RadixPuerariae: An overview of Its Chemistry, Pharmacology, Pharmacokinetics, and Clinical Use

Abstract

Radix Puerariae has been traditionally used for the treatment of diarrhea, acute dysentery, deafness and cardiovascular diseases. Yege (Gegen or Radix Puerariae lobatae), the dried root of Pueraria lobata (Wild.) Ohwi, has been widely used in China and, to a lesser extent, in Japan, Korea, and the United States. Although they have been classified into different categories in Chinese Pharmacopoeia, Yege is often used interchangeably in practice with Fenge (Radix Puerariae thomsonii), which is the dried root of Pueraria thomsonii Benth. Among various commercially available products of Radix Puerariae, injection of puerarin, the major isoflavone from Radix Puerariae, has been most widely used as a vasodilator for the treatment of angina and myocardial infarction. Considering the extensive clinical usage and recent alert of fatal herb-drug interaction of Radix Puerariae, the current review is proposed to cover its traditional applications, pharmacological activities, pharmacokinetics, clinical efficacy, and potential herb-drug interactions aiming to fill in the information gaps of this herb for frontline practitioners. Although various small, poorly designed clinical trials have demonstrated the safety, efficacy, and significant clinical benefits of Radix Puerariae, prospective randomized controlled clinical trials are needed to further establish its effective and safe use.

Prediction of the Passive Intestinal Absorption of Medicinal Plant Extract Constituents with the Parallel Artificial Membrane Permeability Assay (PAMPA)

“…The second aim of this work was to evaluate if the HDM-PAMPA kept its predictive power when applied to the study of constituents directly in crude plants extracts. The plant is used as a general medicine for improving body functions but also more specifically in the treatment of diarrhea, acute dysentery, deafness, or cardiovascular diseases [35]. For each of these selected medicinal plants, a crude plant extract containing the metabolites that are ingested when the medicinal plant is orally taken was prepared.…”

“…The extracts were prepared in order to insure that they contain the metabolites that are ingested when the medicinal plant is orally taken: a methanolic extract of the fruits from A. archangelica mostly composed of furanocoumarins [43,44], a decoction of aerial parts of W. indica containing quinoline alkaloids [33], and a decoction of roots of P. montana var. lobata with flavonoid glycosides [35]. The HDM-PAMPA method used for pure NPs was adapted to the analysis of crude plant extracts by simply increasing the amount of sample (crude extract) initially loaded in the donor compartment since single metabolites are found at lower concentrations in mixtures.…”

“…The crude extract of P. montana var. lobata contains several flavonoid glycosides, including the main constituent and pharmacologically active flavonoid C-glycoside puerarin [35]. None of the main constituents of the extract was able to cross the HDM barrier (l " Fig.…”

Some issues regarding the Hungarian regulation of traditional Chinese medicine and possible solutions based on examples from the United Kingdom

“…A WHO több mint száz betegséget sorol fel, amelyekben az akupunktúra hatásosságára hatásvizsgálatok utalnak [4]. A kínai orvoslásban használt szerekből többet átvett már a modern tudomány (ginkgo biloba [5], artemisia annua [6], pueraria lobata [7] stb). A kínai akupunktúra szerepel az UNESCO szellemi világöröksé-gek listáján [8].…”

Puerarin Enhances Bone Mass by Promoting Osteoblastogenesis and Slightly Lowering Bone Marrow Adiposity in Ovariectomized Rats

“…Therefore, it's believed to exhibit beneficial effect on bone tissue by mimicking the biological responses of estrogens. 5,6) Previously, we reported that Puerarin could suppress bone resorption and promote bone formation in vitro, but the former effect was stronger than the latter. 7) However, Zhang et al 8) and Tiyasatkulkovit et al 9) observed strong promotion effects of puerarin on bone formation.…”