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Pueraria Root
Pueraria Root
板葛根
Market name:板葛根
Photo location:Museum of Materia Medica, Inst. of Nat. Med.
TMPW No.:9349
Pueraria  lobata
Plant name:Pueraria lobata
Photo location:Gifu Pref., Japan
Photo date:1987
Photographer:K. Komatsu

Synonym  
Latin name Puerariae Radix
Botanical source: Family name Leguminosae
Botanical source: Plant name Pueraria lobata Ohwi (IPNI:214449-2)
Part used Tuberous root
Empirical criteria for quality selection Good one is powder white and rich in amyloid. Neither brown nor fibrous one is good.
The one that is produced in China is rich in amyloid and the one in Japan is high in fiber (TN).
Constituents Other aliphatic and related compounds:
D-(+)-Pinitol

Monosaccharides:
D-Mannitol

Polysaccharides:
Starch

Isoflavones:
Daidzin, Daidzein, Daidzein 4',7-diglucoside, Puerarin, Puerarin-7-xyloside, 4',6''-O-Diacetylpuerarin, Genistein, Formononetin,Kakkonein, Puerarol, Miroestrol

Simple nitrogen containing compounds:
Allantoin
Pharmacological effects Antipyretic, hyperglycemic (water extract). Spasmolytic (daidzein).
Indications As a drug for diaphoresis, antifebrile and antispasmodic, it is applied to treat cough, fever, stiffness and pain of nape and back.
Diseases Fever, Headache, stiffness in the back, Anhidrosis, Thirst, Muddy and watery stool, Diarrhea, Measles
Formulas kakkon'oren'ogonto , kakkonkajutsubuto , kakkonkahangeto , kakkonkokato , kakkonto , kakkontokasenkyushin'i , keishikakakkonto , saikatsugekito , saikatsutokasenkyushin'i , shomakakkonto , jinsoin , zenshibyakujutsusan , dokkatsukakkonto , hontonto (kinkiyoryaku) , reitakutsukito , reitakutsukitokashin'i
Meridian tropism Spleen, Stomach
Property Neutral
Flavor Sweet, Acrid/pungent
Classification in "Shen-non Ben-cao Jing" Middle
TCM: Classification Diaphoretics (Diaphoretics with cold propertiy)
TCM: Medicinal effects To relieve fever, to promote the production of body fluid, to facilitate eruption, and to arrest diarrhea. Used for fever, headache and stiffness of the nape in exogenous affections, thirst, diabetes, measles with inadequate eruption, acute dysentery or diarrhea, stiff and painful nape in hypertension.
Remarks Listed in the Japanese Pharmacopoeia 18th ed.
In China, not only Pueraria thomsonii Benth. but also P. pseudo-hirsuta Tang et Wang may be found in the market. Taiwanese gegen is the root of P. montana (Lour.) Merrill. (JP: Taiwankuzu). The Japanese Kuzudenpun, which is made from Gegen, is important ingredient of Kuzuyu (soup of starch gegen).
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
Pueraria lobata Ohwi (IPNI:214449-2)
rpoB-trnC
 EF549835
 trnS-trnG
  EF549930
clpP
  EU717225
rpl2
  EU717366
atpB
  EU717435
rps16
  EU717501
ycf4
  AF311835
Pueraria montana var. thomsonii M.R.Almeida (IPNI:20008484-1)
 

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Division of Medicinal Resources,
Department of Research and Development,
Institute of Natural Medicine,
University of Toyama
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