Ethnomedicine, Botany, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Pharmacokinetics, and Toxicity of Rhizoma Corydalis: A Systematic Review

Rhizoma Corydalis (RC) is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine (TCM) known as Yan Hu Suo or Yuan Hu in China. This plant is a limited resource distributed in Zhe Jiang, Shaan Xi, Jiang Su, and other places of China. The aim of this paper is to provide a systematic review on the traditional uses, botany, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and pharmacokinetics of this plant. Furthermore, the potential development and perspectives for upcoming research on RC are also discussed. At present, over 160 compounds have been isolated and identified from RC, including alkaloids, anthraquinone, amino acids, organic acids, essential oils and microelements. RC was demonstrated to possess wide-reaching pharmacological properties, including effects on the nervous system, cardiovascular system, analgesic properties, sedative and anti-epileptic effects, antidepressive and anti-anxiety effects, antimyocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MIR) injury activities, anticerebral ischemia/reperfusion (CIR) injury activities, gastro-protective effects, and anticancer effects. In TCM clinical treatments, Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Myrrha, Cinnamomi Ramulus, and Paeoniae Radix Rubra were compatible with RC and frequently used to treat chest pain, lumbago, and abdominal pain. However, further research elucidating the signaling pathways between chemical compounds and targets in order to better understand the mechanism by which RC might be treated, and to optimize for quality control in processing products of RC is necessary.