Ethnobotany, Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Properties of Eucommia ulmoides: A Review

Abstract

Eucommia ulmoides Oliver, a single species of Eucommia genus belonging to the Eucommiaceae family, is an endemic in China and has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for nearly two thousand years. Records from different historical periods highlight E. ulmoides and its officinal botanical parts, usefulness in adaptation to disease and its central role in Chinese medicine theory. There are also historical collection documents for minorities in China. Tearing the leaves, bark and fruit produces strands of latex; a description of E. ulmoides’s morphological features is recorded in this paper. This review summarizes 204 natural compounds isolated from this plant, which are divided into seven categories: lignans, iridoids, flavonoids, phenols, steroids, terpenes and others. These components possess wide-ranging pharmacological efficacies, such as antihypertensive, antihyperglycemic, antihyperlipidemia, anti-oxidative, anti-osteoporosis, antitumor, immunomodulatory and neuroprotective activities. This review aims to provide a reference for extensive researches of E. ulmoides crude drugs, especially for quality control, biosynthesis and structure modification of active ingredients and pharmacological mechanism.

Geographic Authentication of Eucommia ulmoides Leaves Using Multivariate Analysis and Preliminary Study on the Compositional Response to Environment

“…For instance, the absorbance peak at 1,607 cm -1 is incorporated with the C═O stretching of flavones. A total of 36 flavonoids have been reported in E. ulmoides (Wang et al, 2019), including quercetin, astragalin, rutin, and hyperin, etc. At visual, there is no…”

“…Various compounds were extracted and identified from each part of E. ulmoides. These include lignans, iridoids, flavonoids, phenols, steroids, and terpenes and nutrients, i.e., amino acids, vitamins, and mineral elements (Hussain et al, 2016;Wang et al, 2019). In modern pharmacological studies, researchers have proved that chemical profiles possess encouraging medical curing effects on hypertension, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, antioxidant, etc.…”

“…In modern pharmacological studies, researchers have proved that chemical profiles possess encouraging medical curing effects on hypertension, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, antioxidant, etc. (Luo et al, 2010;Xie et al, 2015;Niu et al, 2016;Wang et al, 2019). The medicinal parts of E. ulmoides are its barks (Eucommiae Cortex) and leaves (Eucommiae Folium) as mentioned in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission, 2015).…”

Eucommia ulmoides leaf extract alters gut microbiota composition, enhances short‐chain fatty acids production, and ameliorates osteoporosis in the senescence‐accelerated mouse P6 (SAMP6) model

“…The stem and bark of E. ulmoides have been used as a folk medicine in China, Korea, and Japan for hundreds of years, to treat lumbago induced by kidney deficiency and to increase human longevity (Wang et al, 2019). It is now listed in the Pharmacopoeia of China as a medicine to cure hypertension, impotence, lumbago, and ischialgia.…”

Cloning and characterization of the DIR1 promoter from Eucommia ulmoides Oliv and its response to hormonal and abiotic stress

“…E. ulmoides is also a rich source of collagen and has attracted considerable attention (Nakazawa and Toda 1995;Zhao 2019). Over 200 compounds have been isolated from E. ulmoides, including lignin, cycloole n ethers, and terpenes, as well as pharmacologically active phenylpropanoids, iridoids, and pinoresinol diglucoside (Wang et al 2019;Zou et al 2019;Liu et al 2020). Pinoresinol diglycoside is a lignan from E. ulmoides that is known to have medicinal properties (Zou et al 2019).…”