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Friday, 1 November 2013

Chinese Herbs – Wei Ling Xian (Radix Clematidis)

Wei Ling Xian is also known as Clematis Root. The acrid, salty, warm, slightly bitter and mildly toxic herb has been used in TCM to treat  rheumatoid arthritis, gouts, pain in the lower back and limb, strokes, headaches, promote urination, etc., as it expels Wind-Damp, promotes circulation in the channels eliminates painful obstruction, etc. by enhancing the functions of bladder and liver channels.

Ingredients
1. Oleanolic aicd
2. Anemonin
3. Anemonol
4. Protoanemonin
5. Clematis chinensis
6. Hederagenin
7. Protoanemonin
8. Prosapogenine
9. Etc.

Health Benefits
1. Breast cancer
According to the report of Noh EM and research team at the Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, the expression of MMP-9 and cell invasion in response to TPA was increased, whereas TPA-induced MMP-9 expression and cell invasion was decreased by Radix Clematidis (RCE). Moreover, RCE suppressed NF-κB activation in TPA-treated MCF-7 cells. Thus, RCE is a potent inhibitor of TPA-induced MMP-9 expression and markedly blocks the NF-κB pathway in MCF-7 cells(1).
2. Human dermal fibroblasts
Western blot analysis and real-time PCR revealed RCE inhibited UVB-induced MMP-1 and -3 expressions in a dose-dependent manner. UVB-induced NF-kappaB activation was completely blocked by RCE pretreatment. These findings suggest that RCE prevents UVB-induced MMP expression through inhibition of NF-kappaB activation. In conclusion, RCE is a potential agent for the prevention and treatment of skin photoaging(2).
3. Depigmentation
In the study to obtain potential skin whitening agents from traditional Chinese herbs, we tested changes of melanin content in melanocyte cell lines after treatment with extracts of 90 traditional Chinese herbs., showed that among them, 9 herb extracts to be promising skin whitening agents. Among them, water extract of Galla Chinensis and ethanol extract of Radix Clematidis exhibited higher depigmentation activity and caused lower tyrosinase activity in cell culture assays and are worthy to be further studied(3).
4. Type 1 diabetes
S treptozotocin (STZ) a naturally occurring chemical can cause damage to the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas  which can lead to type I diabetes. Treatment of RINm5F insulinoma cells with interleukin-1beta and interferon-gamma reduced cell viability; however, RCE protected the cells from this cytokine-mediated viability reduction in a concentration-dependent manner. Additionally, incubation with RCE resulted in a significant suppression of cytokine-induced nitric oxide (NO) production, which was correlated with reduced levels of the inducible form of NO synthase (iNOS) mRNA and protein. The molecular mechanism by which RCE inhibited iNOS gene expression appeared to involve inhibition of NF-kappaB activation(4).
5. Etc.

Side Effects
1. Do not use in case of Qi and blood deficiency
2. Overdose may cause kidney damage
3. Do not use the herb in newborn, children or if you are pregnant or breast feeding without first consulting with the related field specialist.
4. Etc.

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Sources
(1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21805048
(2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19360328
(3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16946515
(4) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18698494

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