Mongolian medicine:History,development and existing problems

Mongolian medicine(MM)is an important part of Mongolian culture.Exploration of MM can play a crucial role in the prevention and treatment of various diseases and can help provide better health care globally.In this article,we gave a brief introduction to the origin and development of MM,the theoretical system of MM,the principles of Mongolian materia medica formula,the modern research on Mongolian materia medica and the quality control of Mongolian materia medica.The present situation and outlook of MM were also discussed.

Mongolian medicine in treating type 2 diabetes mellitus combined with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease via FXR/LXR-mediated P2X7R/NLRP3/NF-κB pathway activation

Type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)are the most problematic metabolic diseases in the world.NAFLD encompasses a spectrum of severity,ranging from simple steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH)and fibrosis,increasing the risk of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.Importantly,NAFLD is closely linked to obesity and tightly interrelated with insulin resistance and T2DM.T2DM and NAFLD(T2DM-NAFLD)are called as the Xike Rixijing Disease and Tonglaga Indigestion Disease respectively,in Mongolian medicine.Xike Rixijing Disease maybe develop into Tonglaga Indigestion Disease.Forturnately many Mongolian medicines show efficient treatment of T2DM-NAFLD,such as Agriophyllum squarrosum,Haliyasu(dried powder of camel placenta),Digeda-4(herbs of Lomatogonium carinthiacum,rhizomata of Coptis chinensis,ripe fruits of Gardenia jasminoides,herbs of Dianthus superbus),Guangmingyan Siwei Decoction Powder(Halite,ripe fruits of Terminalia chebula,rhizomata of Zingiber officinale,fruit clusters of Piper longum),Tonglaga-5(ripe fruits of Punica granatum,barks of Cinnamomum cassia,ripe fruits of Amomum kravanh,fruit clusters of Piper longum,fowers of Carthamus tinctorius),Tegexidegeqi(rhizomata of Inula helenium,ripe fruits of Gardenia jasminoides,rhizomata of Platycodon grandiflorum,rhizomata of Coptis chinensis,heartwood of Caesalpinia sappan),Ligan Shiliu Bawei San(ripe fruits of Punica granatum,barks of Cinnamomum cassia,ripe fruits of Amomum kravanh,fruit clusters of Piper longum,fowers of Carthamus tinctorius,ripe fruits of Amomum tsao-ko,rhizomata of Zingiber officinale),etc.Principles of Mongolian medicine in treating diseases:by balancing“three essences or roots”and“seven elements”,strengthening liver and kidney function,transporting nutrients to enhance physical strength and disease resistance,and combined with drugs for comprehensive conditioning treatment.However,their molecular mechanisms remain unclear.In this review,we prospect that Mongolian medicines might be a promising treatment for T2DM-NAFLD by activating P2X7R/NLRP3/NF-κB infammatory pathway via lipid-sensitive nuclear receptors(i.e.,FXR and LXR).