Cāng zhú ( 苍术 ''or'' 蒼术 ''or'' 蒼朮), also known as black atractylodes rhizome or Rhizoma Atractylodes, is a
Chinese herbal medicine
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 t ...
. It is the dried
rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...
of ''
Atractylodes lancea
''Atractylodes lancea'' is a species of ''Atractylodes'' that grows in central China. It is one source of cāng zhú, a Chinese herbal medicine
Chinese herbology () is the theory of traditional Chinese herbal therapy, which accounts for t ...
Atractylodes japonica
''Atractylodes'' is a genus of Asian flowering plants in the family Asteraceae.
Species
''Atractylodes'' is native to eastern Asia.
* ''Atractylodes amurensis'' – Korea, Amur
* ''Atractylodes carlinoides'' – Hubei
* ''Atractylodes japonica' ...
'' Koidz. (One study suggested that ''A. chinensis'' is a subspecies of ''A. lancea'', and ''A. chinensis'' var. ''liaotungensis'' is a subspecies of ''A. coreana'') The medicine is distinguished from bái zhú ( 白术 ''or'' 白朮, white atractylodes rhizome from ''
Atractylodes macrocephala
''Atractylodes macrocephala'' Koidz., bái zhú 白术 is a species of ''Atractylodes'' that grows in central China. The roots are consumed as a Chinese herbal medicine.
Description
''Atractylodes macrocephala'' are herbs that reach a size of 20 ...
''), which is typically cultivated, whereas cāng zhú more often tends to be collected from the wild. It is believed that the distinction between cāng zhú and bái zhú emerged in relatively modern times; a single drug "zhú" described in the
Shen nong ben cao jing
''Shennong Bencaojing'' (also ''Classic of the Materia Medica'' or ''Shen-nong's Herbal Classics'' and ''Shen-nung Pen-tsao Ching''; ) is a Chinese book on agriculture and medicinal plants, traditionally attributed to Shennong. Researchers belie ...
probably included many ''Atractylodes'' species.
Production
Cultivation
* ''A. lancea'' is grown mainly in
Hubei
Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...
and
Jiangsu
Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...
.
* ''A. chinensis'' and ''A. japonica'' are grown in
Jilin
Jilin (; alternately romanized as Kirin or Chilin) is one of the three provinces of Northeast China. Its capital and largest city is Changchun. Jilin borders North Korea (Rasŏn, North Hamgyong, Ryanggang and Chagang) and Russia (Prim ...
,
Liaoning
Liaoning () is a coastal province in Northeast China that is the smallest, southernmost, and most populous province in the region. With its capital at Shenyang, it is located on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea, and is the northernmost ...
,
Shandong
Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region.
Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...
,
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...
, and
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
.
Harvesting
The rhizome is dug up in the spring. After cleaning, it can be sliced and stir baked to a yellow brown color.
Traditional attributes
In
traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of action ...
the herb is described as spicy or pungent, bitter, warm, and aromatic, acting on the spleen and stomach meridians.
A number of effects of the herb are described as ways of "drying dampness":
* As a stomachic - for "Damp obstruction or accumulation in the Middle Jiao", with symptoms such as low appetite, abdominal distension, epigastric distress and fullness, indigestion, dyspepsia, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, weariness, a heavy sensation in the body, and a thick greasy tongue coating.
* To eliminate exopathogens - to "dispel wind-damp-cold (bi-syndrome)", explained as "headaches and body aches, fever, chills, blocked nasal passages, and an absence of sweating"
* To treat "damp heat conditions" in the lower
Jiao
Jiao may refer to:
*Horn (Chinese constellation), or Jiao (角宿), a Chinese constellation
*Jiaolong, or Jiao (蛟), a Chinese dragon
*Jiao (currency) (角), a unit of currency in China, one-tenth of a Chinese yuan or dollar
*Jiao (surname) (� ...
, including "Damp Leg Qi, aching and swollen joints, and vaginal discharge" (
leukorrhea
Leukorrhea or (leucorrhoea American and British English spelling differences, British English), also known as fluor albus, is a thick, whitish, yellowish or greenish vaginal discharge.
It has also been referred to as "the whites".
There are many ...
). This includes relieving arthralgia, swollen knees, and foot pain. Treatment of these conditions can involve combinations such as San Miao San or Er Maio San.
* To induce sweating.
It is also used:
* To treat
night blindness
Nyctalopia (; ), also called night-blindness, is a condition making it difficult or impossible to see in relatively low light. It is a symptom of several eye diseases. Night blindness may exist from birth, or be caused by injury or malnutrition ( ...
or optic atrophy, either alone or as a component of Shi Ju Ming.
* To relieve stagnant liver '' qi'', reducing stress and relieving depression, in mixtures such as Jue Ju Wan.
Contraindications
"Yin deficiency, deficiency of essence, and external asthenia and sweating" (due to Wei Qi deficiency) are traditional contraindications. It has been noted to interfere with drugs for
diabetes
Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...
