Abstract
The antihistaminic activity of Artemisiae Folium extract was investigated. In the isolated guinea pig ileum preparation, Artemisiae Folium extract (10 and 20 mg/ml) produced a slight acetylcholine-like contraction. In the presence of atropine (10-6 M), this extract in a concentration of 40 mg/ml significantly inhibited the histamine-induced contraction of guineapig ileum. The oral administration of this extract (40 g/kg) significantly decreased the lethality in mice intravenously injected with histamine (600 mg/kg) from 83% to 42%. The extract (0.4-20 mg/ml) also dose-dependently inhibited the histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells induced by compound 48/80 (0.4μg/ml). In the clinical examination, 25 patients suffering from pruritus cutaneus were treated with the lotion of Artemisiae Folium extract. Pruritus cutaneus was well controlled, and the final overall ratings were as follows: remarkable improvement, 15%; moderate improvement, 50%; slight improvement, 15%; unchanged, 15%; aggravation, 5%(1 case). Five cases were dropouts. These results suggest that Artemisiae Folium extract has some antihistaminic and histamine-release-inhibiting activities and that its lotion is effective for some patients with pruritus cutaneus.
