Pharmacological Properties of Traditional Medicines (XXVII). Interaction between Ephedra Herb and Gypsum under Hyperthermal Conditions in Rats

Abstract

There are many important considerations in the interactions among the herbal constituents in a prescription of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Ephedra Herb (Eph) is described a warm and acrid agent in TCM. The combination of Eph and Gypsum (Eph–Gyp) shows specific actions in patients with different body temperatures. Previous reports suggested that Gypsum prevents the thermogenesis effect induced by ephedrine at an ambient temperature of 22 °C. In this investigation, the properties of Eph–Gyp in hyperthermal rats were studied in detail. It was shown that Gypsum Extract (GyE) enhanced the thermogenesis of Eph in hyperthermal rats, although not in normal rats. The results support not only the opposite actions of Eph–GyE but also the clinical differences in the symptomatic patterns of body temperature for Makyo-Kanseki-To and Dai-Seiryu-To.