HERB OF THE MONTH
Pinyin: She Mei
Alias: Ji Guan Guo, Ye Yang Mei, She Pao, Di Mei, Can Mei, San Dian Hong, Long Tu Zhu, Shi Zi Wei, Liao Chuang Yao, She Dan Guo, Di Jin, San Pi Feng, She Pao Cao, San Pi Feng, San Zhua Long, Yi Dian Hong, Lao She Pao, She Rong Cao, San Jiao Hu, She Pi Teng, She Ba Ban, Long Xian Zhu, Xiao Cao Mei, Di Yang Mei, She Bu Jian, Jin Chan Cao, San Ye Pao, Lao She Ci Zhan, Lao She Lei, Long Qiu Cao, She Pu Tao, She Guo Teng, She Zhen Tou, She Han Cao, She Pan Cao, Ha Ha Guo, Ma She Guo, Jiu Long Cao, San Pi Cao, She Po, She Gui Cao, Luo Di Yang Mei, Hong Ding Guo, Xue Ding Cao
Latin: Herba Duchesneae Indicae
English name: Indian Mockstrawberry herb
Introduction
Herba Duchesneae indicae is the whole plant of Duchesnea indica (Andr.) Focke (Fam. Rosaceae). It’s collected in spring or autumn, washed, dried or used freshly.
Western medical
This herb can be indicated in the treatment of dysentery, enteritis, diphtheria, cervical scrofula, burn, scald, snake bite and boils.
Eastern medical
Pattern: Clears Heat, removes Toxin, dissolves lumps.
Properties: Slightly cold, sweet, sour.
Channels entered: Lung, Liver, Large Intestine.
Dosage and usage
Oral administration: decocting, 9-15g (30-60g for fresh one), or squeezing juice; external application: proper amount, applying tropically with smashed She Mei or grounded powder.
Records in different books
Materia Medica: "The drug relieves pain caused by scald and burn with instant effect."
Major Prescriptions for Exogenous Febrile Diseases: "Aphtha and acute dermatopathy can be cured with the juice of the drug when sipped."
Zhou Hou Prescriptions: "Exogenous febrile disease complicated with boils can be treated with 60ml of juice of the drug blended with Fructus Mume and taken three times a day."
Textual Research on Plants and Their Nomenclature: "Carbuncle and sore were cured with the drug when pounded and applied to the lesions with miraculous effect."
Guide to Crude Herbal Property: "The drug subsides swelling to relieve pain and eliminates stasis to promote hemopoiesis."
Materia Medica in the East of Fujian that: "The drug is used to treat carbuncle in the head, mammary abscess, back sore and furuncle when pounded freshly with honey and applied to the lesions. While treating the unpyogenic lesion, the drug is pounded with Herba Taraxaci into juice to be blended with 30g of millet wine for oral administration, and the remaining of the drug is applied to the lesions."
Chemical constituents
The main chemical constituents contained in the whole plant of she mei include methoxydehydrochlesterol, lower condensedtannin, ellagitannin, total nonstructural carbonhydrate, gallic acid, hexose, pentose, uronic acid, protein, protein tannic polysaccharide, phenolic substance, ursolic acid, tormentic acid, rosamultin, kajiichigoside, 6-methoxy naringenin, farrerol, β-sitosterol, stearic acid, betuloside, duchesellagiside, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside) and kaempferol-3-O-robinobioside.
Pharmacological actions
•Anti tumor effect
Extracts of she mei which were equal to 5, 10, 15mg/ml raw drug had quite strong inhibitory effect of the growth of cancer cells. After being processed 48 hours at the dosage of 15mg/ml , cancer cells would completely lose it regeneration ability, and the cell DNA synthesis could also be inhibited.
Gastrogavage of water extract infusion of she mei for consecutive 10 days to mice inoculated with S180, H22 and S37 had tumor inhibitory effects. It had an tumor inhibitory rate of on S37 was 70% at the dosage of 5.2g/kg, 59% and 31% on S180 and H22 respectively at the dosage of 10.4g/kg. in vitro experiments showed that it had obvious killing effect of human liver tumor, stomach cancer and Eca109. At the dosage of 0.4mg/ml, it had a 100% killing rate.
As a part of finding the biologically active components from Duchesnea indica (Andr.)Focke (Rosaceae), antitumour activities of its water soluble fractions have been studied. The fractions were examined for antitumor activity against sarcoma 180 implanted in mice. The antitumour inhibition ratios of the water soluble fractions from Duchesnea indica were 17.9, 37.1, 62.7, 60.1, 62.4%, respectively. (Lee, 1986)
•Immune enhancing effect
Fluid extract of she mei had obvious promoting effect on the phagocytosis of macrophages of mice. she mei had obvious anticoagulant effect, it had no protective effect on RBC membrane.
•Bacterial-inhibiting effect
She mei had inhibitory effect on staphylococcus aureus, meningococcus, bacillus dysenteriae, bacillus typhosus and bacilius diphtheriae. The higher the concentration was, the stronger the bacterial inhibiting effect was.
