Panax pseudoginseng
Encyclopedia
Panax Notoginseng is a species
of the genus Panax . The scientific names for the plant commonly used are either Panax notoginseng or Panax pseudoginseng. It is most commonly referred to as Notoginseng. The herb is also referred to as pseudoginseng, and in Chinese it is called 田七 (Tiánqī), Tienchi ginseng, San qi or Sanchi, three-seven root, and Mountain paint . Notoginseng belongs to the same scientific genus, Panax, as Asian ginseng . In Latin, the word panax means "cure-all," and the family of ginseng
plants is one of the most well known herbs. Panax pseudoginseng is not an adaptogen
like the better known Panax species, but it is famous as a hemostatic herb that both invigorates and builds blood.
Notoginseng grows naturally in China
and Japan
. The herb is a perennial with dark green leaves branching from a stem with a red cluster of berries in the middle. It is both cultivated and gathered from wild forests, with wild plants being the most valuable. The Chinese refer to it as "three-seven root" because the plant has three branches with seven leaves each. It is also said that the root should be harvested between three and seven years after planting it.
It is classified in Chinese medicine as warm in nature, sweet and slightly bitter in taste, and nontoxic. The dose in decoction for clinical use is 5-10 g. It can be ground to powder for swallowing directly or taking mixed with water: the dose in that case is usually is 1-3 grams. In the Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica, 1596 A.D.) it is stated: "On account of the fact that sanqi is a herb belonging to the blood phase of the yang ming and jue yin meridians, it can treat all diseases of the blood." Notoginseng is a herb that has been used in China quite extensively since the end of the 19th century. It has acquired a very favorable reputation for treatment of blood disorders, including blood stasis
, bleeding, and blood deficiency. It is the largest ingredient in 云南白药 (Yunnan Bai Yao), a famous hemostatic proprietary herbal remedy that was notably carried by the Viet Cong to deal with wounds during the Vietnam war
.
-type ginsenosides as the major constituents. Dammarane type ginsenosides includes 2 classifications: the 20(S)-protopanaxadiol
(ppd) and 20(S)-protopanaxatriol
(ppt) classifications. P. notoginseng contains high levels of Rb1, Rd (ppd classification) and Rg1 (ppt classification)ginsenosides. Rb1, Rd and Rg1 content of P. notoginseng is found to be higher than that of P. ginseng and P. quinquefolius in one study.
Pharmacokinetics
When taken orally, ppd-type ginsenosides are mostly metabolized by intestinal bacteria to ppd monoglucoside, 20-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-20(S)-protopanaxadiol (M1).
In humans, M1 is detected in plasma from 7 hours after the intake of ppd-type ginsenosides and in urine from 12 hours after the intake. These findings indicate that M1 is the final metabolite of ppd-type ginsenosides.
M1 is referred to in some articles as IH-901
, and in others as compound-K.
Biological activities
See Table below
A study done on rats reported in Pharmacotherapy showed that bleeding time was reduced to half. Michael White, Pharm.D., of Hartford Hospital in Connecticut, tested the effectiveness of notoginseng on external bleeding. He and his colleagues separated the notoginseng components that could be dissolved in water, alcohol, or oil and applied them to cut rat tails: saponins in the alcohol-soluble notoginseng component decreased bleeding time by 52 percent Other studies show cardiovascular healing and protection against cancer.
The principal dammarane-type triterpenoid saponins
from the roots and flower buds of Panax notoginseng were found to show potent hepatoprotective effects from injury induced by d-galactosamine and lipopolysaccharide.
Taiwanese scientists studied the sensitization effect of Panax notoginseng extract and purified Saponin (Rb1) on the radiation response of an experimental tumor (KHT sarcoma) in comparison with its effects on a normal tissue (bone marrow) in mice. Panax notoginseng extract at a concentration of 0.1–100 mg/kg produced an increase in tumor radiosensitivity. The sensitization effect was maximal at 10 mg/kg and at 30 minutes after injection. Higher doses were toxic to the bone marrow stem cells. Rb1 at a concentration 0.001 to 1 mg/kg produced an increase in tumor radiosensitivity, with maximum effect at 1 mg/kg. Higher doses were not toxic to the bone marrow stem cells. The differential effect on tumor suggest that further purified or synthetic versions of this extract may be useful not only in vascular-related diseases but also in cancer therapy.
With its high level of use- perhaps a million doses a year- few reports of apparent adverse effects have occurred, none of them related to toxicity of its herbal constituents. An article in the journal Chinese Herbal Drugs Two basic types of adverse responses occurred: Two cases of esophagitis from consuming tablets without drinking enough water causing irritation or acid reflux. Nineteen allergic reactions including dermatitis, shock, purpura, blisters, or other idiosyncratic reactions. The manufacturer of the notoginseng products consumed was not known, nor was the botanical identity of the raw materials confirmed and with Chinese patent medicine where formulas and adulteration often occurs. There may be fewer occasions of idosyncratic reactions due to the herb alone.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of the genus Panax . The scientific names for the plant commonly used are either Panax notoginseng or Panax pseudoginseng. It is most commonly referred to as Notoginseng. The herb is also referred to as pseudoginseng, and in Chinese it is called 田七 (Tiánqī), Tienchi ginseng, San qi or Sanchi, three-seven root, and Mountain paint . Notoginseng belongs to the same scientific genus, Panax, as Asian ginseng . In Latin, the word panax means "cure-all," and the family of ginseng
Ginseng
Ginseng is any one of eleven species of slow-growing perennial plants with fleshy roots, belonging to the genus Panax of the family Araliaceae....
plants is one of the most well known herbs. Panax pseudoginseng is not an adaptogen
Adaptogen
An adaptogen is a herbal product claimed to increase resistance to stress, trauma, anxiety and fatigue. The term is used mainly by herbalists who also refer to adaptogens as rejuvenating herbs, qi tonics, rasayanas, or restoratives...
like the better known Panax species, but it is famous as a hemostatic herb that both invigorates and builds blood.
