''Coptis chinensis'', the Chinese goldthread, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of goldthread flowering plant native to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Etymology

*''Coptis chinensis'' Franch. var. ''chinensis''''Coptis chinensis''
in BoDD – Botanical Dermatology Database **(syn. ''Coptis teeta'' Wallich var. ''chinensis'')

Chemical constituents

The

rhizomes In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

of ''Coptis chinensis'' contain the

isoquinoline alkaloids Isoquinoline alkaloids are natural products of the group of alkaloids, which are chemically derived from isoquinoline. They form the largest group among the alkaloids. Isoquinoline alkaloids can be further classified based on their different chem ...

berberine Berberine is a quaternary ammonium salt from the protoberberine group of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids found in such plants as ''Berberis vulgaris'' (barberry), '' Berberis aristata'' (tree turmeric), '' Mahonia aquifolium'' (Oregon grape), '' Hyd ...

palmatine Palmatine is a protoberberine alkaloid found in several plants including ''Phellodendron amurense'', ''Coptis Chinensis'' (Rhizoma coptidis, chinese goldthread) and '' Corydalis yanhusuo'', ''Tinospora cordifolia'' (gurjo, heart-leaved moonseed), ...

, and

coptisine Coptisine is an alkaloid found in Chinese goldthread (''Coptis chinensis''), greater celandine, and opium. Famous for the bitter taste that it produces, it is used in Chinese herbal medicine along with the related compound berberine Berberine ...

among others.

Traditional uses

''Coptis chinensis'' is one of the

50 fundamental herbs Chinese herbology () is the theory of traditional Chinese herbal therapy, which accounts for the majority of treatments in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). A ''Nature'' editorial described TCM as "fraught with pseudoscience", and said that t ...

used in

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of action ...

, where it is called ''duǎn è huánglián'' (). It has been proved to have anti‐cancer, anti‐inflammatory, and anti‐bacterial properties and to help to improve cardiovascular conditions.

Other uses

Because of the strong coloring quality of

, it has been traditionally used as a

dye A dye is a colored substance that chemically bonds to the substrate to which it is being applied. This distinguishes dyes from pigments which do not chemically bind to the material they color. Dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution an ...

, especially for

wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. As ...

and other fibers.

References

External links

WHO Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants
{{Taxonbar, from=Q842233 chinensis Plants used in traditional Chinese medicine Taxa named by Adrien René Franchet Plants described in 1897