The American Journal of Chinese Medicine

Blood was soul and Redness its active principle when red substances were rich in soul-content. But soul was a substance whence blood became a drug which donated soul to treat wounds and incurable diseases. Its redness as life-force, but also as substance, could prolong life. A drug made from human blood could treat serious wounds and as a life saving drug was also a drug of fertility. The latest use of blood appears as syrup haemoglobin while the latest use of human blood would be blood transfusion.

The effects of gossypol acetic on pregnancy, embryofoetal development and on some selected parameters of immunological response in mice were studied. Daily intragastric administration of gossypol (50 or 75 mg/kg/day) during day 1-15 of gestation in mice produced a dose-dependent embroyocidal effect (37.8% and 94.5% respectively) of non-viable foetuses. There was a significant reduction in foetal bodyweight when pregnant mice were treated with gossypol, although no foetal abnormalities were observed. Lymphocyte transformation induced by mitogen concanavalin A, was not inhibited by pretreatment with gossypol (25, 50 or 75 mg/kg/day) for 10 weeks. However, both plaque-forming cells to sheep red blood cell immunisation and the total spleen cell population were significantly depressed by higher doses (50 or 75 mg/kg/day) of gossypol.

The results of the present study indicate that gossypol is not teratogenic, but exerts embryocidal and a selective depression humoral immune response at high dose levels (50 or 75 mg/kg/day). It is not clear, whether the dose-dependent embryocidal and/or immunodepressive effects of gossypol are mediated by the parent compound or its metabolites, or whether these findings have any clinical relevance.

This report describes the effect produced by the complementary daily administration of Opuntia streptacantha sap to diabetic volunteer being under treatment with chlorpropamide. The plant product improved remarkably the general symptomatology of the patient as well as his insulin and glucose blood levels.

The effects of an ethanol extract of the plant Sophora flavescens Ait. on cardiac arrhythmias induced by coronary artery ligation in rats, and by aconitine infusion in mice, were studied. Pretreatment with intravenous injection of the extract, 120 mg/kg, significantly reduced the incidence and delayed the onset of ventricular tachycardia in rats subjected to ligation of the left coronary artery. The time of onset of both initial cardiac arrhythmias and prersistent ventricular tachycardia induced by aconitine infusion in mice was also significantly prolonged. These preliminary findings suggest that the ethanol extract of Sophara flavescens Ait. possesses antiarrhythmic activity.

A case of complete left bundle branch block complicating acute viral myocarditis successfully treated by Chinese herbal medicine is reported.

Complete left bundle branch block may be less commonly encountered in myocarditis. Treatment by Chinese herbal medicine for 49 days was successful in the management of this conduction disturbance. Follow-up studies, up to 3 months, produced normal electrocardiogram with good health.

The influence of glycyrrhizin on the effect of phospholipase A₂ on lysosomes was studied. Treatment of rat liver lysosomes with venom phospholipase A₂ caused release of acid phosphatase. This release of acid phosphatase was inhibited by 0.1 mM glycyrrhizin. Glycyrrhizin also inhibited acid phospholiase A₂ with pH optimum of 4.5, which is thought to be present in the lysosomal membrane.

These results suggests that glycyrrhizin stabilizes lysosomes by inhibiting phospholipase A₂ activity in the lysosomal membrane.

Studies were made on the effect of phospholiase A₂ on the stability of arterial wall lysosomes, and the influence of glycyrrhizin on this effect.

Lysosomal phospholipase A₂ activity was found to be increased in the aorta of hypercholesterolemic rats. Treatment of the lysosomal fraction of the arterial wall with venom phospholipase A₂ resulted in release of acid phosphatase, and addition of glycyrrhizin (0.1mM) inhibited this release. Lysosomal phospholipase A₂ in the arterial wall was also inhibited dose-independently by glycyrrhizin.

These results suggest that lysis of lysosomes was due to increase in phospholipase ₂ activity, and that glycyrrhizin stabilized the lysosomes by inhibiting phospholipase ₂ activity.

