Ephedra plants collected mainly in Inner Mongolia and Qinghai Province, China, were studied morphologically to clarify the specific differences between E. sinica Stapf, E. intermedia Schrenk et C.A.Meyer, and E. distachya L. recorded in China. The results obtained were as follows: E. sinica and E. distachya recorded in China were the same species; E. sinica and E. intermedia could be stem-anatomically distinguished from each other by examining both the number of fiber bundles in the cortex and the number of fibers in the pith into account, and the species of commercial samples of Ma-huang as well as sterile herbarium specimens that include no cones were identified by this method; All Ephedra plants collected in the eastern region of Qinghai Province, where E. sinica was reported to be distributed, were identified as E. intermedia ; The limited plant of E. intermedia without cones collected in the east of Qinghai Province might possibly have been identified as E. sinica in the past; The plant origin of the Ma-huang produced in Qinghai Province, which is collected in the eastern regions such as Longyangxia district, was thought to be E. intermedia.

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Aconitum plants (Ranunculaceae family) are as extremely dangerous plant that contains various toxic di-ester di-terpene type Aconitum alkaloids, such as aconitines (aconitine, mesaconitine, hypaconitine and jesaconitine), primarily concentrated in the roots. Aconitines are well known for acute and highly toxicity in the causation of severe arrhythmias leading to death. We documented life-threatening intoxication in thirteen patients after accidental aconite poisoning. All patients developed characteristic symptoms of aconite poisoning within 15-30 minutes after intake of roots or leaves. These patients revealed arrhythmia including a ventricular tachycardia (VT) and ventricular fibrillation (VF) and 1 patient of them died. We examined relationship between serum aconitines concentration and disappearance of arrhythmia in five patients of thirteen patients. Serum concentration of aconitines at the time of disappearance of arrhythmia in these patients was within 0.5-1.5 ng/mL, despite the fact that time required for the disappearance exhibited large interindividual variability (5.5-16 h). It suggests that serum concentration of aconitines is important for treatment to arrhythmia of aconite poisoning patient. Therefore, our results seem to be the useful information in the future treatment for the patient of aconite poisoning.

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Kososan (Xiang-Su-San in Chinese), a Kampo (Japanese herbal) medicine, has been used clinically in East Asia for the treatment of depressive symptom associated with the common cold, allergy, insomnia and autonomic imbalance. The therapeutic use of interferon (IFN)-α is known to cause various neuropsychiatric adverse effects, and especially, there is a problem in which IFN-α therapy in patients with hepatitis C often induces the depressive symptom. However, the antidepressive effect of kososan on the IFN-α-induced depression remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated whether kososan improves depressive-like behaviors in IFN-α-induced depressive-like model mice. The degree of the depressive-like state was measured by the animal's duration of immobility using a forced swimming test (FST). Oral administration of kososan (1.0 g/kg/day, 14 days) significantly reduced the duration of immobility time of IFN-α (1.2 x 10⁶ IU/kg/day, 7 days, i.p.)-induced depressive-like model in the FST; however, locomotor activity was not affected. Hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis plays a crucial role in the pathology of depression. IFN-α-induced increases in corticotropin-releasing hormone mRNA expression in the hypothalamus and corticosterone levels of sera were decreased by the administration of kososan. These results suggest that kososan shows an antidepressive-like effect via normalizing the hyperactivity of HPA axis in the IFN-α-induced depressive-like model mice.

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We have reported that the oral administration of water extract of Scutellariae Radix (SR) enhances small intestinal ulceration and intestinal bleeding in the experimental enteropathy induced by subcutaneous injections of indomethacin (INDO) in mice. The present study was carried out to examine whether SR extract or SR-containing Kampo formula exerts similar effects in diclofenac sodium (Dic)-induced enteropathy in mice. We found that small intestinal ulceration and fecal hemoglobin (Hb) excretion in Dic-treated mice were enhanced by SR extract. However, such effects were not induced by pure baicalin (> 97%, w/w). Orengedokuto (OGT) did not enhance small intestinal ulceration but significantly enhanced fecal Hb excretion in Dic-treated mice. Our observations suggest a possibility that SR-containing Kampo formulas could aggravate non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced enteropathy.

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Cistanche salsa (C.A. Meyer) G. Beck, Orobanchaceae is a parasitic plant that is used as an oriental medicinal tonic in Japan. In our previous study, we found that C. salsa extract enhanced the production of both IgM and IgG in human lymph node lymphocytes. Furthermore, C. salsa dialysate (CSD) prepared using a dialysis membrane with a 3,500-Da molecular weight cut-off enhanced IgM production in the human B-cell line BALL-1; in addition, it induced slight cell proliferation. However, in contrast, CSD induced growth inhibition accompanied by apoptosis in the human Burkitt's lymphoma cell line Namalwa. These results indicate the possible presence of active constituents in CSD that are specific to lymphocytes. Thus far, the chemical properties of these constituents have not been elucidated. In this study, we investigated the chemical properties of the active constituents in CSD. Both the abovementioned activities in B-cell lines were not inactivated by autoclave treatment of CSD. Using gel filtration column chromatography, we found that the peaks of the active fractions were concentrated in different fractions. Our results suggest that there are at least 2 types of active constituents in CSD, and they may be polysaccharides since they are water soluble high molecular weight constituents and thermostable.

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Previous reports suggest that Yanbian Toki (Angelica species of northeast China) may become an alternative resource of Angelicae Radix (Toki) when compared with the Japanese indigenous plants of A. acutiloba Kitagawa (Yamato Toki) and A. acutiloba var. sugiyamae Hikino (Hokkai Toki) in their similar chemical and genetic characteristics. In the present study, the pharmacological effects of Yanbian Toki on oketsu and hie-sho were assessed by using animal models in comparison with Yamato Toki and Hokkai Toki.
Oketsu state (stagnation of blood) was induced in mice by a consecutive injection of betamethasone (1.6 mg/kg/day, i.m.). Changes in peripheral blood flow of oketsu mice treated with each Toki extract at a dose of 200 mg/kg were examined both in single and repeated administrations. Yanbian Toki improved the peripheral blood flows of oketsu mice as well as Yamato Toki and Hokkai Toki, and showed no significant statistically differences.
In hie-sho (chilliness) model, accomplished by submerging the rats in cold water, the restoration of body surface temperature was accelerated by a single administration of each Toki extract (200 mg/kg). Especially at the initial 5 min, it was significant. Furthermore, the time versus recovery effect was statistically significant in the treatment of Yamato Toki. However, there were no significant differences among them in their recovery effects.
In both experiments, among Yanbian Toki, Yamato Toki and Hokkai Toki, there were no significant differences in their effects on oketsu and hie-sho. These results suggested that Yanbian Toki is pharmacologically comparable to Yamato Toki and Hokkai Toki.

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