Systemic Studies on Arctii Fructus

Arctii fructus is the dry seeds of Arctium lappa L. and generally used as an herbal medicine in traditional Chinese medicine. The pharmacognosy and anticancer constituents of Arctii fructus as well as the ecological suitability of Arctium lappa and its suitable cultivation regions in China were studied. Our research established a method for distinguishing Arctii fructus from its adulterations. In Chinese patent medicine, the processed Arctii fructus was mostly used. The optimal procedure for the processing of Arctii fructus were studied and the processing principle of Arctii Fructus was determined to be: 1) Protect arctiin from degradation by hydrolytic enzyme in fructus arctii; 2) Extract the active constituents from arctii fructus easier by making the pericarp texture of arctii fructus crispy; 3) Abate the nature of arctii fructus by attenuating the purgative action by a decreasing content of lipids and arctiin. Dao-Di-Yao-Cai means the best and highest quality of Chinese medicine materials. It is a unique index for evaluation of Chinese medicine in traditional Chinese medicine and the result of long-time clinical experience of practitioners. The suitable cultivation regions for Arctii fructus in China were determined on the basis of its ecological suitablility.