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Rehmannia Glutinosa
''Rehmannia glutinosa'' is a flowering broomrape, and one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it has the name ''shēng dì huáng'' (). It is often sold as ''gān dì huáng'' (), ''gān'' meaning "dried". Unlike the majority of broomrapes, ''R. glutinosa'' is not parasitic, and is capable of independent photosynthesis. Chemical constituents A number of chemical constituents including iridoids, phenethyl alcohol, glycosides, cyclopentanoid monoterpenes, and norcarotenoids, have been reported from the fresh or processed roots of ''R. glutinosa''. Etymology * ''Rehmannia'' is named for Joseph Rehmann (1788–1831), a physician in St. Petersburg.Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. (hardback), (paperback). pp 180, 328Joseph Rehmann. ''Sammlung auserlesener Abhandlungen und merkwürdiger Nachrichten Russischer Ärzte und Naturforscher''. St. Petersburg 1812, p. 271-276: ''Ballota lanata. Ein neues Mittel g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joseph Gaertner
Joseph Gaertner (12 March 1732 – 14 July 1791) was a German botanist, best known for his work on seeds, ''De Fructibus et Seminibus Plantarum'' (1788-1792). Biography He was born in Calw, and studied in Göttingen under Albrecht von Haller. He was primarily a naturalist, but also worked at physics and zoology. He travelled extensively to visit other naturalists. He was professor of anatomy in Tübingen in 1760, and was appointed professor of botany at St Petersburg in 1768, but returned to Calw in 1770. Gaertner made back cross to convert one species into another. Back cross increases nuclear gene frequency His observations were: 1. Dominance of traits 2. Equal contribution of male and female to the progeny 3. No variation in F1 (first generation of descendants) 4. Large variation in F2 (second generation of descendants) including parental and intermediate types 5. Some of F2 plants had entirely new traits but he was unable to give possible explanation for observed dat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Broomrape
''Orobanche'', commonly known as broomrape, is a genus of almost 200 species of small parasitic herbaceous plants, mostly native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. It is the type genus of the broomrape family Orobanchaceae. It is a weed on broadleaf crop plants in Australia, where some states enforce mandatory destruction and reporting, as well as prohibition of sale. Description Broomrapes are generally small, only tall depending on species. They are best recognized by the yellow- to straw-coloured stems completely lacking chlorophyll, bearing yellow, white, or blue snapdragon-like flowers. The flower shoots are scaly, with a dense terminal spike of 10-20 flowers in most species, although single in one-flowered broomrape (''Orobanche uniflora''). The leaves are merely triangular scales. The seeds are minute, tan or brown, blackening with age. These plants generally flower from late winter to late spring. When they are not flowering, no part of the plants is visible above ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinese Herbology
Chinese herbology () is the theory of traditional Chinese herbal therapy, which accounts for the majority of treatments in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). A ''Nature'' editorial described TCM as "fraught with pseudoscience", and said that the most obvious reason why it has not delivered many cures is that the majority of its treatments have no logical mechanism of action. The term herbology is misleading in the sense that, while plant elements are by far the most commonly used substances, animal, human, and mineral products are also used, some of which are poisonous. In the they are referred to as () which means "poison-medicine". Paul U. Unschuld points out that this is similar etymology to the Greek and so he uses the term ''pharmaceutic''. Thus, the term ''medicinal'' (instead of ''herb'') is usually preferred as a translation for (). Research into the effectiveness of traditional Chinese herbal therapy is of poor quality and often tainted by bias, with little or n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence of effectiveness or logical mechanism of action. Some TCM ingredients Traditional Chinese medicine#Safety, are known to be toxic and cause disease, including cancer. Medicine in traditional China encompassed a range of sometimes competing health and healing practices, folk beliefs, Scholar-official, literati theory and Confucianism, Confucian philosophy, Chinese herbology, herbal remedies, Chinese food therapy, food, diet, exercise, medical specializations, and schools of thought. TCM as it exists today has been described as a largely 20th century invention. In the early twentieth century, Chinese cultural and political modernizers worked to eliminate traditional practices as backward and unscientific. Traditional practitioners then selec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iridoid
