Popular Chinese Herbs - @Ba Tou (Semen Croton Tigilii)

Traditional Chinese medicine
Ba Tou is also known as Croton Seed. The Croton tree is flowering plant, genus Croton Tiglium, belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae, native to Southest Asia. The acrid, hot and toxic herb has been used in traditional Chinese medicine as laxative for constipation, distention, abdominal fullness and pain, caused by extreme coldness of bowels, enhances accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity and to speed up ulceration from abscesses as it pushes Cold accumulations downwards, thus reducing constipation, eliminates water and phlegm, resolves oedema by promoting the functions of lung, large intestine and stomach channels.

Ingredients
1. Protein
2. Crotin
3. Crotonoside
4. Alkaloids
5. β-sitosterol
6. Croton oil
7. Glyceride
8. Phorbol diester
9. Phorbol triester
10. Crotonic acid
11. Stearic acid
12. Tiglic acid
13. Palmitic acid
14. Acetic acid
15. Oleic aid
16. Linoleic acid
17. Arachidic acid
18. Myristic acid
19. Formic acid
20. Butyric acid
21. Lauric acid
22. Valeric acid
23. Etc.

Health benefits
1. Diabetes Ba Tou contains linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated fatty acid. Study showed diabetics are believed to have impaired delta 6 desaturase activity that is vital for our body to converts LA into gamma-linolenic acid (GLA).Increased intakes of LA have been shown to attenuate diabetic complications in numerous studies.
2. Reduced cholesterol levels
β-sitosterol, one of several phytosterols (plant sterols) helps to reduce blood levels of cholesterol, and is used in treating hypercholesterolemia.
3. Antibacterial and antifungal activities
Formic acid in Ba tou has been used as used as a preservative and an antibacterial agent by fighting against the bacterial infections in the digestive tract, respiratory tract and other systems of the body. Also purification of a protein of Ba tou also exerts the strong and and broad spectrum antimicrobial activity, according to the study of ” Activity-guided isolation of a novel protein from Croton tiglium with antifungal and antibacterial activities” by Shahid M, Tayyab M, Naz F, Jamil A, Ashraf M, Gilani AH. Posted in PubMed(1)
4. Moistening skin
The chemical coupound Glyceride has been used extensively in keeping the skin moist used by in soaps, shampoos, conditioners, moisturizers, etc.
5. Cancer
Butyric acid inhibits colonic tumor cells, and promotes healthy colonic epithelial cells but the signaling mechanism is not well understood.
6. Cholesterol levels
Lauric acid beside is attributable to an increase in high density lipoprotein (HDL) “good” cholesterol, it also contain the antibacterial, antioxidant, antiviral and a COX-1-2 inhibitor properties and used in traditional medicinal remedies for emlarged prostate.
7. Nervous system
White crystals (CP crystals), chemical compound isolated from the Croton seed has significantly reduced pentobarbitone-induced sleeping time in mice at doses of 3 and 6 mg/kg intraperitoneally, as it stimulates the CNS and reduces the intensity of opioids (except codeine) while prolonging their duration of analgesic action “according to the study of “Effects of the gut-stimulating principle in Croton penduliflorus seed oil on the central nervous system” by Asuzu IU, Shetty SN, Anika SM., posted in PubMed(2)
8. Anti HIV1
Isolation of Five phorbol diesters from a MeOH extract of the seeds of Croton tiglium poccesses avery strong property in inhibition of HIV-induced cytopathic effect (CPE) and activate protein kinase C (PKC) associated with tumor-promoting action, according to the study of “Anti-HIV-1 phorbol esters from the seeds of Croton tiglium” by El-Mekkawy S, Meselhy MR, Nakamura N, Hattori M, Kawahata T, Otake T., posted in PubMed(3)

Side effects
1. Since it is highly toxic, children or women who are pregnant or lactating should consult with their doctor before taking.
2. Phorbol myristate acetate, a semisynthetic compound of Ba Tou may have a potential to be a Cocarcinogenic and tumor-promoting agents, according to the study of “The Tumor-enhancing Principles of Croton Tiglium L.” by B. L. Van Duuren, and L. Orris, posted in Cancer researcher(4), (2 of its isolated chemical compound of the herb, not the Herb)

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Sources
(1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18844289
(2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2601352
(3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10731023
(4) http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/25/11_Part_1/1871.abstract