Atractylodes lancea Rhizome(Cang Zhu) and Rhizoma Atractylodes Macrocephalae (Bai Zhu)

Indications and Pharmacology:Atractylodes lancea Rhizome(Cang Zhu).:

Atractylodes Rhizome Extract Swordlike Atractylodes Rhizome Atractylodes lancea Thunb DC Atractylodes chinensis DC Koidz photo picture image For the syndromes of dampness retention in the middle-jiao, poor appetite and loose stool, oppressive chest, mass in the abdome, and white and greasy tongue coating:it is often used in combination with the drugs for removing dampness, promoting Qi circulation and relieving abdominal distention, such as tangerine peel and magnolia bark, known as Ping Wei San (Peptide Posere).

For arthralgia due to wind-cold and dampness:it is often used in combination with ledebouriella root, notopterygium root and clematis root. In cases of arthralgia caused by damp-heat, it is often used in combination with the medicines for clearing heat and dampness, such as phellodendron bark, coix seed, etc. For treating affection by exopathogens marked by aversion to cold and fever, it is used in combination with ledebouriella root, dahurian angelica root and Chuanxiong rhizome to dispel wind, cold and dampness and alleviate pain. In addition, it is tenebit to vision and to used for night blindness.

The prepared atractylodes rhizome is often used for removing dampness and strengthening the spleen:and the unprepared for dispelling wind to relieve exterior syndrome. Epigastric distension and diasrrhea; edema, particularly edema of the legs with lameness; rheumatic arthralgia; common cold; night blindess

Analgesic effects:Body torsion and heat-induced pain tests show that Cang Zhu has a significant analgesic effect.

Anti-arrhythmic effects:N-butyl alcohol-based extract of Guan Cang Zhu can significantly raise the effective dosage of aconitine for inducing ventricular arrhythmia in rats. Experiments on barium chloride-induced bi-directional ventricular arrhythmia show that the extract can significantly reduce the number of rats suffering from the modeled arrhythmia, postpone the occurrence of arrythmia, and shorten its duration.

Anti-diarrhea effects:Cang Zhu can inhibit both small intestinal and large intestinal diarrhea induced by castor oil or senna leaf. It can also inhibit the propulsive movement of India ink in the gastrointestinal tract.

Anti-anoxia effects:Experiments show that acetone-based extract of Cang Zhu can prolong mice's survival time from KCN-induced anoxia. Further research finds that (-eudesmol, an active component of Cang Zhu, is responsible for its anti-anoxia effect.

Anti-inflammatory effects:Cang Zhu can counteract xylene-induced auricular swelling, carrageenin-induced foot swelling, and acetic acid-induced increase in abdominal capillary permeability.

Anti-thrombotic and anticoagulant effects:Duodenum administration of 70% alcohol-based extract of Bei Cang Zhu at 3g/kg and 10g/kg can prolong the coagulation time and kaolin partial thromboplastin time in rats.

Anti-ulcer effect:the beta-eudesmol of cang zhu can inhibit the secretion of stomach acid and can inhibit ulcer.

Diuretic effect:The diuretic effect is not obvious but it can increase the secretion ions of sodium, potassium and chlorine in the urine.

Effects on Bacillus dysenteriae F13:In-vitro tests on Cang Zhu's effect of eliminating the drug-resistant plasmids of Bacillus dysenteriae F13 show that it has a 0.8% elimination rate against TC+SM+AP-resistant plasmids and one of 46% against SM-resistant plasmids.

Effect on blood sugar:alcohol extract of cang zhu can maintain the lowering of blood sugar of regular rabbits

Effect on the inhibiting of CNS:the mixture of the essential oils of beta-eudesmol, and hinesol possesses the effect of sedative on laboratory mice and it can prolong the sleep using hexobarbital sodium and it can inhibit spasm caused by electric shock. It also can help the delivery of carbon dust in the small intestines.

Effects on smooth muscles:Cang Zhu decoction can increase the tension of rats' stomach smooth muscle strips (isolated from both the fundus and the body of the stomach). This effect of Cang Zhu appears to be dose-dependent, and to varying degrees, can be blocked by atropine, hexamethonium, and isoptin.

Effects of promoting stomach functions:Rats of modeled dampness have the following symptoms: lethargy, lack of appetite, loose stool, loss of weight, decrease in serum gastrin, and slugish gastrointestinal propulsive movement, etc. After being treated with Cang Zhu and 7 other dampness-removing aromatic herbs for 5 consecutive days, they show varying degrees of improvement in the physical signs. Further tests show that the gastrin level is raised, the gastrointestinal propulsive movement quickened, and the activity of gastric mucosal SOD heightened.A related study shows that at 3g/kg and 10g/kg, duodenum administration of 70% alcohol-based extract of Cang Zhu at 3g/kg and 10g/kg promotes bile secretion in rats.

Effects on diarrhea due to spleen deficiency:Administered to mice with senna leaf-induced spleen deficiency, Cang Zhu can increase the body weight, inhibit the propulsive movement of the small intestine, increase the content of Zn and Fe, and decrease that of Cu in the serum. It can also counteract hydrochloric acid-induced gastritis and inhibit pyloric ligation-induced gastric ulcers in rats, increase the pH value of the gastric fluids, and inhibit the activity of pepsin.

Preventing ulcers:N-butyl alcohol-based extract of Cang Zhu can significantly counteract gastric ulcers induced by acetic acid, ligation of pylorus, alcohol, and indomethacin. This effect of Cang Zhu does not extend to stress and reserpine-induced gastric ulcers, however. At 0.18g/kg, the extract can also significantly increase the prostaglandin E2 level (P less than 0.05), and lower the total acidity (P less than 0.01), free acidity (P less than 0.05), and papsase activity (P less than 0.05) in the gastric fluids.(2) At 5g/kg and 15g/kg, 75% alcohol-based extract of Bei Cang Zhu can inhibit the formation of gastric ulcers induced by water-immersion stress, hydrochloric acid, or indomecin-alcohol.

Reference:

1.Atractylodes lancea Rhizome(Cang Zhu) and Rhizoma Atractylodes Macrocephalae (Bai Zhu)

This article written and edited via herbalist of MDidea Extracts Professional. They run a range of online descriptions about this herb,including general information related and summarized updating discoveries from findings of professional scientisits this field related.Describe style aimed to form a useful detecting literature space where the intertwined threshold and related questions raise out and visualize themselves.

♣ last edit date:13th,Oct.2010.