Ethnobotanical Survey of Natural Galactagogues Prescribed in Traditional Chinese Medicine Pharmacies in Taiwan

Chao, Jung; Ko, Chien-Yu; Lin, Chin‐Yu; Maeda, Tomoji; Huang, Chia-Hung; Chiang, Hung-Che; Yang, Jeng-Fu; Huang, Shyh-Shyun; Su, Shan-Yu

doi:10.3389/fphar.2020.625869

Cited by 14 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 149 publications

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“…In this study, field investigation was employed to study skin whitening prescriptions sold in TCM pharmacies in Taiwan. Field investigations are mostly used in sociology, geography, or cultural studies and was previously employed to examine the drug treatment habits for certain diseases in some regions, such as traditional Chinese medicine composition used in galactagogues prescriptions ( Chao et al, 2020 ), herbal composition of Qīng-Căo-Chá tea ( Huang et al, 2020 ), and medicinal materials used for hypertension ( Baharvand-Ahmadi et al, 2016 ). Traditional Chinese Medicine, the mainstay of Asian culture, is a form of experience-based therapies, and is a medical care system for diagnosing, preventing, and treating diseases ( Xu et al, 2013 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethnobotanical Survey on Skin Whitening Prescriptions of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Taiwan

Chao

Chen

et al. 2021

Front. Pharmacol.

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The increasing interest and demand for skin whitening products globally, particularly in Asia, have necessitated rapid advances in research on skin whitening products used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Herein, we investigated 74 skin whitening prescriptions sold in TCM pharmacies in Taiwan. Commonly used medicinal materials were defined as those with a relative frequency of citation (RFC) > 0.2 and their characteristics were evaluated. Correlation analysis of commonly used medicinal materials was carried out to identify the core component of the medicinal materials. Of the purchased 74 skin whitening prescriptions, 36 were oral prescriptions, 37 were external prescriptions, and one prescription could be used as an oral or external prescription. After analysis, 90 traditional Chinese medicinal materials were obtained. The Apiaceae (10%; 13%) and Leguminosae (9%; 11%) were the main sources of oral and external medicinal materials, respectively. Oral skin whitening prescriptions were found to be mostly warm (46%) and sweet (53%), while external skin whitening prescriptions included cold (43%) and bitter (29%) medicinal materials. Additionally, mainly tonifying and replenishing effects of the materials were noted. Pharmacological analysis indicated that these medicinal materials may promote wound healing, treat inflammatory skin diseases, or anti-hyperpigmentation. According to the Spearman correlation analysis on interactions among medicinal materials with an RFC > 0.2 in the oral skin whitening prescriptions, Paeonia lactiflora Pall. (white) and Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. showed the highest correlation (confidence score = 0.93), followed by Ziziphus jujuba Mill. (red) and Astragalus propinquus Schischkin (confidence score = 0.91). Seven medicinal materials in external skin whitening prescriptions with an RFC > 0.2, were classified as Taiwan qī bái sàn (an herbal preparation), including Angelica dahurica (Hoffm.) Benth. & Hook. f. ex Franch. & Sav., Wolfiporia extensa (Peck) Ginns, Bletilla striata (Thunb.) Rchb. f., Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz., Ampelopsis japonica (Thunb.) Makino, Paeonia lactiflora Pall. (white), and Bombyx mori Linnaeus. Skin whitening prescriptions included multiple traditional Chinese medicinal materials. Despite the long history of use, there is a lack of studies concerning skin whitening products, possibly due to the complex composition of traditional Chinese medicine. Further studies are required to assess the efficacy and safety of these traditional Chinese medicinal materials for inclusion in effective, safe, and functional pharmacological products.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethnobotanical Survey on Skin Whitening Prescriptions of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Taiwan

Chao

Chen

et al. 2021

Front. Pharmacol.

