• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.54-59
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• 2021

Bergenia ciliata (Family: Saxifragaceae) is a folklore remedy for the treatment of various ailments in Asian countries. Bergenin (1) has been isolated as an active constituent in many studies, however, the amount of bergenin has not been determined in all parts of the plant. A simple RP-HPLC method was developed to determine the amount of bergenin in methanol extracts of leaves, rhizomes and roots of the plant. Separation was achieved on an Agilent Eclipse XDB-C18 column maintained at 25 ℃ using isocratic solvent system (water: methanol: acetic acid; 62.5:37:0.5 v/v/v) adjusted at pH 2 0 at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. and detected at 275 nm. Correlation coefficient (0.9952) showed linearity of concentration (5-200 ㎍/mL) and response. The values of LOD (0.00947 ㎍/mL) and LOQ (0.02869 ㎍/mL) indicated that method was sensitive. The recovery of bergenin was 99.99-100% indicating accuracy of method. The methanol extract of rhizomes contained higher amount of bergenin (19.4%) than roots (9.2%) and leaves (6.9%). It is concluded that methanol extract of rhizomes is a better source of bergenin than other parts of the plant. The findings are useful for standardization of bergenin containing extracts and herbal preparations.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.27-33
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• 2018

Objectives : The roots of Dipsacus asper had been used as the herbal medicine "Cheon-Sokdan" in Korea. Moreover, the roots of Phlomoides umbrosa were used as "Han-Sokdan." In the present study, a comparative anatomical comparison of Cheon-Sokdan, Han-Sokdan, and Ilbon-Sokdan were conducted, because Ilbon-Sokdan, the roots of Dipsacus japonicus, was regarded as substitute of Cheon-Sokdan. Methods : For this study, permanent preparations were made using a paraffin embedding method. Anatomical features of these three Sokdans were observed using a light microscope. Results : The starch grains of parenchyma cells and the amounts of calcium oxalate crystals hardly differed among the three plants. Particularly, the longitudinally-sectioned vessels of the three plants showed a wide variety depending on the focal depth of the light microscope. Therefore, these features could not be considered as obligate criteria for distinguishing these plants. The shape of the xylem was linear in Cheon-Sokdan and Ilbon-Sokdan, whereas that in Han-Sokdan was wedge-shaped. The phloem of Cheon-Sokdan and Ilbon-Sokdan were rhomboid, whereas that of Han-Sokdan was thimble-like. Therefore, the shape of xylem and phloem appeared as good criteria for distinguishing Han-Sokdan from the other plants studied. Cheon-Sokdan and Ilbon-Sokdan showed characteristics similar in many parts. However, in the xylem of Ilbon-Sokdan, fiber bundles were more developed than those of Cheon-Sokdan. Therefore, the development of fiber bundles in xylem was considered suitable for distinguishing between Cheon-Sokdan and Ilbon-Sokdan. Conclusions : The identification-keys established in this study would be helpful for identifying microscopic features among the three Sokdans.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.550-566
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• 2022

Stroke is among the leading causes of death and long-term physical and cognitive disabilities worldwide, affecting an estimated 15 million people annually. The pathophysiological process of stroke is complicated by multiple and coordinated events. The breakdown of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in people with stroke can significantly contribute to the development of ischemic brain injury. Therefore, BBB disruption is recognized as a hallmark of stroke; thus, it is important to develop novel therapeutic strategies that can protect against BBB dysfunction in ischemic stroke. Traditional medicines are composed of natural products, which represent a promising source of new ingredients for the development of conventional medicines. Indeed, several studies have shown the effectiveness of Korean medicine on stroke, highlighting the value of Korean medicinal treatment for ischemic stroke. This review summarizes the current information and underlying mechanisms regarding the ameliorating effects of the formula, decoction, herbs, and active components of traditional Korean medicine on cerebral ischemia-induced BBB disruption. These traditional medicines were shown to have protective effects on the BBB in many cellular and animal ischemia models of stroke, and experiments in various animal species, such as mice and rats. In addition, they showed brain-protective effects by protecting the BBB through the regulation of tight junction proteins and matrix metalloproteinase-9, reducing edema, neuroinflammation, and neuronal cell death. We hope that this review will help promote further investigation into the neuroprotective effects of traditional Korean medicines and stimulate the performance of clinical trials on Korean herbal medicine-derived drugs in patients with stroke.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.57-62
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• 2011

