Houttuynia cordata Thunb: An Ethnopharmacological Review

Abstract

Houttuynia cordata Thunb (H. cordata; Saururaceae) is widely distributed in Asian regions. It plays an important role in traditional health care and disease treatment, as its aboveground stems and leaves have a long medicinal history in China and are used in the treatment of pneumonia and lung abscess. In clinical treatment, it can usually be combined with other drugs to treat dysentery, cold, fever, and mumps; additionally, H. cordata is an edible plant. This review summarizes detailed information on the phytochemistry and pharmacological effects of H. cordata. By searching the keywords “H. cordata and lung”, “H. cordata and heart”, “H. cordata and liver”, and “H. cordata and inflammation” in PubMed, Web of Science and ScienceDirect, we screened out articles with high correlation in the past ten years, sorted out the research contents, disease models and research methods of the articles, and provided a new perspective on the therapeutic effects of H. cordata. A variety of its chemical constituents are characteristic of medicinal plants, the chemical constituents were isolated from H. cordata, including volatile oils, alkaloids, flavonoids, and phenolic acids. Flavonoids and volatile oils are the main active components. In pharmacological studies, H. cordata showed organ protective activity, such as reducing the release of inflammatory factors to alleviate lung injury. Moreover, H. cordata regulates immunity, enhances the immune barriers of the vagina, oral cavity, and intestinal tract, and combined with the antibacterial and antiviral activity of its extract, effectively reduces pathogen infection. Furthermore, experiments in vivo and in vitro showed significant anti-inflammatory activity, and its chemical derivatives exert potential therapeutic activity against rheumatoid arthritis. Antitumour action is also an important pharmacological activity of H. cordata, and studies have shown that H. cordata has a notable effect on lung tumour, liver tumour, colon tumour, and breast tumour. This review categorizes the biological activities of H. cordata according to modern research papers, and provides insights into disease prevention and treatment of H. cordata.

Traditional knowledge of edible plants used as flavoring for fish-grilling in Southeast Guizhou, China

“…Results suggested the palatability factor was a common consideration for locals when choosing plants to use as an accompaniment for grilled fish. Allium hookeri , Allium macrostemon and Houttuynia cordata showed 100% FL value, according to available studies [ 37 – 42 ]. These findings fully corroborated the availability hypothesis of such composite plants selected by the Dong people.…”

Potential medicinal plants involved in inhibiting 3CLpro activity: A practical alternate approach to combating COVID-19

“…Several studies have provided evidence that H. cordata possesses anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antioxidant and antiviral activities [65] , [66] , [67] . H. cordata has shown antiviral activities against the herpes and influenza viruses [68] . Lau et al [38] studied the aqueous extract of H. cordata using a fluorogenic protein-based assay and found that it exhibited potent activity against SARS-CoV-2 3CL pro at a concentration of 200 µg/mL.…”

The therapeutic potential of Houttuynia cordata: A current review

“…Throughout history, medicinal plants have always been valued sources of bioactive compounds that are used to prevent, treat and cure a host of common illnesses. The vast traditional knowledge of medicinal plants has accounted for 70-95% of treatment prescribed for many diseases especially in Asia, including India (X Wu et al, 2021). Important pharmacologically active compounds such as morphine (an analgesic), artemisinin and chloroquine (anti-malarial drugs), vinca alkaloids (cancer treatment), etc widely used in modern medicine are all plant-derived (Yuan et al, 2016).…”