Saturday, 2 November 2013

Chinese Herbs – Tai Zi Zhen (Radix Pseudostellariae)

Tai Zi Zhen is also known as pseudostellaria. The bitter, sweet and neutral herb has been used  in TCM to treat fatigue, stress, improve immune system, etc., as it tonifies Qi, promotes generation of Body Fluids, etc. by enhancing the functions of lung and spleen channels.
Ingredients
1. Taizishen saponin A
2. Palmitic acid
3. Linoleic acid
4. β-sitosterol
5. Phosphatides
6. Etc.
Health benefits
1. Chronic fatigue syndrome
in a study to examine the effect of the polysaccharide isolated from Radix Pseudostellariae (PRP) on mouse chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) induced by intraperitoneal injection of polyriboinosinic:polyribocytidylic acid (poly I:C), a double-stranded synthetic RNA, showed that the fatigue symptom of mice lasted at least 1 week as evaluated by forced swimming time. PRP (100, 200, 400 mg kg(-1)), orally administered 3 days before poly I:C injection, showed dose-dependent anti-fatigue effects(1).
2. Anti tumor
In the study of tumor necrosis factor eliciting fractions separated from Pseudostellaria heterophylla,
showed that the antitumor activity of P. heterophylla may be related, at least in part, to its capacity to induce TNF production in vivo. The strongest TNF eliciting and antitumor activity was found in the PH-I Cb fraction which is an acidic polysaccharide or proteoglycan with molecular weight of approximately 5000(2).
3. Antitussive activity
According to the study of Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the ethyl acetate fraction extracted from the roots of the plant Pseudostellaria heterophylla exhibited a dose-dependent antitussive effect between 100 to 500 mg/kg. At a dose of 400 mg/kg, the ethyl acetate fraction treatment markedly prolonged the cough latent period and reduced the number of coughs in a guinea pig model induced by citric acid(3).
4. Antioxidant effects 
In the study to evaluate the antioxidants effect of  roots of Panax quinquefolium, Panax notoginseng, Glehnia littoralis, Codonopsis pilosula and Pseudostellaria heterophylla extracts with an aqueous extraction method and also with an organic extraction method, indicated thatthe aqueous extracts of Glehnia littoralis and Codonopsis pilosula were the most potent in inhibiting erythrocyte hemolysis. The aqueous extracts of Panax quinquefolium and Panax notoginseng had lower potencies while the aqueous extract of Pseudostellaria heterophylla and the organic extract of Panax quinquefolium were only weakly active(4).
5. Etc.
Side Effects
No side effect is known



Sources
(1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20008077
(2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8045666
(3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21512444
(4) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15234766

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