Notoginseng grows naturally in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The herb is a perennial with dark green leaves branching from a stem with a red cluster of berries in the middle. It is both cultivated and gathered from wild forests, with wild plants being the most valuable. The Chinese refer to it as "three-seven root" because the plant has three branches with seven leaves each. It is also said that the root should be harvested between three and seven years after planting it.
It is classified in Chinese medicine as warm in nature, sweet and slightly bitter in taste, and nontoxic. The dose in decoction for clinical use is 5-10 g. It can be ground to powder for swallowing directly or taking mixed with water: the dose in that case is usually is 1-3 grams. In the Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica, 1596 A.D.) it is stated: "On account of the fact that sanqi is a herb belonging to the blood phase of the yang ming and jue yin meridians, it can treat all diseases of the blood." Notoginseng is a herb that has been used in China quite extensively since the end of the 19th century. It has acquired a very favorable reputation for treatment of blood disorders, including blood stasis
Blood stasis
Blood stasis syndrome, or blood stagnation is an important underlying pathology of many disease processes according to traditional Chinese medicine...
, bleeding, and blood deficiency. It is the largest ingredient in 云南白药 (Yunnan Bai Yao), a famous hemostatic proprietary herbal remedy that was notably carried by the Viet Cong to deal with wounds during the Vietnam war
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Chemical components
Like P. ginseng, P. quinquefolius and P. vietnamensis, notoginseng contains dammaraneDammarane
Dammarane is a tetracyclic triterpene found in sapogenins like those of ginseng ....
-type ginsenosides as the major constituents. Dammarane type ginsenosides includes 2 classifications: the 20(S)-protopanaxadiol
Protopanaxadiol
Protopanaxadiol is an organic coumpound characterizing a group of ginsenosides. It is a dammarane-type tetracyclic terpene sapogenin found in ginseng and in notoginseng ....
(ppd) and 20(S)-protopanaxatriol
Protopanaxatriol
Protopanaxatriol is an organic compound characterizing a group of ginsenosides. It is a dammarane-type tetracyclic triterpene sapogenins found in ginseng and in notoginseng ....
(ppt) classifications. P. notoginseng contains high levels of Rb1, Rd (ppd classification) and Rg1 (ppt classification)ginsenosides. Rb1, Rd and Rg1 content of P. notoginseng is found to be higher than that of P. ginseng and P. quinquefolius in one study.
Pharmacokinetics
When taken orally, ppd-type ginsenosides are mostly metabolized by intestinal bacteria to ppd monoglucoside, 20-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-20(S)-protopanaxadiol (M1).
In humans, M1 is detected in plasma from 7 hours after the intake of ppd-type ginsenosides and in urine from 12 hours after the intake. These findings indicate that M1 is the final metabolite of ppd-type ginsenosides.
M1 is referred to in some articles as IH-901
, and in others as compound-K.
Biological activities
See Table below
A study done on rats reported in Pharmacotherapy showed that bleeding time was reduced to half. Michael White, Pharm.D., of Hartford Hospital in Connecticut, tested the effectiveness of notoginseng on external bleeding. He and his colleagues separated the notoginseng components that could be dissolved in water, alcohol, or oil and applied them to cut rat tails: saponins in the alcohol-soluble notoginseng component decreased bleeding time by 52 percent Other studies show cardiovascular healing and protection against cancer.
The principal dammarane-type triterpenoid saponins
Triterpenoid saponins
Triterpenoid saponins are triterpenes which belong to the group of saponin compounds. Triterpenes belong to a large group of compounds arranged in a four or five ring configuration of 30 carbons with several oxygens attached. Triterpenes are assembled from a C5 isoprene unit through the cytosolic...
from the roots and flower buds of Panax notoginseng were found to show potent hepatoprotective effects from injury induced by d-galactosamine and lipopolysaccharide.
Taiwanese scientists studied the sensitization effect of Panax notoginseng extract and purified Saponin (Rb1) on the radiation response of an experimental tumor (KHT sarcoma) in comparison with its effects on a normal tissue (bone marrow) in mice. Panax notoginseng extract at a concentration of 0.1–100 mg/kg produced an increase in tumor radiosensitivity. The sensitization effect was maximal at 10 mg/kg and at 30 minutes after injection. Higher doses were toxic to the bone marrow stem cells. Rb1 at a concentration 0.001 to 1 mg/kg produced an increase in tumor radiosensitivity, with maximum effect at 1 mg/kg. Higher doses were not toxic to the bone marrow stem cells. The differential effect on tumor suggest that further purified or synthetic versions of this extract may be useful not only in vascular-related diseases but also in cancer therapy.
With its high level of use- perhaps a million doses a year- few reports of apparent adverse effects have occurred, none of them related to toxicity of its herbal constituents. An article in the journal Chinese Herbal Drugs Two basic types of adverse responses occurred: Two cases of esophagitis from consuming tablets without drinking enough water causing irritation or acid reflux. Nineteen allergic reactions including dermatitis, shock, purpura, blisters, or other idiosyncratic reactions. The manufacturer of the notoginseng products consumed was not known, nor was the botanical identity of the raw materials confirmed and with Chinese patent medicine where formulas and adulteration often occurs. There may be fewer occasions of idosyncratic reactions due to the herb alone.