Traditional medicine plays an important role in the healthcare system of Vietnam. Vietnamese traditional medicine (VTM) is underpinned by the oriental philosophy and theory of healing. VTM is largely influenced by traditional Chinese medicine, but differs to a certain extent. VTM is largely not evidence-based from a clinical perspective but subclinical research data from the past decades support the traditional use of many herbal VTM drugs. For safe use, knowledge of the occurrence of adverse reactions and herb-drug interactions is necessary. The Vietnamese government supports further development of VTM in a scientific way and integration of VTM with Western medicine. This article first gives an overview of the general aspects of VTM (historical perspective, regulatory aspects, comparison with traditional Chinese medicine, philosophical background, the Vietnamese market situation, quality assurance and formulations), and subsequently focuses on its safe and effective use in Vietnamese clinical pharmacy and medical practice.
The extract of Elsholtzia ciliata aerial parts was subjected to bio-guided isolation using the intercellular ROS reduction in J774A.1 macrophages to monitor the anti-oxidative activity. Fifteen compounds were isolated from the active fractions including eleven flavonoids (vitexin, pedalin, luteolin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, apigenin-5-Oβ-D-glucopyranoside, apigenin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, chrysoeriol-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, 7,3'-dimethoxyluteolin-6-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, luteolin, 5,6,4'-trihydroxy-7,3'-dimethoxyflavone, 5-hydroxy-6,7-dimethoxyflavone (compound 13), 5-hydroxy-7,8-dimethoxyflavone); three hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives (caffeic acid, 4-(E)-caffeoyl-L-threonic acid, 4-O-(E)-p-coumaroyl-L-threonic acid) and one fatty acid (α-linolenic acid). The biological evaluation of these compounds (10-2.5 μM) indicated that all of them exerted good antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, in particular compound 13.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.