Menolyte

Cang Zhu

RHIZOMA ATRACTYLODIS (ATRACTYLODES RHIZOME)

Cang Zhu is the dried rhizome of Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC. or Atractylodes chinensis (DC.) Koidz. (Compositae). Both plants are perennial herbs. A. lancea is mainly found in dry slopes in the East of China, whereas A. chinensis grows among scrub in the Northeast and North of China. The herb from A. lancea is mainly produced in Jiangsu, Hubei and Henan provinces, and that from A. chinensis is mainly produced in Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Shanxi, Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. The rhizome is collected in spring and autunm, dried in the sun and then removed from fibrous roots by dashing.

CHEMISTRY

A. lancea yields 3.5-5.6% of volatile oil while A. chinensis contains only about 1%. The main principles of the oil are atractylodin, b-eudesmol, hinesol, elemol, and atractylon. Cymol, a-isovetivene, b-selinene, curcumene, b-bisabolene, (-)-a-bisabolol, 3-b-hydroxyatractylon, 3-b-acetoxyatractylon, atractylodinol, and acetyl atractylodinol are also found in the oi11-3.

PHARMACOLOGY

Fumigant Disinfectant Effect

The incense or fumigant made of Cang Zhu and Ai Ye (Folium Artemisiae Argyi) was lethal to various virus (mumps virus, influenza virus and polyhedral virus), mycoplasma (Mycoplasma orale and M. pneumoniae), bacteria (beta strptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus) and fungi such as Aspergillusfiavus. The bacteria became deformed and degenerated after fumigation. The decoction, however, showed no antimicrobial activity4.

Hypoglycemic Effect

The decoction increased the blood sugar level of normal rabbits but lower the blood sugar level of alloxan-diabetes rabbits. Atractyloside, a glycoside isolated from A. gummifera decreased the blood sugar level of rats, mice, rabbits and dogs and lowered muscle glycogen and hepatic glycogen. It suppressed the synthesis of glycogen and decreased the oxygen consumption4.

Other Effects

The essential oil of the herb produced a sedative effect in frogs and concurrent exaggeration of the spinal reflexes, whereas at high doses it caused inhibition and finally death from respiratory paralysis. The major inhibitory principles were b-eudesmol and hinesol. The herb showed a weak inhibitory action on the rabbit duodenum and toad heart. It also produced weak vasodilation on the toad hind limb. The essential oil, hinesol or eudesmol inhibited the growth of esophageal carcinoma cells at 100 lg/ml in vitro4. The methanol extract of the herb inhibited tumor promotion, and atractylon was isolated as the active principle against 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced ear inflammation in mice5.

FUNCTIONS AND APPLICATIONS

Traditional Description

Cang Zhu is pungent and bitter in taste and warm in property, acting on the spleen, stomach and liver channels. It has the functions of:

(i) removing dampness and invigorating the function of the spleen, used in epigastric and abdominal distension, anorexia and diarrhea;
(ii) dispelling wind-cold and removing dampness, used in edema, particularly edema of the legs with lameness, rheumatic arthralgia and cold; and
(iii) diminishing cataract and improving acuity of vision, used in eye problems such as external and internal oculopathy, optic atrophy and night blindness.


Applications

Skin diseases
Intramuscular administration of the essential oil of the herb for 1-5 weeks was effective in 82.8% of 315 cases of pruritus, erythema multiforme exudation, acute and chronic urticaria, allergic dermatitis and pediatric pruritus. The mixed powders of the herb and Huang Bai (Cortex Phellodendri) were effective in eczema.

Prophylaxis of varicella, mumps, scarlet fever, common cold and bronchitis
After a 3 years' observation, it was found that burning one coil of the incense for every 45 m3 space significantly decreased the incidence of varicella, mumps and scarlet fever in kindergartens and nurseries. It also reduced the bacteria in the pharynx and the incidence of bronchitis, common cold and runny nose4.

DOSAGE

3-9 g.

SIDE EFFECTS AND TOXICITY

No physical abnormalities and pathological changes had been observed in mice and rats exposed to fumigation of the incense prepared from Cang Zhu and Ai Ye (Folium Artemisiae argyi) for 0.5 to 2 h. None of the more than 4000 normal subjects exposed to fumigation of the incense for 30 nights complained of any side effects4.

REFERENCES

I. Zhou, RH. (1993) Resource Science of Chinese Medicinal Materials, pp. 490-495. Beijing: China Medical & Pharmaceutical Sciences Press.
2. Nisikawa, Y., Watanabe, Y., Seto, T., Yasuda, 1. (1976) Studies on the components of Atractylodes. I. New sesquiterpenoids in the rhizome of Atractylodes lancea De Candolle. Yakugaka Zasshi, 96, 1089-1093.
3. Yoshioka, 1., Kimura, T. (1969) Constituents of Atractylodes. XI. Structure and absolute configuration of hinseol. Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 17, 856-857.
4. Wang, Y.S. (1983) Pharmacology and Applications of Chinese Materia Medico, pp. 503-508. Beijing: People's Health Publisher.
5. Yu, S., Yasukawa, K., Takido, M. (1994) Atractylodis rhizoma extract and its component, atractylon, inhibit tumor promotion in mouse skin two-stage carcinogenesis. Phytomedicine, 1, 55-58.