The cardiovascular pharmacology of two Chinese herbs, Salvia militiorrhiza (SM) and Panax motoginseng (Burk) F.H. Chen (PNG) were studied both in vivo and in vitro. Extracts of both herbs suppressed systemic blood pressure in albino rats and rabbits, an effect which was blocked or reversed by atropine, propranolol, and chlorpheniramine plus cimetidine. This reversed hypertension was blocked by phenoxybenzamine. These results indicate that these herbs have multiple effector sites in the cardiovascular system. This could be due to an increased utilization of extracellular calcium ions since the activity of SM on isolated blood vessels or rabbits was enhanced by 2mM Ca⁺⁺. The effects of aqueous extract of SM and purified active principles of SM (tanshinones) on rat and rabbit blood vessels in vitro were very similar both qualitatively and quantitatively. Both caused vasodilation of coronary arteries at all concentrations tested but induced vasodilation of renal, mesenteric and female arteries only at low concentrations. At higher concentrations, vasoconstriction was induced in these vessels. These results indicate that an economical decoction of SM is as efficacious as the more expensively isolated tanshinones. Both SM and PNG would be useful as antianginal agents since thye dilate coronary vessels. Their use in hypertension is questionable since they induce both vasodilation and vasoconstriction depending on dose and target vessel.

The ancient Chinese formula of "San-Huang-Hsieh-Hsin-Tang" (S-T) was originally used for patients with "epigastric fullness, flushing, restlessness, constipation and a hard pulse" (Chang 115 B.C.). All these symptoms are frequently observed in patients with essential hypertension. We assessed the antihypertensive and hemodynamic effects of this formula, and found that S-T decreased blood pressure, total peripheral resistance, heart rate and cardiac contractile force. S-T had no apparent effects on cardiac output and blood volume.

For examination of the effect on luteinizing hormone (LH) release of Wen-Jing-Tang, a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, the pituitary from normal female rats in diestrus was perifused alone or in sequence with the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) in a sequential double-chamber perifusion system. Wen-Jing-Tang at 5 or 500 μg/ml induced significant LH release (60-95 % increase) from the pituitary in series with the MBH, but had no effect on LH release from the pituitary perifused alone. These data suggest that Wen-Jing-Tang induces LH release from the pituitary through hypothalamic LH-RH.

Ovaries of rats 48 hours after injection of 10 IU PMS when 27 days old were incubated or perifused with NIH-LH, Hachimijiogan (TJ-7), Tokishakuyakusan (TJ-23) and Keishibukuryogan (TJ-25).

TJ-7, TJ-23 and TJ-25 decreased estradiol-17 β(E₂) and LH effects on progesterone secretions, while they increased progesterone in media and LH effects on E₂ secretions.

These results suggest that TJ-7, TJ-23 and TJ-25 stimulates preovulatory follicles to secrete progesterone but to suppress E₂ secretions. Furthermore, it is indicated their combination treatment with LH multiplies the sole effect of LH on E₂ secretions but suppresses LH effects on progesterone.

The anti-inflammatory drug Voltaren (0-(36-dichlorophenyl)-amino acetate) is a relatively new substance in the systemic treatment of various pain inducing diseases related to the musculoskeletal elements. In order to achieve effective results, relatively high dosage, applied P.O.P.R. or I.M. should be used for prolonged periods. The acupuncture methods presented the eastern minded western physician with a detailed list of trigger points which may have abrogated certain painful symptoms when appropriately used by acupuncture point GB 20 for the injection of Voltaren, in an attempt to relieve stable and prolonged tension headaches, has been considered. Thus, acceptable and combined eastern-western treatment method, if found successful, may be evolved. GB 20 point has been selected because of its effective influence among others, on tension headaches, a highly common and most distressing syndrome poorly treated by conventional approaches in most clinics.

28 patients suffering from multiple sclerosis were treated by acupuncture. The age of the patients ranged from 24 to 60 yr. Results of the treatment were satisfactory, but remarkable spontaneous remissions, characteristic for this illness, make any treatment difficult to evaluate. In this article the peculiar behaviour of all treated patients is described: increased sensibility of the skin over the acupuncture loci, while insertion of the acupuncture needles provoke spasms, clonus and even tonic-clonic contractions of the muscles of the extremities. This phenomenon is very specific and can be used as an early sign of this ill-fated illness.

The recording of the objective pulse diagnosis was performed and that meridian points were selected from this recording. The proper meridian points (five element points) according to the five element theory and the improper points (non-five element points) were stimulated. Pain threshold was elevated by the stimulation of five element points and not raised by non-five element points in a patient who had nasal ploypectomy under acupuncture analgesia and also in 6 of 9 healthy volunteers. Naloxone reversal of elevated pain threshold was also observed in volunteers.