Polygala Root
Market name:遠志 Photo location:Museum of Materia Medica, Inst. of Nat. Med. TMPW No.:10825 |
Plant name:Polygala tenuifolia Photo location:Mongolia Photo date:2004 Photographer:K. Komatsu |
Synonym | |
Latin name | Polygalae Radix |
Botanical source: Family name | Polygalaceae |
Botanical source: Plant name | Polygala tenuifolia Willdenow (IPNI:692440-1) |
Part used | Root, from which the central woody portion has been removed |
Empirical criteria for quality selection | Good one is enlarged, thick and has irregular surface. Neither thin nor stiff one is good (TN). |
Constituents | Monosaccharides: Polygalitol Triterpenoids: β-Amyrin Triterpenoid saponins: Onjisaponin A (= Senegin IV), Onjisaponin B (= Senegin III), Onjisaponin C, Onjisaponin D, Onjisaponin E, Onjisaponin F, Onjisaponin G Phenylpropanoids: 3,4,5-Trimethoxycinnamic acid Xanthones: 3-Hydroxy-2,6,7,8-tetramethoxyxanthone, 2,6,7,8-Tetramethoxyxanthone, 2,3,6,7,8-Pentamethoxyxanthone Flavanones & Dihydroflavonols: Onsitin |
Pharmacological effects | Inhibition of phosphodiesterase (onjisaponin B, E, F); central nervous system inhibition (onjisaponin F) |
Indications | As a tranquilizer, expectorant and tonic, it is applied to treat forgetfulness, dream-disturbed sleep, cough, phlegm-heat and carbuncles. |
Diseases | Palpitation, Insomnia, Amnesia, Dementia, Cough, A lot of sputum, Pyogenic dermatosis |
Formulas | kamiuntanto , kamikihito , kihito , ninjin'yoeito |
Meridian tropism | Lung, Heart, Kidney |
Property | Warm |
Flavor | Bitter, Acrid/pungent |
Classification in "Shen-non Ben-cao Jing" | Superior |
TCM: Classification | Sedatives and tranquilizers |
TCM: Medicinal effects | To induce sedation and benefit mentality, to promote expectoration, and to cause subsidence of swelling. Used for insomnia, dream-disturbed sleep, forgetfulness, palpitation, trance, cough with sputum difficult to expectorate, boils and sores, swelling and pain in the breast. |
Remarks | Listed in the Japanese Pharmacopoeia 18th ed. |
References | TN: T. Namba & Y. Tsuda ed., Outline of Pharmacognosy, a Textbook, 3rd ed., Nankodo Co., Ltd., Tokyo, 1998. |
DNA sequences of medicinal plants
Gene Region | |||||||||||||||||||
Nuclear | Chloroplast | Mitochondria | |||||||||||||||||
Botanical source: Plant name | 5Ss | 18S | ITS1 | 5.8S | ITS2 | 26S | others | trnH-psbA | matK | trnK | trnK-rps16 | trnT-L | trnL | trnL-F | rbcL | rpoC1 | ndhF | others | |