Iridoids are a type of monoterpenoids in the general form of cyclopentanopyran, found in a wide variety of plants and some animals. They are biosynthetically derived from 8-oxogeranial. Iridoids are typically found in plants as glycosides, most often bound to glucose. The chemical structure is exemplified by iridomyrmecin, a defensive chemical produced by the ant genus '' Iridomyrmex'', for which iridoids are named. Structurally, they are bicyclic ''cis''-fused cyclopentane-pyrans. Cleavage of a bond in the cyclopentane ring gives rise to a subclass known as ''secoiridoids'', such as oleuropein and amarogentin. Occurrence The iridoids produced by plants act primarily as a defense against herbivores or against infection by microorganisms. The variable checkerspot butterfly also contains iridoids obtained through its diet which act as a defense against avian predators. To humans and other mammals, iridoids are often characterized by a deterrent bitter taste. Aucubin and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phenethyl Alcohol
Phenethyl alcohol, or 2-phenylethanol, is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is a colourless liquid with a pleasant floral odor. It occurs widely in nature, being found in a variety of essential oils. It is slightly soluble in water (2 ml per 100 ml of ), but miscible with most organic solvents. The molecule of phenethyl alcohol consists of a phenethyl group () attached to a hydroxyl group (). Synthesis Phenethyl alcohol is prepared commercially via two routes. Most common is the Friedel-Crafts reaction between benzene and ethylene oxide in the presence of aluminium trichloride. : The reaction affords the aluminium alkoxide that is subsequently hydrolyzed to the desired product. The main side product is diphenylethane, which can be avoided by use of excess benzene. Hydrogenation of styrene oxide also affords phenethyl alcohol. Laboratory methods Phenethyl alcohol can also be prepared by the reaction between phenylmagnesium bromide and ethylene oxide: : : Phe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Glycoside
In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to another functional group via a glycosidic bond. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides. These can be activated by enzymatic, enzyme hydrolysis, which causes the sugar part to be broken off, making the chemical available for use. Many such plant glycosides are used as medications. Several species of ''Heliconius'' butterfly are capable of incorporating these plant compounds as a form of chemical defense against predators. In animals and humans, poisons are often bound to sugar molecules as part of their elimination from the body. In formal terms, a glycoside is any molecule in which a sugar group is bonded through its anomeric carbon to another group via a glycosidic bond. Glycosides can be linked by an O- (an ''O-glycoside''), N- (a ''glycosylamine''), S-(a ''thioglycoside''), or C- (a ''C-glycoside'') glycosidic bond. Accord ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monoterpene
Monoterpenes are a class of terpenes that consist of two isoprene units and have the molecular formula C10H16. Monoterpenes may be linear (acyclic) or contain rings (monocyclic and bicyclic). Modified terpenes, such as those containing oxygen functionality or missing a methyl group, are called monoterpenoids. Monoterpenes and monoterpenoids are diverse. They have relevance to the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, agricultural, and food industries. Biosynthesis Monoterpenes are derived biosynthetically from units of isopentenyl pyrophosphate, which is formed from acetyl-CoA via the intermediacy of mevalonic acid in the HMG-CoA reductase pathway. An alternative, unrelated biosynthesis pathway of IPP is known in some bacterial groups and the plastids of plants, the so-called MEP-(2-methyl-D-erythritol-4-phosphate) pathway, which is initiated from C5 sugars. In both pathways, IPP is isomerized to DMAPP by the enzyme isopentenyl pyrophosphate isomerase. Geranyl pyrophosphate is the precu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rehmannia
''Rehmannia'' is a genus of seven species of flowering plants in the order Lamiales and family Orobanchaceae, which is native to China and Japan. It has been placed as the only member of the monotypic tribe Rehmannieae, but molecular phylogenetic studies suggest that it forms a clade with '' Triaenophora''. Contrary to the vast majority of the taxa of Orobanchaceae, ''Rehmannia'' is not parasitic. Systematics Etymology ''Rehmannia'' is named for Joseph Rehmann (1788–1831), a physician who worked in St. Petersburg.Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. (hardback), (paperback). pp 328 Homonymy The name "Rehmannia" has also been given to a genus of Jurassic ammonites of the family Reineckeidae. Classification The genus was included in the family Scrophulariaceae The Scrophulariaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the figwort family. The plants are annual and perennial herbs, as well as shrubs. Flowers have bilateral ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
