The riddles of number nine in Chinese medicine processing method

The“nine cycles of steaming and shining”,“nine making”,“nine turns”and“nine cycles of calcining and quenching”methods that are recorded and used since ancient times are merely one aspect of the unique processing methods of traditional Chinese medicine.Inducing the Chinese medicine processing method“nine cycles of steaming and shining”from historical review and summarizing the practical wisdom based on the canonical aspects of traditional Chinese medicine and the experiences of ancient Chinese medicine sages to promote the new development of traditional Chinese medicine.After the long-term and multiple“nine”processing,the materials of traditional Chinese medicine exhibit significant beneficial changes in terms of taste,efficacy,and chemical composition contents,thus emphasizing that Chinese medicine processing plays a significant role in their efficacy enhancement and toxicity reduction.Heshouwu(Polygoni Multiflori Radix),Dihuang(Rehmanniae Radix),Huangjing(Rhizoma Polygonati),Dahuang(Radix et Rhizoma Rhei),and Xixiancao(Herba Siegesbeckiae)are representatives of Chinese medicinal materials prepared using the“nine-system”processing method.This review discovers the aim and the molecular mechanism of“nine”processing of the abovementioned herbs from the viewpoints of modern pharmacochemistry and pharmacology to provide a theoretical support for the“nine”processing method of traditional Chinese medicine and to promote the international market of traditional Chinese medicine.

Non-thermal plasma treatment of Radix aconiti wastewater generated by traditional Chinese medicine processing

The wastewater effluent from Radix aconiti processing, an important step in the production processes of traditional Chinese medicine（TCM）, is a type of toxic wastewater and difficult to treat. Plasma oxidation methods have emerged as feasible techniques for effective decomposition of toxic organic pollutants. This study examined the performance of a plasma reactor operated in a dielectric barrier discharge（DBD） to degrade the effluent from R. aconiti processing. The effects of treatment time, discharge voltage, initial pH value and the feeding gas for the reactor on the degradation of this TCM wastewater were investigated. A bacterium bioluminescence assay was adopted in this study to test the toxicity of the TCM wastewater after non-thermal plasma treatment. The degradation ratio of the main toxic component was 87.77% after 60 min treatment with oxygen used as feed gas and it was 99.59% when the initial p H value was 8.0. High discharge voltage and alkaline solution environment were beneficial for improving the degradation ratio. The treatment process was found to be capable of reducing the toxicity of the wastewater to a low level or even render it non-toxic. These experimental results suggested that the DBD plasma method may be a competitive technology for primary decomposition of biologically undegradable toxic organic pollutants in TCM wastewater.

The dynamic changes and mechanisms of Rehmanniae radix processing based on Maillard reaction

Background:Traditional Chinese medicines are usually processed before they are used for clinical treatment.This is done in a way associated with the Maillard reaction.Methods:Based on the Maillard reaction,this paper analyzed the degree of processing of rehmannia root(Rehmanniae radix)relative to the dynamic variation rules of Maillard reaction index parameters,including pH,A420,amino acids,and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural.Furthermore,this study introduced thermal analysis techniques and pyrolysis kinetics to assess the influence of the correlation between processing raw rehmannia root and the Maillard reaction during carbonization.It then went through the whole process of transforming the raw material to end-product in order to explain the scientific connotation of processing it.Results:The results showed that each time rehmannia root was processed,its pH value and amino acid content decreased,while the A420 value and 5-HMF increased.Processing with wine shows a significant difference in these experimental indexes.The position and intensity of the maximum thermal weight loss rate peak of processed rehmannia root at different degrees of processing are different.Comprehensive quantitative 221±0.2°C for processed rehmannia root carbonization was the processing temperature limit.Moreover,the kinetic solution verified that the activation energy corresponding to the carbonization temperature was close to the maximum value of the activation energy of the whole carbonization process,and the optimal mechanism function was g(α)=((1−α)−1/3−1)2.Conclusion:The Maillard reaction occurred during the processing of rehmannia root mixed with carbonization.With each increase of the number of steaming and drying cycles involved in the processing,the level of Maillard reaction increased significantly.The wine-steaming method had a significant effect on the quality of the processed product.

Comparison of Different Processing Methods of Ziziphus jujuba Mill.

[Objectives]To study and compare the processing methods of Ziziphus jujuba Mill.[Methods]Z.jujuba was processed by seven methods:cleaning,yellowish frying,burnt frying,carbonized frying,moistening by hot sand,steaming,and boiling.Ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry was used to determine the content of total flavonoids in each processed Z.jujuba.[Results]The content of total flavonoids measured by various processing methods was different.The content of total flavonoids in the processed Z.jujuba by moistening by hot sand was relatively high and the absorption peak spectrum was almost the same as that of the cleaned processed Z.jujuba and the rutin reference substance.[Conclusions]The moistening by hot sand is the optimal method for processing of Z.jujuba.

Processing methods and mechanisms for alkaloid-rich Chinese herbal medicines:A review

The processing of Chinese herbal medicine is a form of pharmaceutical technology developed over thousands of years,in order to increase efficiency and decrease toxicity of herbs in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM).Herbal processing is essential for safe and effective application of TCM in clinical practice,as it alters the active chemical components and therefore the functions of herbal medicines.Alkaloid-rich herbal medicines in TCM are commonly processed by cleansing,cutting,processing by dry stir-frying,stir-frying with liquid adjuvants,and processing by water decoction.In addition,commonly used adjuvants for processing alkaloid-rich herbal medicines are river sand,wine,vinegar,brine,honey and herbal juice.For alkaloid-rich herbal medicines,the main chemical reactions that occur during processing include hydrolysis,oxidation,replacement,decomposition and condensation.This paper aimed to summarize the processing methods and mechanisms for alkaloid-rich Chinese herbal medicines,and provide much-needed theoretical support and scientific evidence for understanding those mechanisms and effects.Information on processing methods for alkaloid-rich herbal medicines was collected from classic books of herbal medicine,PhD and MSc dissertations,online scientific databases including PubMed,SciFinder,Scopus,Web of Science,Baidu Scholar and Google Scholar.This paper should help to advance our knowledge of the processing mechanisms and aid in the development of processing methods for alkaloid-rich Chinese herbal medicines.