Bai Qu Cai — Chelidnium majus

Pinyin: Bai Qu Cai
Alias: Di Huang Lian, Niu Jin Hua, Tu Huang Lian, Ba Bu Jin, Duan Chang Cao, Shan Xi Gua, Xiong Huang Cao, Shan Huang Lian, Jia Huang Lian, Xiao Ye Ren Xue Cao, Huang Tang Zi, Hu Huang Lian, Xiao Huang Lian1

Latin: Herba Chelidonii

English name: Greater celandine herb, herb of greater celandine1

Introduction
Herba Chelidonii is the dried aerial part or whole plant of Chelidnium majus L. (Fam. Papaveraceae).

Western medical
The herb is indicated in the treatment of gastric pain and ulcer, chronic bronchitis, whooping cough, colic, renal colic, dysmenorrhea, jaundice, snake bites, edema, scabies, tinea and sores.

Eastern medical
Pattern: Alleviates pain, stops cough, reduces swelling, removes Toxin.
Properties: Bitter, Cold, toxic.
Channels entered: Lung, Heart, Kidney.

Dosage and usage
Oral administration: decocting, 3~6g; external application: proper amount, applying tropically with juice squeezed out from fresh bai qu cai, or grounded powder.

Records in different books1
1. Records of herbs and plants in China: treat gastrointestinal pain and ulcer. When used externally, it can treat scabies and tinea or alleviate swelling with raw juice.
2. Records of traditional Chinese herbs in Shanxi province: Subdue Heart fire, allay fever, relieve heat, treat inflammation, kills bacteria, sedative and analgesic.
3. Records of traditional Chinese herbs in Cichuan province: treat hepatocirrhosis, skin TB, tinea, gallbladder diseases, edema and jaundice.
4. Records of traditional Chinese herbs in Shaanxi province: treat snake bites, alleviate pain and reduce swelling.
5. Commonly used traditional Chinese herbs in north area: analgesic, cough relieving, bacteria inhibiting, diuretic, treating boils. Can be used to treat acute and chronic gastritis, gastric ulcer, abdominal pain, diarrhea and dysentery, cough, and ascites due to hepatocirrhosis.

Chemical constituents
The aerial part of the herb mainly contains alkaloids such as chelidonine, protopine, stylopine, allcryptopine, chlirubin, san-guinarine, chelerythrine, coptisine, stylopine b-methohydroxide, berberine, corysamine, sparteine, hydroxysanguinarine, hydroxychelidonine, homochelidonine, etc.. Besides, it also contains chelidonic acid, malic acid, citric acid, choline, chelidoniol, etc.. Ukraine, a potential anti-cancer ingredient was isolated from this herb.

Pharmacological actions
•Effects on nervous system
Alkaloids from bai qu cai can hibit all kinds of smooth muscle and can relieve spasm with low toxicity.
•Effects on nervous system
Chelidonine had analgesic and hypnotic effect. The injection of Bai Qu Cai can inhibit the central nervous system and reduce the sponaenous activity in mice.
•Anti-tussive, expectorant, anti-asthma effects
Intraperitoneal injection of bai qu cai extractum 3g (crude drug) to mice had significant expectorant. bai qu dai decoction had anti-tussive, expectorant and anti-asthma effects. Chelidonine had direct inhibitory effect on cough center and it could antagonize the bronchial spasm induced by histamine or stimulating parasympathetic nerves.
Total alkaloid from Chelidouium majus (TAMC) could increase observably capacity of isolated bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and inhibit the contraction induced by histamine, which indicated that TAMC has markedly antiasthma action.
•Anti-cancer  effect
Ethanol extract of bai qu cai had obvious killing effect on human esophagus carcinoma cell Fca-109 in vitro. Within the concentration range of 1, 5, 10, 20, 30mg/ml, crude drug of bai qu cai had a dose-dependent killing effect on Fca-109. Methanol extract of bai qu cai had obvious anti cancer effect on S180 and ESC in mice.
A study on the hydroxyl radical clearance and anti DNA oxidation of bai qu cai possibly explained the mechanism of its anticancer effect.
Chelerythrine could inhibit the proliferation of huamn liver cancer cell SMMC-7721. It could also inhibit the proliferation and induce apoptosis of human gastric carcinoma BGC823 cells.
•Effects on smooth muscle
Injection made from alcohol extract of bai qu cai could significantly antagonize the ileum spasm induced by horse serum and histamine. The active ingredients of bai qu cao showed different effects on the intestinal tracts and uterus.
•Anti-bacterial effect
Total alkaloids of bai qu cai could inhibit Gram positive bacteria, tubercle bacillus and fungi in vitro. Crude bai qu cai preparations could inhibit streptococcus A, diplococcus pneumoniae, hemophilus influenzae and other Gram positive bacteria in vitro, and had inhibitory effect on tubercle bacillus in vivo. bai qu cai extract hand anti-viral effect, it had inhibitory effect on influenza virus both in vitro and in vivo.  
Chelerythrine can apparently inhibit the acid production by Streptococcus mutaus , and it could inhibit the glucosyhransferase and extra-cellular synthesis of water-insoluble glucan of Streptococcus mutans. The antibacterial activity of Chelidonium majus L. extractive chelerythrine on Streptococcus mutans was significant, and the antibacterial activity of the concentration 100mg/ml was higher than that of 0.16% liquor hibitane, indicating that chelerythrine can be used as an agent for prevention of dental caries.
•Effects on the cardiovascular system
Chelidonine had mild and lasting blood pressure lowering effect on anaesthetized cats. It could antagonize or delay the allergic shock induced by histamine or antigens in guinea pigs.
•Effects on the liver
Chelerythine can decrease the expression of TGF-b1 as well as α-SMA CCl4 -induced hepatic fibrosis in rats.
•Toxicity
LD50 of bai qu cai decoction via intraperitoneal injection to mice was 9.5±1.0g(crude drug)/kg. LD50 of total alkaloids of bai qu cai via intraperitoneal injection to mice was 3.54g/kg. LD50 of ethanol extract of bai qu cai via intravenous injection to mice was 30.0±0.01g(crude drug)/kg. LD50 of total alkaloids of bai qu cai via intravenous injection to mice was 0.0775±0.0007g/kg.

Clinical Studies
•Chronic bronchitis
Tablet made from single bai qu cai extracturm, 6 tablets (equal to 15g crude drug) daily, taken in three times after meals, 10 days as a course of treatment. 10 days as a course of treatment. 110 cases of senile bronchitis were treated and the effective rate was 90%, markedly effective rate was 51.5%.
•Whooping cough
Bai Qu Cai Syrup or water decoction was used to treat 500 cases of whooping cough, the course of the treatment was 8~10 days. 355 cases were cured and 116 improved.
•Analgesic
Compound Total Alkaloids of Bai Qu Cai Injection was used to treat 1500 cases of pain caused by various diseases, and it’s found that it had significant analgesic effect on pain due to malignant tumors, rheumatoid and traumatic diseases. The total effective rate was 96%, and the markedly effective rate was 75%.
•Anti-cancer
Ukrain –– an anticancer substance isolated from bai qu cai was used to treat 300 cases of malignant tumors. Tumors subsidized and stopped metastasis in 30% patients. The drug could increase the consumption of oxygen in tumor cells and induced the apoptosis.

References