Sometimes inhabitants in remote areas have inadequate or no access to modern medicines or medical services. They can get benefit in term of the treatment against malaria by cultivating selected breeding of A. annua and making teas or decoctions from the plant materials following the proper way of tea preparation. In order to have the maximum extraction efficiency for artemisinin, different ways of tea preparations of A. annua were investigated by applying the developed DPP method and described in this article. Tea was prepared by three different ways (cooking, without cooking with/without shaking and microwave oven) with different times. From the results, it has been found that higher concentration of artemisinin (84.7%) can be attained by following the approach for tea preparation without cooking with shaking for 15 minutes (R.S.D. 2.34%). The concentration of artemisinin decreases with cooking more than 1.5 min in microwave oven. The utmost extraction (88.9% of artemisinin) is possible to extract by shaking with boiled 5% ethanol in distilled water (R.S.D. 2.28%).

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2017

Cichorium intybus L. (chicory) roots and leaves are widely used in herbal preparations, which have beneficial effects on the stimulation of digestion and metabolism of food ingredients, gastric juice excretion, diuretic action, and bile excretion. Notably, chicory root is well known as a source of polyphenols, compounds with recognized value in health improvement. In this study, we examined the physicochemical characteristics (TA, pH, and sensory evaluation) of bioactive yoghurt containing different concentrations of chicory. With increasing incubation time (5 h), the TA of the yoghurt increased whereas the pH decreased, regardless of the amount of chicory. As the amount of chicory increased, the scores for color, flavor, taste, and overall acceptability generally decreased. Among the tested groups, yoghurt with the addition of 1% chicory attained the highest scores. Further studies on the production of bioactive yogurt with optimum chicory concentration are needed.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.111-131
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• 2002

Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) received a great deal of attention from the Orient and West as a tonic agent, health food and/or alternative herbal therapeutic agent. However, controversy with respect to scientific evidence on pharmacological effects especially, evaluation of clinical efficacy and the methodological approach still remains to be solved. Author reviewed those articles published since 1980 when pharmacodynamic studies on ginseng have intensively started. Special concern was paid on metabolic disorders including diabetes mellitus, circulatory disorders, malignant tumor, sexual dysfunction, and physical and mental performance to give clear information to those who are interested in pharmacological study of ginseng and to promote its clinical use. With respect to chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, malignant disorders, and sexual disorders, it seems that ginseng plays preventive and restorative role rather than therapeutics. Particularly, ginseng plays a significant role in ameliorating subjective symptoms and preventing quality of life from deteriorating by long term exposure of chemical therapeutic agents. Also it seems that the potency of ginseng is mild, therefore it could be more effective when used concomitantly with conventional therapy. Clinical studies on the tonic effect of ginseng on work performance demonstrated that physical and mental dysfunction induced by various stresses are improved by increasing adaptability of physical condition. However, the results obtained from clinical studies cannot be mentioned in the indication, which are variable upon the scientist who performed those studies. In this respect, standardized ginseng product and providing planning of the systematic clinical research in double-blind randomized controlled trials are needed to assess the real efficacy for proposing ginseng indication. Pharmacological mode of action of ginseng has not yet been fully elucidated. Pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic researches reveal that the role of ginseng not seem to be confined to a given single organ. It has been known that ginseng plays a beneficial role in such general organs as central nervous, endocrine, metabolic, immune systems, which means ginseng improves general physical and mental conditons. Such multivalent effect of ginseng can be attributed to the main active component of ginseng,ginsenosides or non-saponin compounds which are also recently suggested to be another active ingredients. As is generally the similar case with other herbal medicines, effects of ginseng cannot be attributed as a given single compound or group of components. Diversified ingredients play synergistic or antagonistic role each other and act in harmonized manner. A few cases of adverse effect in clinical uses are reported, however, it is not observed when standardized ginseng products are used and recommended dose was administered. Unfavorable interaction with other drugs has also been suggested, which the information on the products and administered dosage are not available. However, efficacy, safety, interaction or contraindication with other medicines has to be more intensively investigated in order to promote clinical application of ginseng. For example, daily recommended doses per day are not agreement as 1-2g in the West and 3-6 g in the Orient. Duration of administration also seems variable according to the purpose. Two to three months are generally recommended to feel the benefit but time- and dose-dependent effects of ginseng still need to be solved from now on. Furthermore, the effect of ginsenosides transformed by the intestinal microflora, and differential effect associated with ginsenosides content and its composition also should be clinically evaluated in the future. In conclusion, the more wide-spread use of ginseng as a herbal medicine or nutraceutical supplement warrants the more rigorous investigations to assess its effacy and safety. In addition, a careful quality control of ginseng preparations should be done to ensure an acceptable standardization of commercial products.