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“…Topics related to medicinal botanicals that employed field investigation in the past include quality control of authentic medicinal materials (Zhao et al, 2012), green herb tea , herbal tea , medicinal diets (Tan et al, 2017), and herbal compositions of lactation promoting herbs (Chao et al, 2020). In the present study, the field survey was adopted on Taiwanese bitter tea.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Core network analysis was carried out using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Inheritance Support System (TCMISS) v2.5 (Wu et al, 2019;Chao et al, 2020;. Several matching frequency conditions were input into the software to find a suitable network diagram.…”

Section: Core Network Analysis Of Bitter Tea Use In Taiwanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethnobotanical Survey on Bitter Tea in Taiwan

et al. 2022

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Ethnopharmacological evidence: In Taiwan, herbal tea is considered a traditional medicine and has been consumed for hundreds of years. In contrast to regular tea, herbal teas are prepared using plants other than the regular tea plant, Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze. Bitter tea (kǔ-chá), a series of herbal teas prepared in response to common diseases in Taiwan, is often made from local Taiwanese plants. However, the raw materials and formulations have been kept secret and verbally passed down by store owners across generations without a fixed recipe, and the constituent plant materials have not been disclosed.Aim of the study: The aim was to determine the herbal composition of bitter tea sold in Taiwan, which can facilitate further studies on pharmacological applications and conserve cultural resources.Materials and methods: Interviews were conducted through a semi-structured questionnaire. The surveyed respondents were traditional sellers of traditional herbal tea. The relevant literature was collated for a systematic analysis of the composition, characteristics, and traditional and modern applications of the plant materials used in bitter tea. We also conducted an association analysis of the composition of Taiwanese bitter tea with green herb tea (qing-cao-cha tea), another commonly consumed herbal tea in Taiwan, as well as herbal teas in neighboring areas outside Taiwan.Results: After visiting a total of 59 stores, we identified 32 bitter tea formulations and 73 plant materials. Asteraceae was the most commonly used family, and most stores used whole plants. According to a network analysis of nine plant materials used in high frequency as drug pairs, Tithonia diversifolia and Ajuga nipponensis were found to be the core plant materials used in Taiwanese bitter tea.Conclusion: Plant materials used in Taiwanese bitter tea were distinct, with multiple therapeutic functions. Further research is required to clarify their efficacy and mechanisms.

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“…After referring to ethnopharmacology literature, medicinal materials with an RFC >0.2 were deemed to be commonly used medicinal materials (Chao et al, 2020;Ko et al, 2021;Su et al, 2021). Following this, the PubMed database was used to search for modern pharmacological research on these commonly used medicinal materials by using [(the scientific names of medicinal materials) and (Metabolic Diseases)] as keywords.…”

Section: Analysis and Sorting Of Medicinal Materials Informationmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Ethnopharmaceutical Study on the Hypolipidemic Formulae in Taiwan Issued by Traditional Chinese Medicine Pharmacies

Chi

Chao

et al. 2022

Front. Pharmacol.

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Globally, approximately one-third of ischemic heart diseases are due to hyperlipidemia, which has been shown to cause various metabolic disorders. This study was aimed to disassemble and analyze hypolipidemic formulae sold by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) pharmacies. Using commonly used statistical parameters in ethnopharmacology, we identified the core drug combination of the hypolipidemic formulae, thereby exploring the strategy by which the Taiwanese people select hypolipidemic drugs. Most important of all, we preserved the inherited knowledge of TCM. We visited 116 TCM pharmacies in Taiwan and collected 91 TCM formulae. The formulae were mainly disassembled by macroscopical identification, and the medicinal materials with a relative frequency of citation (RFC) >0.2 were defined as commonly used medicinal materials. Subsequently, we sorted the information of medicinal materials recorded in the Pharmacopeia, searched for modern pharmacological research on commonly used medicinal materials using PubMed database, and visualized data based on the statistical results. Finally, the core hypolipidemic medicinal materials used in folk medicine were obtained. Of the 91 TCM formulae collected in this study, 80 traditional Chinese medicinal materials were used, belonging to 43 families, predominantly Lamiaceae. Roots were the most commonly used part as a medicinal material. There were 17 commonly used medicinal materials. Based on medicinal records in Pharmacopeia, most flavors and properties were warm and pungent, the majority traditional effects were "tonifying and replenishing" and "blood-regulating." Besides, the targeted diseases searching from modern pharmacological studies were diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia. The core medicinal materials consisted of Astragalus mongholicus Bunge and Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge, and the core formulae were

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Ethnobotanical Survey of Natural Galactagogues Prescribed in Traditional Chinese Medicine Pharmacies in Taiwan

Cited by 14 publications

References 149 publications

Ethnobotanical Survey on Skin Whitening Prescriptions of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Taiwan

Ethnobotanical Survey on Skin Whitening Prescriptions of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Taiwan

Ethnobotanical Survey on Bitter Tea in Taiwan

An Ethnopharmaceutical Study on the Hypolipidemic Formulae in Taiwan Issued by Traditional Chinese Medicine Pharmacies

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