Bupleurum chinense

Bupleurum chinense DC., Prodr. 4: 128 1830.

(Bupleurum chinense DC.; Photo sk.pinterest.com and gaiaherbs.com)

Latin Name: Bupleurum chinense DC.

Family & Genus: Apiaceae, Bupleurum

Synonym Name: Bupleurum chinense Franch.; Bupleurum chinense f. chiliosciadium (H.Wolff) R.H.Shan & Y.Li; Bupleurum chinense f. octoradiatum (Bunge) R.H.Shan & M.L.Sheh; Bupleurum chinense f. pekinense (Franch. ex Forbes & Hemsl.) R.H.Shan & Y.Li; Bupleurum chinense f. vanheurckii (Müll.Arg.) R.H.Shan & Y.Li; Bupleurum falcatum var. chiliosciadium H.Wolff; Bupleurum falcatum f. ensifolium H.Wolff; Bupleurum octoradiatum Bunge; Bupleurum pekinense Franch. ex. Hemsl.; Bupleurum pekinense Franch. ex Hemsl.; Bupleurum pekinense f. chiliosciadium (H.Wolff) Hemsl.; Bupleurum scorzonerifolium f. ensifolium H.Wolff; Bupleurum togasii Kitag.; Bupleurum vanheurckii Müll.Arg.

English Name: China Thorowax, Chinese Thorowax, Chinese thoroughwax.

Chinese Name: 北柴胡 bei chai hu

Vietnamese Name: Sài hồ bắc

Description: Plants 50–85 cm, perennial. Root stout, elongate, brown, woody, usually branched. Stem solitary or several, dichotomously much-branched above, base without fibrous remnant sheaths. Basal leaves oblanceolate or narrow-elliptic, 4–7 × 0.6–0.8 cm, base tapering into petioles, apex acuminate. Middle leaves broadly linear-lanceolate, 4–12 × 0.6–1.8(–3) cm, 7–9-nerved, abaxially glaucous, apex apiculate. Apical leaves small. Umbels numerous, 2–6 cm across; peduncles slender, greatly spreading forming a large loose panicle; bracts 0 or 2–3, linear, 1–5 × 0.5–1 mm, 3-nerved; rays 3–8, very slender, 1–3 cm, unequal; bracteoles 5, lanceolate, 3–3.5 × 0.6–1 mm, shorter than flowers; umbellules 4–6 mm across, 5–10-flowered. Petal bright yellow. Stylopodium low-conic, discoid, dark yellow. Fruit oblong, brown, ca. 3 × 2 mm; ribs prominent, narrowly winged, wings pale brown; vittae 3(–4) in each furrow, 4 on commissure. Flowering: August to September; fruiting: September to October.

Ecological: Grasslands, stream banks, sunny slopes, roadsides; 100–2700 m.

Distribution: Distributed in Jilin, Liaoning, Henan, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hubei, Sichuan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Tibet and etc. The medicinal materials are mainly produced in Liaoning, Gansu, Hebei and Henan.

Part Used: Medical part: roots. Chinese name: Chaihu.

Harvest & Processing: Excavated in spring and autumn, removed cauline leaves and soil, dried, removed foreign matters and withered stem, well washed, totally moist, cut into thick slices and dried.

Chemistry: In the past few decades, approximately 74 compounds have been isolated from Radix Bupleuri, including essential oils, triterpenoid saponins, polyacetylenes, flavonoids, lignans, fatty acids, and sterols. Triterpenoid saponins, flavonoids, and essential oil.

- Volatile Compounds (Essential Oils): the major volatile compounds were 3-methylbutanal (7.24%), pentanal (5.74%), hexanal (20.11%), furan-2-carbaldehyde (25.23%), and heptanal (12.07%).

- Triterpenoid Saponins: Currently, approximately 35 saponins have been isolated from Radix Bupleuri. Among them, saikosaponins a, c, and d are the major bioactive constituents.

- Polyacetylenes: Four polyacetylene compounds from Radix Bupleuri have been identified, including (2Z,8Z,10E)-pentadecatriene-4,6-diyne-1-ol (36), (2Z,8E,10E)-pentadecatriene-4,6-diyne.

- Flavonoids: twelve flavonoids have been isolated and identified from Radix Bupleuri, including quercetin, isorhamnetin, isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside, puerarin, rutin, narcissin, eugenin, saikochrome A, saikochromic acid, 7,4′-dihydroxy-isoflavone-7-O-β-D-glucoside, saikochromoside A, and saikoisoflavonoside A -1-ol (37), (2Z,8Z,10E)-heptadecatriene-4,6-diyne-1-ol and bupleurynol.

- Ligans: nortrachelogenin, nemerosin, kaerophyllin, isochaihulactone, isokaerophyllin, (−)-yatein, chinensinaphthol, and chaihunaphthone.

- Other Compounds: including 12 fatty acids: fumaric acid, butanedioic acid, pentadecanoic acid, palmitoleic acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid, stearic acid, 11-hexadecenoic acid, 13-octadecenoic acid, linoleic acid, tetracosanoic acid, and 9S,12S,13S-trihydroxy-10E-octadecenoic acid. Three sterols compounds, namely, α-spinasterol, 24ξ-methylcholesta-7, 22E-diene-3β,5α,6β-triol, and 24ξ-ethylcholest-22E-end-3β,5α,6β-triol.

Pharmacology: Anti-convulsions, heat-clearing, painkilling, sedative, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor.

- The essential oils of Radix Bupleuri are regarded as one of the most important bioactive compounds owing to their antifungal and anti-inflammatory activities.

- Triterpenoid saponins are the main active components of Radix Bupleuri, which exhibit a broad spectrum of biological and pharmacological effects, including analgesic, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and antiviral activities

Properties & Actions: Bitter, little cold. Harmonizing Shenyang, soothing the liver and harmonize the stomach, promoting yang to improve viscera.

Indications & Usage: Used for cold and pyrexia, spell of fever and chills, gastric and costal swelling pain, irregular menses, uterine prolapse, anal prolapse. Internal: decocting, 4-7.5g; or made as pills or powders. 3-9g.

Examples:   

1. Treat typhus for 5 or 6 days, stroke, alternate attacks of chills and fever, thoracic and hypochondrium fullness, loss of appetite, dysphoria and vomiting: baical skullcap root 3 liang, ginseng 3 liang, pinellia 0.5 sheng (washed), ural licorice (stir fried), fresh ginger 3 liang each (cut into pieces), Chinese jujube 12 (torn apart). Decoct the above drugs in 1 dou and 2 sheng water, cook and concentrate into 6 sheng, remove residues, decoct to 3 sheng, warm up and swallow 1 sheng, take 3 times a day.

2. Treat evilness entered into meridians, thin body and muscular heat, motebolism; dissipate typhus, seasonal diseases, sunstroke: China thorowax 4 liang (wash and remove sprouts, ural licorice 1 liang (stir fried). Grind the above drugs into fine powder. Take 2 qian each time with a cup of water, decoct to 80%, and swallow after warmed up.

References

- libproject.hkbu.edu.hk

- efloras.org

- theplantlist.org

- Fude Yang, Xiaoxv Dong, Xingbin Yin, Wenping Wang, Longtai You, and Jian Ni; Radix Bupleuri: A Review of Traditional Uses, Botany, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, and Toxicology; Biomed Res Int. 2017; 2017: 7597596.