Ampelopsin, also known as dihydromyricetin and DHM, when used as an herbal medicine, is a

flavanonol The flavanonols (with two "o"s a.k.a. 3-hydroxyflavanone or 2,3-dihydroflavonol) are a class of flavonoids that use the 3-hydroxy-2,3-dihydro-2-phenylchromen-4-one (IUPAC name) backbone. Some examples include: * Taxifolin (or Dihydroquercetin) * ...

, a type of flavonoid. It is extracted from the Japanese raisin tree and found in ''

Ampelopsis ''Ampelopsis'', commonly known as peppervine or porcelainberry, is a genus of climbing shrubs, in the grape family Vitaceae. The name is derived from the (''ampelos''), which means "vine". The genus was named in 1803. It is disjunctly distribute ...

'' species ''japonica'', ''megalophylla'', and ''grossedentata''; ''

Cercidiphyllum japonicum ''Cercidiphyllum japonicum'', known as the Katsura (from its Japanese name カツラ, 桂), is a species of flowering tree in the family Cercidiphyllaceae native to China and Japan. It is sometimes called ''caramel tree'' for the light caramel sm ...

''; ''

Hovenia dulcis ''Hovenia dulcis'', or the oriental raisin tree, is a hardy tree found in Asia, from Eastern China ( 萬壽果; pinyin: ) and Korea (, ) to the Himalayas (up to altitudes of 2,000 m), growing preferably in a sunny position on moist sandy or ...

''; ''

Rhododendron cinnabarinum ''Rhododendron cinnabarinum'' (朱砂杜鹃) is a rhododendron species native to eastern Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, southeastern Tibet, and southwest China, where it grows at altitudes of . It is a straggling evergreen shrub that grows to in height, ...

''; some ''

Pinus A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as c ...

'' species; and some ''

Cedrus ''Cedrus'', with the common English name cedar, is a genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae (subfamily Abietoideae). They are native to the mountains of the western Himalayas and the Mediterranean region, occurring at altitud ...

'' species, as well as in '' Salix sachalinensis''. ''

'' has been used in traditional

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

, and

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean **Korean dialects **See also: North–South differences in t ...

medicines to treat fever, parasitic infection, as a laxative, and a treatment of liver diseases, and as a

hangover A hangover is the experience of various unpleasant physiological and psychological effects usually following the consumption of alcohol (beverage), alcohol, such as wine, beer, and liquor. Hangovers can last for several hours or for more than ...

treatment. Methods have been developed to extract ampelopsin on a larger scale, and laboratory research has been conducted with the compound to see if it might be useful as a drug in any of the conditions for which the parent plant has been traditionally used.

Research

Research suggests that DHM protects against DOX-induced cardiotoxicity by inhibiting

NLRP3 NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) (previously known as NACHT, LRR, and PYD domains-containing protein 3 ALP3and cryopyrin), is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''NLRP3'' gene located on the long arm of chromosome 1. NLRP ...

inflammasome activation via stimulation of the

SIRT1 Sirtuin 1, also known as NAD-dependent deacetylase sirtuin-1, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''SIRT1'' gene. SIRT1 stands for sirtuin (silent mating type information regulation 2 homolog) 1 ('' S. cerevisiae''), referring to the fa ...

pathway. In a trial of 60 patients with " nonalcoholic fatty liver disease," dihydromyricetin improved glucose and lipid metabolism and yielded potentially beneficial anti-inflammatory effects. A study of rats demonstrated pharmacological properties of DHM which suggest it would be a therapeutic candidate to treat

alcohol use disorders Alcoholism is the continued Alcoholic beverage, drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of Substance dependence, dependence and Drug withdrawal, withdrawal. Problematic use of alco ...

. Additional research is required before claims of human efficacy and application, necessary dosage, and solutions to poor bioavailability, are met with scientific validation.

Purported benefits

Ampelopsin has been claimed to possess various health, wellness, and cosmetic benefits, including: *Anti-Alcohol Intoxication: DHM is widely used in hangover remedies due to its claimed ability to accelerate alcohol breakdown in the liver and mitigate alcohol-induced damage. However, a pharmacokinetic study found no effect of DHM on alcohol metabolism. *Cosmetic Applications: DHM is used in skincare products for its purported ability to protect skin from UV-induced damage and aging.

References

{{GABAAR PAMs Flavanonols Pyrogallols Resorcinols GABAA receptor positive allosteric modulators