The American journal of Chinese medicine
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Flacourtiaceae plants are widely used as folk medicines in traditional medicine systems for its chemical diversity and pharmacological activities. In many different areas, Flacourtiaceae plants are used as traditional medicines for the treatment of ulcers, malaria, rheumatism. ⋯ In this review, the literature data on the chemical constituents and pharmacological investigations of the Flacourtiaceae plants are summarized, to provide information about a more comprehensive chemical composition and detailed pharmacological activities of Flacourtiaceae plants, with a view of further development of clinical medication. However, research on quantitative analysis, toxicity, and drug safety in vitro and in vivo is still insufficient, and further research is required.
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Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience in many diseases and is often caused by intense or damaging stimuli. Pain negatively affects the quality of life and increases high health expenditures. Drugs with analgesic properties are commonly used to relieve pain, but these Western medications could be overwhelmed by side effects including tolerance and addiction. ⋯ Three of the most commonly used herbs, i.e., Corydalis yanhusuo, Ligusticum chuanxiong, and Aconitum carmichaeli, are reviewed. Subsequently, using this ancient medical remedy, Chinese herbal formulation in treating common medical conditions associated with pain, such as headache/migraine, chest pain, abdominal pain, low back pain, neuropathic pain, osteoarthritis, and cancer pain, is presented. Chinese herbal medicines could be considered as a complementary and integrative approach in the modern armamentarium in combating pain.
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The Th17/Treg axis plays a crucial role in immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMID) and might represent an interesting drug target of treatment strategy for these diseases. Accumulating evidence suggests a role for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the modulation of Th17/Treg axis, but a comprehensive overview which summarizes this field hitherto is lacked. This paper performs a systematic literature review of the regulatory effects of TCM on the imbalance of Th17/Treg axis and its potential mechanisms. ⋯ Moreover, there were nine active ingredients (including Oxymatrine, Baicalin, Triptolide, Paeoniflorin, Sinomenine, Celastrol, Emodin, Diosgenin and Chlorogenic acid) originating from TCM reported to have an immunological regulation effect on the Th17/Treg axis. The highlight of this systematic review is to reveal the pharmacological basis of TCM treating IMID and is helpful for supporting future pharmacologic-driven studies. Further research elucidates the immune-modulating mechanisms on Th17/Treg axis by TCM might provide a broader insight for the treatment of IMID.
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Review
Application of Chinese Medicine in the Management of Critical Conditions: A Review on Sepsis.
Critical care medicine is a medical specialty engaging the diagnosis and treatment of critically ill patients who have or are likely to have life-threatening organ failure. Sepsis, a life-threatening condition that arises when the body responds to infection, is currently the major cause of death in intensive care units (ICU). Although progress has been made in understanding the pathophysiology of sepsis, many drawbacks in sepsis treatment remains unresolved. ⋯ The TCM application emphasizes use of herbal formulation to balance immune responses to infection, which include clearing heat and toxin, promoting blood circulation and removing its stasis, enhancing gastrointestinal function, and strengthening body resistance. In this paper, we will provide an overview of the current status of Chinese herbal formulations, single herbs, and isolated compounds, as an add-on therapy to the standard Western treatment in the sepsis management. With the current trajectory of worldwide pandemic eruption of newly identified Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19), the adjuvant TCM therapy can be used in the ICU to treat critically ill patients infected with the novel coronavirus.
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Bauhinia championii (Benth.) is one of the commonly used herbs in Taiwan. The stem of this plant has been used to treat epigastria pain and rheumatoid arthritis. However, the antitumor activities of this herb have never been reported. ⋯ Furthermore, the inactivation of Ras signaling pathway by BC-EA also contributed to its apoptotic effect on HCT 116. Our study demonstrates that BC-EA not only inhibits cell growth but also induces apoptosis through inhibiting Ras signal pathway and increasing p53 expression levels. We suggest that BC-EA may be a new dietary supplement and a useful tool to search for therapeutic candidates against colon cancer.