•Anti-inflammatory effect
This study is to explore the anti-inflammatory mechanism of the ethanol extract of Duchesnea indica (Andr) Focke. An inflammatory cellular model was established by addition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on RAW264.7 cell line. The cellular secretion of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, NO and IL-10 in supernatant, mRNA expression of TNF-α, COX-2, iNOS and HO-1, protein expression of COX-2 and HO-1, and activation of NF-κB were assayed by ELISA, the Griess method, real-time quantitative PCR, and Western blot and immunocytochemistry method, respectively. The ethanol extract of D. indica not only reduced production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and mediators and blocked NF-κB activation, but also slightly promoted release of the anti-inflammatory mediator HO-1 and suppressed IL-10 secretion. In conclusion, the anti-inflammatory effects of the extract of D. indica are attributed to the suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and mediators by blocking NF-κB activation. The extract of D. indica can also slightly promote HO-1 production to reduce inflammation. (Lei, 2008)
Objective: To investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of Duchesnea indica(Andr) Focke in vitro.
Methods: Inflammatory cell model was established by LPS acting on the RAW 264.7 cell line.The secretion of TNF-α and NO in the supernatant was determined by ELISA.The expression of mRNA of TNF-α,iNOS and heme oxygenase 1(HO-1) was detected by real-time PCR,the expression of HO-1 protein by Western blot,and the distribution of nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB) by immunocytochemical method respectively.
Results: Immunocytochemistry revealed that cytoplasm stained to brown presented NF-κB inactivation after intervention of the Duchesnea indica(Andr) Focke,and cell nucleus stained to brown presented NF-κB activation after intervention of LPS.The expression of HO-1 mRNA and protein could be significantly enhanced by Duchesnea indica(Andr) Focke,while the expression of pro-inflammatory mediators TNF-α,NO(iNOS) protein and mRNA could be significantly reduced in a dose-dependent manner(P<0.01).
Conclusion: The Duchesnea indica(Andr) Focke can significantly resist inflammation by inhibiting the activation of NF-κB,regulating the expression and secretion of pro-inflammatory mediators catadromically in murine macrophages treated by LPS,and enhancing the expression of HO-1. (Pang, 2009)
•Blood pressure lowering effect
She Mei Injection had temporary blood pressure lowering effect on anaesthetized rabbits or dogs, this effect couldn’t be weakened by injection of atropine or severing of both pneumogastric nerves.
•Uterine exciting effect
Fluid extract and injection of she mei had excitatory effect on isolated Guinea pigs and rats’ uterine and in situ rabbit uterine.
•Effect of inhibiting central nervous system
Gastrogavage of alcohol extract (10~50g/kg) and water extract (50g/kg) had obvious inhibitory effect on the central nervous system in mice.
Clinical Studies
•Cancers
she mei 15g, long kui 30g, bai ying 30g, hai jin sha 9g, tu fu ling 30g, deng xin cao 9g, wei ling xian 9g, and bai hua she she cao 30g were used to treat 21 cases of bladder cancer. 5-year survival rate was 90.74%.
she mei could also be used in the treatment of rectal cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer and stomach cancer, etc..
•Chronic pharyngitis
Fresh whole plant of she mei 100~200g or dried one 10~50g, water decoction, 20 days as a course of treament. 65 cases of chronic pharyngitis were treated with this method, 8 were clinically cured, 44 markedly effective, 13 effective.
•Diphtheria
She Mei Infusion was used to treat diphitheria, 4 times daily. 471 cases of diphtheria were treated, and the curative rate was 85%.
•Mumps
Fresh whole plant of she mei was applied externally to the affected area after treating mumps with acupuncture. Change the dressing once daily. 42 epidemic mumps were treated, and all were cured.
•Bacillary dysentery
She Mei Syrup, 20~40ml, 3 times day, 5~7 days as a course of treatment. 50 days were observed, 46 cases were cured, 1 improved, and 3 ineffective.
•Shingles
Oral administration of fresh she mei or external application of fresh she mei juice were used to treat 125 cases of shingles, 118 cases were generally cured within 5 days, after 7 days’ treatment, all cases were cured.
References
In Rhan Lee and Young Hee Kim. Studies on the antitumour activity of Duchesnea indicae Herba Archives of Pharmacal Research Volume 9, Number 1 / March, 1986. DOI 10.1007/BF02857697
hao, Lei; Zhang, Shu-Ling; Tao, Jun-Yan; Jin, Feng; Pang, Ran; Guo, Yuan-Jin; Ye, Pian; Dong, Ji-Hua; Zheng, Guo-Hua. Anti-Inflammatory Mechanism of a Folk Herbal Medicine, Duchesnea indica (Andr) Focke at RAW264.7 Cell Line. Immunological Investigations, Volume 37, Number 4, May 2008, pp. 339-357(19)
Pang Ran, Zhang Shuling, Zhao Lei, Liu Shuanglin, Dong Jihua, Ye Piah. Anti-inflammatory Effect of Duchesnea indica(Andr) Focke in vitro. Hua Zhong Ke Ji Da Xue Xue Bao: Yi Xue Ban. 2009; 38(4): 481-185.
Except those noted, all materials are from: State Administration of TCM. Zhong Hua Materia Medica. Shanghai Sci-Tech Publishing House. 2004, Shanghai.
