Holistic Health Articles and Research Related to Herbal Medicines, Foods and Phytochemicals : Chinese Herbs

Saturday, 16 November 2013

Chinese Herbs – Ba Jiao Hui Xiang (Illicium verum)

Traditional Chinese medicine
Ba Jiao Hui Xiang also known Chinese Star Anise is a spice which has been used in traditional Chinese cooking for thousand of years from a small evergreen tree, native in southwest China. The acrid and warm herb has been used in TCM an Antibiotic agent and to treat hernia, chronic lower back pain, vomiting due to coldness in stomach, pain and coldness in stomach. etc. as it disperses cold moves qi and calms pain by enhancing the functions of liver, kidney, spleen, stomach channels.
Ingredients
1. Fat
2. Anethole
3. D-pinene
4. I-phellandrene
5. Alpha-terpineol
6. Safrole
7. Methyl chavicol
8. Protein
9. Resin
10. Shikimic acid,
11. Etc.
Health benefits
1. Anethole
Researcher found that anethole found in Ba Jiao Hui Xiang can enhance the production of estrogen hormone in rat study.
2. Chavicol
In rabit and monkey study with 100mg of Chavicol, researchers found that the chemical coumpoud Chavicol in Ba Jaoi Hui Xiang increases numbers of the white blood cells and cells in bone marrow after 24 hours. It suggested that Chavicol may help to chemotherapy patients immune system to recover quickly.
3. Essential oils
Essential oil in Ba Jiao Hui Xiang improves the function of stomach in food digestion, release pain and enhances the repiratory system to dispel phlegm.
4. Antibacterial
Researchers found that ethanol in Bai Jiao Hui Xiang has a antibacterial property, including Staphyloccocus aureus Rosenbach and Bacillus Subtilis. Also in other study, extract from Bai Jiao hui xiang has exerted the propety of antibacterial activity against 67 clinical drug-resistant isolates, including 27 Acinetobacter baumannii, 20 Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and 20 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, according to research of “Chemical composition and antibacterial activities of Illicium verum against antibiotic-resistant pathogens” byYang JF, Yang CH, Chang HW, Yang CS, Wang SM, Hsieh MC, Chuang LY., posted in PubMed(1)
5. Oseltamivirphosphate
Roche, the pharmaceutical company inSwitzerland Basel anounced that the main ingredient of Oseltamivirphosphate, the medicine used in influenza pandemic-prevention and protection, was found in Bai Jiao Hui Xiang.
6. Antifungal activity
Essential oil of star anise (Bai Jiao Hui Xiang) has exhibited exhibited strong inhibitory effect against fungi, according to the study of “Antifungal activity of the essential oil of Illicium verum fruit and its main component trans-anethole” by Huang Y, Zhao J, Zhou L, Wang J, Gong Y, Chen X, Guo Z, Wang Q, Jiang W., posted in PubMed(2)
7. Anticholinesterase
The standardized extracts of I. verum and its oil has shown the properties of enhancing both the level and duration of action of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, according to the study of”Anticholinesterase activity of standardized extract of Illicium verum Hook. f. fruits” by
Bhadra S, Mukherjee PK, Kumar NS, Bandyopadhyay A., posted in PubMed(3)
8. Lipid peroxidation and antioxidants
Star anise (Illicium verum), Bay leaves (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) and Cobra’s saffron (Mesua ferrea), and Acacia (Acacia catechu) have showen strong reducing power and superoxide radical scavenging activity and effect in lipid peroxidation, according to the study of “Inhibition of iron induced lipid peroxidation and antioxidant activity of Indian spices and Acacia in vitro” by Yadav AS, Bhatnagar D., by Amit Singh Yadav and Deepak Bhatnagar posted in PubMed(4)
9. Anti-HIV
Illicium verum possessed moderate anti-HIV activity with EC50 values of 16.0 and 5.1 microM with SI values of 18.2 and 15.6, respectively, according to the study of “Two new compounds and anti-HIV active constituents from Illicium verum” by by Wen-Yong Song, Yun-Bao Ma, Xue Bai, Xue-Mei Zhang, Qiong Gu, Yong-Tang Zheng, Jun Zhou, Ji-Jun Chen, posted in Mendely(5)
10. Etc.
Side effects
1. Overdoses can cause signs of acute-onset irritability, jitteriness, clonus or myoclonus.
2. It can be toxic
3. Do not use in infants.
4. Etc.