. It can cause allergic reactions in those who are allergic to
ragweed
Ragweeds are flowering plants in the genus ''Ambrosia'' in the aster family, Asteraceae. They are distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, especially North America,marigolds, daisies, or related herbs (
Asteraceae
The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...
). It should not be used by pregnant women or women who are breastfeeding.
Biochemical analysis
There has been relatively little scientific study of cāng zhú. A small number of reports in the primary scientific literature support the possibility of several medical uses, but pending confirmation they must be evaluated cautiously.
''Atractylodes'' rhizomes showed possible hepatoprotective activity in an ''in vitro'' assay of a hepatocyte cell line treated with
carbon tetrachloride
Carbon tetrachloride, also known by many other names (such as tetrachloromethane, also IUPAC nomenclature of inorganic chemistry, recognised by the IUPAC, carbon tet in the cleaning industry, Halon-104 in firefighting, and Refrigerant-10 in HVAC ...
or galactosamine, with significant hepatoprotective activity from the isolated sesquiterpenoid components atractylon, β-eudesmol, and hinesol. One review stated that the volatile oil contains the important chemical components, and that β-eudesmol and hinesol are its active ingredients.
Compounds isolated from a
hexane
Hexane () is an organic compound, a straight-chain alkane with six carbon atoms and has the molecular formula C6H14.
It is a colorless liquid, odorless when pure, and with boiling points approximately . It is widely used as a cheap, relatively ...
extract of ''A. lancea'' included atractylochromene, a potent inhibitor of
5-lipoxygenase
Arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase, also known as ALOX5, 5-lipoxygenase, 5-LOX, or 5-LO, is a non-heme iron-containing enzyme (EC 1.13.11.34) that in humans is encoded by the ''ALOX5'' gene. Arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase is a member of the lipoxygenase fa ...
cachexia
Cachexia () is a complex syndrome associated with an underlying illness, causing ongoing muscle loss that is not entirely reversed with nutritional supplementation. A range of diseases can cause cachexia, most commonly cancer, congestive heart f ...
(a side effect of stomach cancer) and alter cytokine levels in a small non-blinded study. It was found to bind competitively with
lipopolysaccharide
Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are large molecules consisting of a lipid and a polysaccharide that are bacterial toxins. They are composed of an O-antigen, an outer core, and an inner core all joined by a covalent bond, and are found in the outer m ...
for cell surface receptors with IC50 values of 5 to 7 μmol L−1 for inhibiting
TNF-α
Tumor necrosis factor (TNF, cachexin, or cachectin; formerly known as tumor necrosis factor alpha or TNF-α) is an adipokine and a cytokine. TNF is a member of the TNF superfamily, which consists of various transmembrane proteins with a homolog ...
,
IL-1β
Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) also known as leukocytic pyrogen, leukocytic endogenous mediator, mononuclear cell factor, lymphocyte activating factor and other names, is a cytokine protein that in humans is encoded by the ''IL1B'' gene."Catabolin" ...
, and
nitric oxide
Nitric oxide (nitrogen oxide or nitrogen monoxide) is a colorless gas with the formula . It is one of the principal oxides of nitrogen. Nitric oxide is a free radical: it has an unpaired electron, which is sometimes denoted by a dot in its che ...
production.
A few sources have reported antimicrobial activity for the herb when burned as an incense: one coil of antiseptic atractylodes incense per 45 cubic meters of space significantly reduced the transmission of viruses and microbes, with an effect similar to formalin or ultraviolet light exposure. A study of the phototoxicity of Chinese herbal medicines found that in mice treated with
UVA
UVA most often refers to:
* Ultraviolet A, a type of ultraviolet radiation
* University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Uva or UVA may also refer to:
Places
* Uva, Missouri, an unincorpora ...
ultraviolet radiation, ''A. japonica'' increased sunburn edema and formation of sunburn cells, and decreased local immune responses by decreasing epidermal Langerhans cells and contact hypersensitivity; but it also exerted its phototoxic effects on '' Candida albicans'', a potential therapeutic use.
A prenylated dihydrobenzofuran derivative isolated from ''A. lancea'', ''trans''-2-hydroxyisoxypropyl-3-hydroxy-7-isopentene-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran-5-carboxylic acid, was found to be
cytotoxic
Cytotoxicity is the quality of being toxic to cells. Examples of toxic agents are an immune cell or some types of venom, e.g. from the puff adder (''Bitis arietans'') or brown recluse spider (''Loxosceles reclusa'').
Cell physiology
Treating cells ...
to two cancer cell lines tested.
Other components of the rhizome include:
* taraxerol acetate and φ-taraxasteryl acetate
* β-sitosterol
* stigmasterol and stigmasterol 3-''O''-β-D-glucopyranoside
* β-eudesmol
* atractylenolides I-IV
* daucosterol
* several acylsucrose derivatives in which sucrose is modified by three to four 3-methylbutanoyl moieties.
* additional sesquiterpenes