Health Clinic

Posts Tagged ‘Drug Information’

Common Forms
Available as loose, dried roots and as tablets.

Source
The drug is extracted from the root of Panax notoginseng (also known as Aralia quinquefolia var. notoginseng), which belongs to the same family as panax or Chinese ginseng. The plant is native to the southern regions of China, and the root is cultivated before the plant flowers or after the fruit has ripened.

Chemical Components
Active constituents of the root appear to be saponins. The plant root also contains heteroglycans composed of glucose, galactose, arabinose, mannos e , and xylose.

Actions
The extract of the roots of P. notoginseng has exhibited antitumorigenic activity on mouse skin tumors . Studies have also demonstrated some calcium channel antagonism leading to antihypertensive and vasodilatory actions . A study using dogs found that notoginseng had electrophysiologic effects similar to those of amiodarone . An in vitro study found that notoginseng extract improved sperm motility as well . Notoginseng also was shown to improve learning and decrease memory deficits in rats .

Reported Uses
Notoginseng root is traditionally used in Chinese medicine to treat internal and external bleeding. It is taken internally to quell nosebleeds and blood in stool, urine, or lungs and for acute attacks of Crohn’s disease. Applied externally, it is used to relieve pain and swelling from bruises, cuts, sprains, and other external wounds. None of these treatments has been supported by controlled clinical trials in humans.
Notoginseng has been promoted to treat angina and hypertension based on animal studies that showed effects on circulation and blood pressure. The lack of controlled human trials with notoginseng root limits its therapeutic usefulness. Read the rest of this entry »