that are resistant to alkali substitution.

3. Antibacterial effect

The paper strip method showed that 10% Polygala decoction had an inhibitory effect on Pneumococcus, while Polygala ethanol extract had a significant inhibitory effect on Gram-positive bacteria and Shigella dysenteriae, Salmonella typhi and Mycobacterium tuberculosis in vitro.

Inhibits alcohol absorption and hepatoprotective activity

The saponins in Polygala tenuifolia can inhibit the absorption of alcohol in the body to a certain extent.

4. Blood circulation and anti-inflammatory effects

The aqueous extract of Polygala root has a preventive and therapeutic effect on 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid-induced colitis in mice, and has a significant improvement effect on the symptoms of polymorphonuclear leukocyte infiltration in the distal colon of colitis mice, erosive damage of the large intestine, colonic mucosal cystic abscesses and epithelial regeneration, and colon weight gain. It can also significantly reduce the levels of IFN-y and IL-4 in small intestinal epithelial lymphocytes. It is speculated that the preventive and therapeutic effect of Polygala root on colitis is at least partly attributed to its regulation of IFN-y and IL-4 production. In addition, the aqueous extract of Polygala root has a significant inhibitory effect on the secretion of tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) and interleukin-1 (IL-1) by mouse astrocytes stimulated by substance P and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), thereby producing anti-inflammatory activity on the central nervous system.

5. Hemolysis

In vitro test tube hemolysis showed that Polygala tenuifolia has a strong hemolytic effect. The hemolytic index of the root bark is 3926, the whole root is 2585, the root woody core is 43, and the purified saponin is 34031. The study found that the component of the hemolytic effect is saponin, so the hemolytic effect of the root bark part which contains more saponins is much stronger than that of the root woody core part.

Is it poisonous to take Polygala? The expert's answer is that it is non-toxic. This medicine has very powerful effects and is beneficial for the treatment of many diseases, such as: expectoration and body swelling, and it also has a therapeutic effect on insomnia caused by poor heart and kidney function. Patients can take Polygala when they have cough and sore throat, or when they have sores and swelling. Female patients with diseases such as breast swelling and pain can also take the medicine, so this medicine has many functions.