Subcellular Distribution and Chemical Forms of Cadmium in the Medicine Food Homology Plant Platycodon grandiflorum(Jacq.)A.DC.

Although Platycodon grandiflorum(Jacq.)A.DC.is a renowned medicine food homology plant,reports of excessive cadmium(Cd)levels are common,which affects its safety for clinical use and food consumption.To enable its Cd levels to be regulated or reduced,it is necessary to first elucidate the mechanism of Cd uptake and accumulation in the plant,in addition to its detoxification mechanisms.This present study used inductively couple plasma-mass-spectrometry to analyze the subcellular distribution and chemical forms of Cd in different tissues of P.grandiflorum.The experimental results showed that Cd was mainly accumulated in the roots[predominantly in the cell wall(50.96%-61.42%)],and it was found primarily in hypomobile and hypotoxic forms.The proportion of Cd in the soluble fraction increased after Cd exposure,and the proportion of insoluble phosphate Cd and oxalate Cd increased in roots and leaves,with a higher increase in oxalate Cd.Therefore,it is likely that root retention mechanisms,cell wall deposition,vacuole sequestration,and the formation of low mobility and low toxicity forms are tolerance strategies for Cd detoxification used by P.grandiflorum.The results of this study provide a theoretical grounding for the study of Cd accumulation and detoxification mechanisms in P.grandiflorum,and they can be used as a reference for developing Cd limits and standards for other medicine food homology plants.

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.

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.

East to west:research progress in traditional Chinese medicine for antiaging strategies

Delaying the onset of aging is considered an important tool for dealing with the global crisis of the aging population.Accordingly,several antiaging studies have been conducted using strategies of modern medicine and traditional Chinese medicine(TCM).In this review,we summarize the current state of antiaging research related to both modern medicine and TCM and provide suggestions for further research.Various theories related to the aging process have been proposed,including the free radical theory,mitochondrial DNA damage theory,telomere theory,cross-linking theory,and intestinal flora theory,and a number of antiaging chemical treatments have been developed using modern medicine.These theories and achievements have resulted in major advancements in antiaging research.TCM is based on practical experience and has a long history with unique advantages in antiaging research.Some antiaging practices such as moderate diet consumption,acupuncture,Tai Chi(a traditional Chinese martial art that can relax the nerves to slow down the aging process),and Wuqin Xi(a traditional Chinese exercise to strengthen the body)have been adopted to maintain health.Several TCMs and prescriptions,particularly those related to medicine food homology,have been used in antiaging treatment,and their antiaging properties have been demonstrated to be effective based on pharmacological experiments and clinical applications.

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.

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.

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.

Plant diversity in herbal tea and its traditional knowledge in Qingtian County, Zhejiang Province, China

Herbal teas composed of locally occurring plant species have long been used as the primary form of health care in Qingtian County,Zhejiang Province,China.However,large-scale emigration overseas and an aging population threaten the conservation of traditional knowledge of these herbal teas.Traditional knowledge about the plants used for these herbal teas is not well documented in Qingtian,despite their widespread use.The aim of this study was to assess the plant-cultural diversity of plants used as herbal teas,and to point out the prospective value of herbal teas used by Qingtian people.This study was conducted using semi-structured interviews,as well as field and market surveys.Forty-three local informants were interviewed.We recorded plant resources,plant parts used,local names,and medicinal uses.Quantitative ethnobotanical indices,including cognitive salience(CS),frequency of citation(FC),index of informant consensus(Fic)and use value(UV),were calculated to analyze the level of representativeness and relative importance of plants used in herbal teas.One hundred and twenty-nine species belonging to 75 families and 113 genera were reported to be used in herbal tea,with Compositae being the richest family.Whole plants are most commonly used to make herbal teas(66.7%).In this study,informants reported that 92.2%of plant species used in herbal teas are wild.The most utilized herbal preparation form is dry/fresh.Informants reported that herbal teas are used to treat 31 ailments.Our results show that the highest representativeness,based on CS and FC,was recorded for species Actinidia eriantha.Based on UV,the top five most used species are Goodyera schlechtendaliana,Plantago asiatica,Prunella vulgaris,Lophatherum gracile and Leonurus japonicus.The highest Fic was cited for dental medicine.This study helps document the status of current herbal teas in Qingtian.The use value and traditional knowledge of herbal teas have provided basic data for further research focused on bioactivity studies and sustainable utilization of the most important species.

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.