Chinese Herbs In Western View - Zi Cao (Radix Arnebiae seu Lithospermi) Health benefits and Side Effects

Home of Kyle J. Norton for The Better of Living & Living Health Zi Cao is also known as Arnebia  Root. The sweet, salty and cold herb has been used in TCM as anti-inflammation, antipyretic, sedative,  antibioti, anti-tumor anti-pregnancy agent and to treat measles, jaundice, purpura, vomiting blood, nose bleeding, bleeding in the urinary tact, etc., as it cools Blood, invigorates Blood, eliminates Toxicity, etc. by enhancing the functions of heart and liver channels.

Ingredients
1, β-acetoxyisovalerylalkannin
2. β-hydroxyisovalerylalkannin
3. Beta- dimethylacryloylshikonin
4. Teracrylshikonin
5. Acetyshikonin
6. β，β′-Dimethylacrylshikonin
7. Isobutyrylshikonin
8. α-Methyh-n-butyls-hikonin
9. Isobutvalerylshikonin
10. Dehydroalkanon
11. Deoxyshikoonin
12. Etc.

Health Benefits
1. Antitumor effects
In the study to investigate the antitumor effects of β,β-Dimethylacrylshikonin, one of the most abundant naphthoquinones in the root extracts of Lithospermum erythrorhizon Sieb. et Zucc. (Boraginaceae), showed that β,β-dimethylacrylshikonin inhibited the proliferation of SMMC-7721 cells in both dose- and time-dependent manners with its 50% inhibitory concentration (IC(50) ) at 48 h being 15.01 ± 0.76 µg/mL(1).

2. Influenza A virus
The evaluation of the anti-NA activity of the TCMs and the anti-influenza A virus effects of the NA inhibitory TCMs in vitro and in vivo, indicated that Duchesnea indica (Andr.) Focke [Fragaria indica Andr.], Liquidambar formosana Hance., Lithospermum erythrorhizon Sieb. et Zucc., Melia toosendan Sieb. et Zucc., and Prunella vulgaris L., exerted potent inhibitory activity towards NA. These TCMs in the range of 25-250 μg/mL had the ability to reduce virus-induced cytopathic effect (CPE) and the virus yield in MDCK cells. Melia toosendan significantly reduced death rate and prolonged mean day to death (MDD) of the viral infected mice(2).

3. Estrogenic activity
Estrogenic activity of shikonin, even at high concentration did not alter significantly compared to negative control (p > 0.05) and were significantly lower than those with E2 (p
4. Atopic dermatitis 
In the study to examine the systemic efficacy of LE on the clinical manifestation of AD-like skin lesions, NC/Nga mice, a murine model of atopic dermatitis (AD), showed that oral supplementation with LE extract prevented the development of atopic dermatitis with reducing ceramide degradation coupled with a low expression of ceramidase protein(4).

5. Cytotoxicity
In the study of the cytotoxicity of four hydroxynaphthoquinone derivatives, 13, 14, 16 and 21, isolated from the root of Lithospermum erythrorhizon Sieb. et Zucc. (Boraginaceae) and also three naphthoquinone derivatives, 19, 22 and 23, isolated from the root of Macrotomia euchroma (Royle) Pauls. (Boraginaceae), indicated that all hydroxynaphthoquinone derivatives isolated in this study exhibited extremely potent growth inhibitory activities against both types of cancer cells (IC(50) values: 0.3+/-0.09 to 0.46+/-1.0 microM in the case of HCT 116 cells and 0.22+/-0.03 to 0.59+/-0.06 microM in the case of Hep G2 cells) as well as shikonin 10 (IC(50) values: 0.32+/-0.02 microM in the case of HCT 116 cells and 0.24+/-0.03 microM in the case of Hep G2 cells)(5).

6. Etc. 

Side Effects
1. Do not use the herb in newborn, children or if you are pregnant or breast feeding without first consulting with the related field specialist.
2. Etc. 

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For other Chinese herbs in western view, visit http://chineseherbsinnutrientsperspective.blogspot.com/2011/10/chinese-herbs-in-western-view-health.html

For other health articles, please visit http://medicaladvisorjournals.blogspot.com/     

Sources
(1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22109831
(2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21699971
(3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21434578
(4) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19274684

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