Thursday 31 October 2013

Chinese #Herbs – Xue Jie (Sanguis Draconis)

Xue Jie is also known as Resinous secretion. The sweet, salty and neutral herb has been used in TCM to treat irregular menses, bleeding from injuries, chest and abdomen pain, open wounds not healing, fungal infection, etc., as it stops bleeding,  reduces ulcers promotes tissue regeneration (externally) and calms pain, promotes blood circulation, eliminates Blood accumulation (internally).
Ingredients
1. Resin esters
2. Dracoresino tannol
3.  Dracoalban
4. Dracoresen
5. Pimaric acid
6. Isopimaric acid
7. Dehydroabietic acid
8. Etc.
 
Health Benefits
1. Bone density
In the study of  the effects of Sanguis Dranonis ethanol extract on β-glycerolphosphate and ascorbic acid induced differentiation using mouse calvaria origin MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic cells, researchers at the  Xi’an Jiaotong University, showed that Sanguis Dranonis (SD) may increase osteogenic effect by stimulating cell ALP activity and affect the BMP signaling pathway cascades in osteoblastic cells, then promotes osteoblast differentiation, mineralization, and bone formation(1).
2.  Diabetes
In the study to examine the effects of Sanguis draconis ethanol extract (SDEE) on streptozotocin (STZ)- and cytokine-induced β-cell damage, found that in vitro, SDEE did not cause cytotoxicity below 200 μg/ml, and can prevent STZ (5mM)-induced cell death and apoptosis below 100 μg/ml on RIN-m5F cells. SDEE inhibits IL-1β/IFN-γ-stimulated NO, TNF-α release, and iNOS expression. Furthermore, SDEE suppressed the IL-1β/IFN-γ- or STZ-induced p65 expression of NF-κB, which is associated with inhibition of IκB-α degradation. In vivo, treatment of ICR mice with STZ (100 mg/kg, i.p. single injection) resulted in hyperglycemia and hypoinsulinemia, which was further evidenced by blood glucose and plasma insulin. The diabetogenic effects of STZ were completely prevented when mice were orally administered with SDEE for 3 weeks, however, the blood glucose and plasma insulin showed no significant change after SDEE administration alone(2).
3. Anti inflammatory effects 
In the study to evaluated fractionated extracts of DR to determine if they inhibited the production of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and the expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, indicate that DREA inhibits the production of NO, PGE(2), TNF-alpha, IL-8, and IL-6 by LPS via the inhibition of ROS production, which demonstrates that DREA inhibits LPS-induced inflammatory responses via the suppression of ROS production(3).
4. Antiplatelet effects 
In the examination of (2S)-5-methoxy-6-methylflavan-7-ol (MMF) purified from Draconis Resina and its in vitro effects on various aspects of platelet reactivity, showed that MMF dose dependently inhibited aggregation of washed rabbit platelets induced by collagen, arachidonic acid, ADP, U46619 or platelet-activating factor (PAF), with IC50) values of 17.2, 49.8, 179.8, 109.6, and 189.2 microM, respectively. Concomitantly, MMF also dose dependently suppressed ATP release by platelets activated by these stimulants(4).
5. Etc.

Side Effects
1. Overdose can promote forming of Pus
2. Etc.


Sources
(1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22543168
(2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21899910
(3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19577610
(4) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9617759

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