Friday 1 November 2013

Chinese Herbs – Wu Gong (Scolopendra subspinipes)

Wu Gong is also known as centipede. The acrid, warm and toxic herb has been used in TCM to treat epilepsy, spasm, scrofula, sores, arthritis, hemorrhoid with pain, snake poison, scalding, leukemia, etc., as it Calms Wind,  convulsions and  pain,  expels toxins, disperses nodules, promotes circulation in the collaterals, etc by enhancing the function of liver channels.

Ingredients
1. Hemolytic protein
2. Tyrosine
3. Leucine
4. Formic acid
5. Fatty acid
6. Palmitic acid
7. Etc.

Health Benefits
1. Antitumor and immunostimulatory activity
Dr. Zhao H, and the researchers team at the Wuhan University, in the study of Antitumor and immunostimulatory activity of Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans L. Koch (SPPC) indicated that SPPC significantly inhibited the growth of S180 transplanted in mice and prolonged the survival time of H22- bearing mice. In S180-bearing mice, it promoted specific and nonspecific immune response as evidenced by enhancing the activities of natural killer (NK) cells, cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and the ratio of Th1/Th2 cytokines, and increasing the percentages of CD4(+) T cells, B cells and NK cells. Furthermore, SPPC not only significantly inhibited mRNA expression and production of the immunosuppressive cytokines (IL-10 and TGF-β), but also diminished arachidonic acid (AA)-metabolizing enzymes (COX-2 and CYP4A) and their products (PGE(2) and 20-HETE) in tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). Taken together, the results indicate that SPPC inhibits tumor growth in vivo by improving antitumor immune responses at least partly via downregulating AA-metabolic pathways in TAMs, and could act as an anti-tumor agent with immunomodulatory activity(1).
2.  Antimicrobial peptides
In the study of two antimicrobial peptides (scolopin 1 and -2) identified from centipede venoms of Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans by Sephadex gel filtration and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC, researchers at the The Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, showed that the venoms moderate hemolytic activity against both human and rabbit red cells. This is the first report of antimicrobial peptides from centipedes(2).
3. Antibacterial activity 
The water soluble fraction (SWSF) of centipede Scolopendra subspinipes mautilans showed strong antibacterial activity against E. coli K12D31 at different temperatures, pH and ionic strengths,  did not show any hemolytic and agglutination activities at the concentration below 600 microg/ml. But after E. coli K12 D31 treated with SWSF, the ultrastructure showed that its outer cell wall was broken, surface collapsed and intracellular substances leaked out(3).
4. Cognitive function
According to the study of Relevant activities of extracts and constituents of animals used in traditional Chinese medicine for central nervous system effects associated with Alzheimer’s disease, activity existed where there was a chain length of more than 16 C atoms with at least one unsaturated bond in the chain. The carboxylic acid group was also necessary for activity. The fatty acids present in the centipede also showed the ability to bind copper ions when tested using a novel thin layer chromatography method designed to detect copper-binding compounds. The activities reported give some support to the use of the beetle and centipede in traditional Chinese medicine for improving cognitive function(4).
5. Antioxidant effects
In the study of Two quinoline alkaloids, 3,8-dihydroxyquinoline (1) and 2,8-dihydroxy-3,4-dimethoxyquinoline (3), and 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol (2)  isolated from the dried body of Scolopendra subspinipes, showed that Compounds 1-3 exhibited antioxidant activities on copper-mediated (1: IC50=2.6 microM, 2: IC50=8.2 microM, 3: IC50=63.0 microM), AAPH-mediated oxidation (1: IC50=3.9 microM, 2: IC50=9.9 microM, 3: IC50=71.8 microM), and SIN-1-mediated oxidation (1: 70%, 2: 52%, 3: 29% at 5.0 microM) in the TBARS assay(5.
6. Etc.

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

Sources
(1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22613217
(2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19716842
(3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17539295
(4) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16805960
(5) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16595909

No comments:

Post a Comment