''Lindera aggregata'' is a plant species belonging to the genus ''

Lindera Dried fruits of ''Lindera neesiana'' used as spice (coll. MHNT) ''Lindera'' is a genus of about 80–100

Other names

Engl.: evergreen lindera, Japanese evergreen spicebush.
TCM: trad. 烏藥, simpl. 乌药 or 乌乐, pinyin: wūyào.
Bot. syn.: ''Benzoin strychnifolium'' (Sieb. & Zucc.) Kuntze, ''Daphnidium strychnifolium'' Sieb. & Zucc., ''Laurus aggregata'' Sims, ''Lindera eberhardtii'' Lecomte, ''Lindera strychnifolia'' (Sieb. & Zucc.) Fern.

Use

乌药, ''radix lindera'', is present in the

Compendium of Materia Medica The ''Bencao gangmu'', known in English as the ''Compendium of Materia Medica'' or ''Great Pharmacopoeia'', is an encyclopedic gathering of medicine, natural history, and Chinese herbology compiled and edited by Li Shizhen and published in th ...

and

Kampo herb list ''Kampō'' (or ''Kanpō'', 漢方) medicine is the Japanese study and adaptation of traditional Chinese medicine. In 1967, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare approved four ''kampo'' medicines for reimbursement under the National ...

. It is an ingredient in the traditional Chinese medicine pill

Chaihu Shugan Wan Chaihu Shugan Wan () is a blackish-brown honeyed pill used in Traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share o ...

against "stagnation of liver qi, distension of chest and hypochondria, indigestion, and acid eructation", and in the Lindera Combination Teapills (simpl. 天台乌药丸, trad. 天臺烏藥丸, pinyin : tiāntái wūyào wán), a

Chinese classic herbal formula Chinese classic herbal formulas () are combinations of herbs used in Chinese herbology for supposed greater efficiency in comparison to individual herbs. They are the basic herbal formulas that students of Traditional Chinese medicine learn. Later ...

Biochemistry

A type proanthocyanidin A type proanthocyanidins are a specific type of proanthocyanidins, which are a class of flavonoid. Proanthocyanidins fall under a wide range of names in the nutritional and scientific vernacular, including oligomeric proanthocyanidins, flavonoids, ...

trimer (epicatechin-(4β→8,2β→O→7)-entcatechin-(4β-8)-catechin) can be found in ''Lindera aggregata''. In a study this compound showed cytoprotective action against ethanol-induced gastric injury in Sprague-Dawley rats. Four alkaloids (

boldine Boldine is an alkaloid of the aporphine class that is characteristic of the boldo ''Peumus boldus'', commonly known as boldo (from the Mapuche name ''foḻo''), is a species of tree in the family Monimiaceae and the only species in the genus ...

, norboldine,

reticuline Reticuline is an alkaloid found in opium and a variety of plants including ''Lindera aggregata'', ''Annona squamosa'', and ''Ocotea#Selected species, Ocotea fasciculata'' (also known as ''Ocotea duckei''). Experiments in rodents suggest reticuli ...

and linderegatine) can also be found in ''L. aggregata''.

References

aggregata {{Laurales-stub