• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.187-193
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• 2014

To identify potential gastrointestinal prokinetic agents, water and 70% ethanol extracts and isolated compounds from 41 different traditional medicinal herbs were evaluated for the stimulation of gastrointestinal (GI) motility in vivo. Of the 41 water and 70% ethanol extracts, 12 extracts were found to enhance GI motility activity in mice by more than 10%. The 12 extracts are as follows: Atractylodes japonica (root), Crataegus pinnatifida (flower), Aucklandia lappa (root), Inula helenium (root), Cynanchum wilfordii (root), Chinese Liriope platyphylla (root), Codonopsis pilosula (root), Glehnia littoralis (root), Pinellia ternate (tuber), Agastache rugosa (aerial part), Angelica decursiva (whole plant), and Peucedanum praeruptorum (whole plant). In particular, the extracts from Atractylodes japonica (root), Cynanchum wilfordii (root) and Angelica decursiva (whole plant) have demonstrated the highest GI motility activity. In addition, 26 isolated compounds from the medicinal herbs were tested, and 8 isolated compounds were found to be active. They are ${\alpha}$-ionone, ${\beta}$-ionone, trans-caryophyllene, cedrol, methyl-3,5-di-O-E-caffeoyl-quinate, lobetyolin, oleoyllinoleoylolein and cis-jasmone. ${\beta}$-ionone from Aucklandia lappa (root) showed the most potent GI motility activity. The active traditional medicinal herbs and isolated compounds might be therapeutically advantageous in the treatment of GI motility disorders.