Phytochemistry and ethnomedicinal qualities of metabolites from Phyllanthus emblica L.:A review

Phyllanthus emblica or Indian gooseberry is an integrated part of Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicines.For several decades,the well-known ancient herb has been extensively utilized in traditional medicine to cure diseases like fever,diabetes,constipation,jaundice,ulcers,biliousness,anemia,anorexia,and dyspepsia.In the traditional system,Indian gooseberry has various ethnomedicinal applications.In the Ayurvedic system,different methods of administration(anupan)have shown different ethnomedicinal properties of Indian gooseberry.Seventy well-known chemical components in Indian gooseberry have been identified through phytochemical evaluation,among which the flavonoids and phenols are most prominent.From the toxicity perspective,it is considered a safe herb in India,and is taken as a food supplement in European countries.The wide-spectrum pharmacological activities of the crude extracts and isolates of Indian gooseberry are attributed to the predominance of phenols and flavonoids.Thus,it is important to study the exact mechanism of the activity of the phytochemicals in Indian gooseberry,especially in anti-cancer activities.Extract of Indian gooseberry enhances proliferation in several cancer cells in vitro,including stem cells like ovarian cancer(OC)cells,and also has been observed to possess anti-proliferative characteristics in vivo.This review intends to explore the therapeutic potential of Indian gooseberry based on scientific reports and attempts to find the gaps for future research.

Efficacy and safety of Amla(Phyllanthus emblica L.) in non-erosive reflux disease:a double-blind,randomized,placebo-controlled clinical trial

Background： Gastroesophageal reflux disease （GERD） is one of the most common gastrointestinal com- plaints. GERD, caused by the reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus, leads to troublesome symptoms such as heartburn and regurgitation. It is classified into two types： erosive esophagitis, characterized by visible esophageal mucosa erosion in endoscopy, and non-erosive reflux disease （NERD）. GERD is a chronic and recurrent disease that impairs the quality of life and imposes socioeco- nomic and therapeutic burdens to both patients and society. Objective： Due to the failure of the conventional treatments for GERD and to the traditional use of Amla （Phyllanthus emblica L.）, in addition to beneficial effects shown in recent studies, we evaluated the safety and efficacy of Amla tablet for improvement of symptoms of patients with NERD. Design, setting, participants and interventions： We designed a double-arm, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Sixty-eight patients who had classic symptoms of GERD （heartburn, regurgitation and epigastralgia） for at least three months before the start of the trial were randomized in two parallel groups. Patients in the Amla group received two 500 mg Amla tablets twice a day, after meals, for 4 weeks. In the control group, patients received placebo tablets similar to the Amla prescription. Main outcome measures： The patients were visited at baseline, and at the end of the 2nd and 4th weeks of intervention; their symptoms were measured on a frequency and severity scale for the symptoms of NERD, according to the quality of life in reflux-associated disease questionnaire. Results： Frequencies of heartburn and regurgitation in both groups of the study were significantly reduced after intervention （P 〈 0.001）. Repeated measures logistic regression analysis showed that, in the Amla group, there was a more significant reduction in regurgitation frequency, heartburn frequency, regurgita- tion severity and heartburn severity during the study period, compared with the placebo group （P 〈 0.001 ）. Conclusion： This randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial demonstrated that Amla could reduce frequencies of heartburn and regurgitation and improve heartburn and regurgitation severity in patients with NERD.

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.

3个余甘子种源幼苗干旱胁迫盆栽试验

以海南、福建、广东3个余甘子(Phyllanthus emblica L.)种源为试验材料,采用盆栽法,以土壤相对含水量75%~80%为对照(CK),设置轻度干旱60%~65%、中度干旱45%~50%、重度干旱30%~35%共3个处理,测定对不同种源干旱胁迫下叶绿素含量、苗高和地径的影响。结果表明,不同干旱程度对余甘子均造成了掉叶、叶尖发黄、枯萎等现象,其中广东种源还出现了死亡现象;不同干旱胁迫下,海南种源叶绿素含量、苗高、地径均为最高,轻度干旱胁迫下广东种源叶绿素含量与其他2个种源差异显著;综合考虑,在海南干旱地区绿化及盆栽种源选择均可以使用海南种源,其成活率及生长状况相对较好。

Scientific Validation of the Ethnomedicinal Properties of the Ayurvedic Drug Triphala:A Review

Triphala, a herbal formula composed of the three fruits of Terminalia chebula Retz. （Haritaki, Family： Combretaceae）, Terminalia bellirica Roxb. （Bibhitaki, Family： Combretaceae） and Phyllanthus emblica Linn. or Emblica officinalis Gaertn. （Amalaki or the Indian gooseberry, Family： Euphorbiaceae） is considered to be a universal panacea in the traditional Indian system of medicine the Ayurveda. It has been described in the Ayurveda text as a ＂Ftasayana＂ and to rejuvenat the debilitated organs. Ayurvedic physicians use Triphala for many ailments but most importantly to treat various gastrointestinal disorders. Scientific studies carried out in the past two decades have validated many of the ethnomedicinal claims and researches have shown Triphala to possess free radical scavenging, antioxidant, antiinflammatory, antipyretic, analgesic, antibacterial, antimutagenic, wound healing, anticariogenic, antistress, adaptogenic, hypoglycaemic, anticancer, chemoprotective, radioprotective and chemopreventive effects. Clinical studies have also shown that Triphala was found to have good laxative property, to improve appetite and reduce gastric hyperacidity. Studies have also shown that Triphala was effective in preventing dental caries and that this effect was equal to that of chlorhexidine. The current review addresses the validated pharmacological properties of Triphala and also emphasizes on aspects that need further investigation for its future clinic application.