Cnidium monnieri

Background

Chinese Name (pinyin): Shechuangzi

Chinese Name  :

Common Name  :Cnidium Fruit

Specific Name  : Fructus cnidii

Scientific Name:
Collection  : The drug is collected in summer or autumn when ripe, removed from foreign matter and dried in the sun.

Description  : Cremecarp, ellipsoidal, 2 - 4mm long, about 2mm in diameter. Externally greyish yellow or greyish brown, with 2 outcurved stylopods at the summit and sometimes with a fine fruit stlk at the base. Dorsal surface of mericarp with fie thin and longitudinal ridges, commissural surface flattened with two brown and slightly raised longitudinal ribs. Pericarrp lax and fragile, easily rubbed off, seed small, greyish brown and oily. Odor aromatic, taste pungent, cool and numb.

Identification  : 1.Transverse section of mericarp: Epicarp composed of 1 layer of flattened, cuticularized cells. Mesocarp relatively thick, longitudinal ridges extremely raised with vascular bundles in the middle, surrounded by thick-walled and lignified reticulate cells, dorsal surface showing 1 ellipsoidal vitta between every 2 longitudinal ridges, commissural surface showing 2 vittae altogether up to 6. Endocarp consisting of 1 layer of flattened cells with beaded walls. Testa consisting of 1 layer of pale brown cells. Cells of endosperm conatining numerous aleurone grains, each embedding with fine clusters of calcium oxalate.2.To 2g of the powder add 20ml of ethanol, heat under reflux for 30 minutes and filter. Spots several drops of the filtrate on a white porcelain plate. Examine under ultra violet light (365nm), a bluish purple fluorescence is shown. To 2ml of the filtrate add and equal volume of 3% sodium carbonate solution and heat for 5 minutes. Allow to cool. Add 1 - 2 drops of reshly prepared diazotized p-nitroaniline TS, a cherry color is produced.3.To about 0.3g of the coarse powder, add 5ml of ethanol, ultrasonicate for 5 minutes, lay aside for a while and use the supernate as the test solution. Dissolve osthol CRS with ethanol to produce a solution containing 1mg per ml as the reference solution. Carry out the method for thin layer chromatography (Appendix Vl B), using silica gel G containing sodium carboxymethylcellulose as the coating substance and benzene-ethyl acetate (30:1) as the mobile phase. Apply separately 2µl of each of the two solutions to the plate. After developing and removal of the plate, dry it in the air and examine it under ultra violet light (365nm). The fluorescent spot in the chromatogram obtained with the test solution corresponds in position and color to spot in the chromatogram obtained with the reference solution.Assay: Weigh accurately 1 g of the powder (through no.3 sieve), previously dried in vacuum in a phosphorus pentoxide desiccator to constant weight into a stoppered conical flask. Add accurately 20 ml of ethanol, shake and allow to stand overnight, filter, discard the primary filtrate and collect the successive filtrate as the test solution. Disolve osthol CRS in ethanol to produce a solution containing 1mg per ml as the reference solution. Carry out the method for thin layer chromatography (Appendix Vl B), using silica gel G containing sodium carboxymethylcellulose as the coating substance and benzene-ethyl acetate (30:1) as the mobile phase. Apply separately 1µl of each of the two solution to the plate, after developing and removal of the plate, dry it in tha air. Carry out the method for thin layer chromatogaphic scanning (Appendix Vl B), apply the linear fluorescent scanning at excitation wave ?=365nm. Determine the integral fluorescence absorbance value of test solution and reference solution respectively and calculate the content of the asthol. It contains not les than 1.0% of osthol (C10H16O3)

Processing  :

Action  : To warm the kidney and promote virility, to remove damp, to dispel wind, and to kill parasites.

Indication  : impotence, frigidity, excessive leukorrhea caused by cold-damp; lumbago due to attack of damp external: eczema of external genitalia, vulval itching, trichomonas vaginitis

Precautions  :

Dosage  : 3 to 9 g; appropriate quantity to be made into hot decoction for fuming and washing, or to be ground into powder for topical application after mix with liquid.

Storage  : Preserve in a dry place.

Evidence or the Use of Cnidium monnieri in the Treatment of Epilepesy

1st Five Results: pubmed search

Da-Ae Kwon, Su-Bin Bak, Yong Sang Kim, Seul-Ki Kim, Hak Sung Lee
Antioxidant and Anti-Fatigue Effects of a Standardized Botanical Extract Fraction (HemoHIM) in Forced-Exercised Aged Mice.
J Med Food: 2024;
[PubMed:38669056] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I a)

Mesele Tilahun Belete, Se Eun Kim, Workitu Firmosa Gudeta, Davaajargal Igori, Jeong A Kwon, Su-Heon Lee, Jae Sun Moon
Deciphering the virome of Chunkung (Cnidium officinale) showing dwarfism-like symptoms via a high-throughput sequencing analysis.
Virol J: 2024, 21(1);86
[PubMed:38622686] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I e)

Toshio Morikawa, Naoki Inoue, Saya Yamamoto, Miyuki Shiotani, Yoshiaki Manse, Kiyofumi Ninomiya
Alkylphthalides with intracellular triglyceride metabolism-promoting activity from the rhizomes of Cnidium officinale Makino.
J Nat Med: 2024;
[PubMed:38575838] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I a)

Yue Han, Wurigemu Lipeizhong, Xinqi Liang, Zhiping Cai, Weiru Liu, Jifei Dou, Yanhui Lu, Jianping Zhang, Shaoshan Wang, Jie Su
##Title##
Insects: 2024, 15(3);
[PubMed:38535385] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P e)

Tianshu Xu, Jiyuan Yin, Xuan Dai, Tianyuan Liu, Hanfen Shi, Yueyi Zhang, Shan Wang, Gaiyue Yue, Yanfei Zhang, Dandan Zhao, Sihua Gao, Marc Prentki, Lili Wang, Dongwei Zhang
Cnidii Fructus: A traditional Chinese medicine herb and source of antiosteoporotic drugs.
Phytomedicine: 2024, 128;155375
[PubMed:38507853] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I a)