Perilla frutescens:A traditional medicine and food homologous plant

Perilla frutescens,an annual herb of the Labiatae family,has been cultivated in China for more than 2000 years.P.frutescens is the one of the first medicinal and edible plant published by the Ministry of Health.Its leaves,stems and seeds can be used as medicine and edible food.Because of the abundant nutrients and bioactive components in this plant,P.frutescens has been studied extensively in medicine,food,health care and chemical fields with great prospects for development.This paper reviews the cultivation history,chemical compositions and pharmacological activities of P.frutescens,which provides a reference for the development and utilization of P.frutescens resources.

Clinical Application of Radix Notoginseng and Its Homology of Medicine and Food

Clinical application of Radix Notoginseng in the last ten years is summarized,such as Radix Notoginseng powder,compatibility of Radix Notoginseng with other traditional Chinese medicines,and related preparations of Radix Notoginseng,as well as application of Radix Notoginseng in homology of medicine and food,such as preventing and controlling gynecological diseases,rheumatoid arthritis,hypertension,gastric cancer,arthritis,and anemia.

Phyllanthi Fructus:A modal medicinal and food homologous item in quality evaluation

Phyllanthi Fructus is a highly unique medicine and food homologous item,which exhibits distinctive flavor,notable nutritional value,and abundant pharmacological activity.It has enormous potential in the creation of health products and pharmaceuticals.However,due to the unique laws of quality formation and transfer of Phyllanthi Fructus,its appearance,shape,chemical compositions,nutrients,and sensory flavors are frequently greatly influenced by botanical resources,the processing and storage conditions.As a result,the current quality evaluation model is difficult to meet the needs of Phyllanthi Fructus as a medicine and food homologous item in the development of diversified products.This paper constructs the hierarchical utilization mode of Phyllanthi Fructus based on its unique quality formation and transmission laws,explores the quality evaluation model for food-oriented use and medicinal-oriented use,respectively,and systematically describes the quality evaluation idea under diversified application scenarios.This paper aims to serve as a reference for the construction of a quality evaluation model suitable for the medicine and food homologous item of Phyllanthi Fructus.

Research progress of ginger in the treatment of gastrointestinal tumors

Cancer seriously endangers human health.Gastrointestinal cancer is the most common and major malignant tumor,and its morbidity and mortality are gradually increasing.Although there are effective treatments such as radio-therapy and chemotherapy for gastrointestinal tumors,they are often accom-panied by serious side effects.According to the traditional Chinese medicine and food homology theory,many materials are both food and medicine.Moreover,food is just as capable of preventing and treating diseases as medicine.Medicine and food homologous herbs not only have excellent pharmacological effects and activities but also have few side effects.As a typical medicinal herb with both medicinal and edible uses,some components of ginger have been shown to have good efficacy and safety against cancer.A mass of evidence has also shown that ginger has anti-tumor effects on digestive tract cancers(such as gastric cancer,colorectal cancer,liver cancer,laryngeal cancer,and pancreatic cancer)through a variety of pathways.The aim of this study is to investigate the mechanisms of action of the main components of ginger and their potential clinical applications in treating gastrointestinal tumors.

Understanding “medicine and food homology”,developing utilization in medicine functions

Chinese medicine is a very big concept of medicine. In Shennong era, medicine and food do not divide.＂Medicine and food homology＂, which is called ＂Chinese medicine and dietary application＂, refers to that many foods are drugs, and there is no absolute demarcation line between them.

Ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Benincasae Exocarpium: A review

Benincasae Exocarpium(BE,Dongguapi in Chinese),as the dried outer pericarp of Benincasa hispida(wax gourd)in Cucurbitaceae family,is one of traditional Chinese medicines with the same origin as medicine and food.Up to now,43 compounds were isolated from BE,including flavonoids,alkaloids,tannins,phenolic acids,soluble fiber and carbohydrates.Modern pharmacological studies and clinical practice showed that BE has diuretic,hypolipidemic effects,hypoglycemic,antioxidant,antibacterial,and other effects.The folk uses,functional factors,pharmacological activities,patents and clinical applications of BE were reviewed in this paper.In addition,the paper also discussed the current problems for the further studies.The information summarized in this paper provides valuable clues for the comprehensive utilization of medicine and food resources and gives a scientific basis for the development of medicinal plants of BE.

Five Rutaceae family ethanol extracts alleviate H2O2 and LPS-induced inflammation via NF-κB and JAK-STAT3 pathway in HaCaT cells

This study was designed to investigate the effects of five Rutaceae family ethanol extracts(FRFEE):Citrus medica Linn(CML),Citrus aurantium L.Cv.Daidai(CAD),Citrus medica Linn.var.sarcodactylis(Noot.)Swingle(CMS),Citrus sinensis L.Osbeck(CSO)and Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim(ZBM)on retarding the progression of H_(2)O_(2) and LPS-induced HaCaT cells.Cell inflammatory injury model was established by H_(2)O_(2) and LPS.The alleviative effects of FRFEE were evaluated by detecting the activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD),glutathione(GSH)and the generation of reactive oxygen species(ROS).The inflammatory signaling pathways of NF-κB and JAK-STAT3 were detected by Western blotting,the mRNA expression levels of inflammatory factors and skin barrier factors were detected by RT-PCR.50%ethanol extracts of five medicinal and food homologous herbs of Rutaceae family showed different levels of anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.The FRFEE effectively improved SOD and GSH content and decreased ROS levels.Meanwhile,FRFEE strongly suppressed two inflammatory signaling pathways NF-κB and JAK-STAT3.The RT-PCR examination of inflammatory factors and skin barrier factor revealed significant anti-inflammatory effects of FRFEE.It was worth noting that among the five extracts,Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim extract had the best anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidation effects.In addition,it could strongly inhibit the expression of psoriasis factor CCL20.In summary,these results suggested that Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim extract could be used as an anti-psoriatic agent in the treatment of psoriasis among FRFEE.

Chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of medicinal plants from Rosa genus

The genus Rosa(Rosaceae family)includes about 200 species spread in the world,and this genus shows unique advantages in medicine and food.To date,several scholars concentrated on compounds belonging to flavonoids,triterpenes,tannins,polysaccharide,phenolic acids,fatty acids,organic acids,carotenoids,and vitamins.Pharmacological effects such as antineoplastic and anti-cancer properties,antiinflammatory,antioxidant,liver protection,regulate blood sugar,antimicrobial activity,antiviral activity,as well as nervous system protection and cardiovascular protection were wildly reported.This article reviews the chemical constituents,pharmacological effects,applications and safety evaluations of Rosa plants,which provides a reference for the comprehensive utilization of medicine and food resources and gives a scientific basis for the development of medicinal plants of the genus Rosa.