''Phellodendron amurense'' is a species of tree in the family
Rutaceae
The Rutaceae is a family, commonly known as the rue[RUTACEAE](_blank)
in BoDD – Botanical Der ...
, commonly called the Amur cork tree. It is a major source of ''
huáng bò'' ( or
黄 檗), one of the
50 fundamental herbs 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 acti ...
. The
Ainu people used this plant, called shikerebe-ni, as a painkiller.
It is known as ''hwangbyeok'' in Korean and (キハダ) ''kihada'' in Japanese.
It is native to eastern Asia: northern China, northeast China, Korea,
Ussuri
The Ussuri or Wusuli (russian: Уссури; ) is a river that runs through Khabarovsk and Primorsky Krais, Russia and the southeast region of Northeast China. It rises in the Sikhote-Alin mountain range, flowing north and forming part of the ...
,
Amur
The Amur (russian: река́ Аму́р, ), or Heilong Jiang (, "Black Dragon River", ), is the world's tenth longest river, forming the border between the Russian Far East and Northeastern China ( Inner Manchuria). The Amur proper is long, ...
, and Japan, the Amur cork tree is considered invasive in many parts of North America. The State of Massachusetts lists it as a noxious weed.
[Bruce Marlin]
''Phellodendron amurense''
/ref>
Medicinal use
It has been used as a Chinese traditional 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 ...
for the treatment of meningitis, bacillary dysentery, pneumonia, tuberculosis, tumours, jaundice and liver cirrhosis.
Used orally to treat abdominal pain, diarrhoea, gastroenteritis and urinary tract infections. ''Phellodendron amurense'' may protect cartilage against osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a type of degenerative joint disease that results from breakdown of joint cartilage and underlying bone which affects 1 in 7 adults in the United States. It is believed to be the fourth leading cause of disability in the w ...
progression. It may prove to be a potentially important chemopreventive
Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemotherap ...
agent for lung cancer.
''Phellodendron amurense'' is able to inhibit prostatic contractility suggesting that it may be useful in the treatment of urological disorders caused by prostatic urethral obstruction such as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Nexrutine (bark extract from ''Phellodendron amurense'') may have potential to prevent prostate tumor development.
Proprietary extracts of ''Magnolia officinalis
''Magnolia officinalis'' (commonly called houpu magnolia or magnolia-bark) is a species of ''Magnolia'' native to the mountains and valleys of China at altitudes of 300–1500 m.
Identification
It is a deciduous tree growing to 20 m in heigh ...
'' and ''Phellodendron amurense'' may help overweight/obese people.
Compounds in the leaves (quercetin
Quercetin is a plant flavonol from the flavonoid group of polyphenols. It is found in many fruits, vegetables, leaves, seeds, and grains; capers, red onions, and kale are common foods containing appreciable amounts of it. It has a bitter flavor ...
, quercetin-3-''O''-beta-D-glucoside, quercetin-3-''O''-beta-D-galactoside and kaempferol
Kaempferol (3,4′,5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone) is a natural flavonol, a type of flavonoid, found in a variety of plants and plant-derived foods including kale, beans, tea, spinach, and broccoli. Kaempferol is a yellow crystalline solid with a meltin ...
-3-''O''-beta-D-glucoside) demonstrated significant free radical
A daughter category of ''Ageing'', this category deals only with the biological aspects of ageing.
Ageing
Ailments of unknown cause
Biogerontology
Biological processes
Causes of death
Cellular processes
Gerontology
Life extension
Metabo ...
scavenging activity comparable to vitamin E
Vitamin E is a group of eight fat soluble compounds that include four tocopherols and four tocotrienols. Vitamin E deficiency, which is rare and usually due to an underlying problem with digesting dietary fat rather than from a diet low in vi ...
.
The tree has both antibiotic and antimicrobial properties due to the alkaloids contained within the plant material. The major chemical constituents of its bark are the isoquinoline alkaloids, palmatine, jatrorrhizine, phellodendorine with berberine found within the leaves. The indole alkaloid has also been found in the roots of the young dioecious trees.
Dye extracted from the bark was used historically across East Asia to color paper for sutras and other documents, including the Diamond Sutra. The yellow dye protected against insect damage.
Oil
Amur cork tree fruit oil is a pressed oil extracted from the fruit of ''Phellodendron amurense''. The bark of the tree is an important herbal medicine in China. The oil has insecticidal
Insecticides are substances used to kill insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against insect eggs and larvae, respectively. Insecticides are used in agriculture, medicine, industry and by consumers. Insecticides are claimed t ...
properties similar to pyrethrum
''Pyrethrum'' was a genus of several Old World plants now classified as ''Chrysanthemum'' or ''Tanacetum'' which are cultivated as ornamentals for their showy flower heads. Pyrethrum continues to be used as a common name for plants formerly inclu ...
. The oil contains a variety of biologically active substances, including flavonoids (diosmin
Diosmin (diosmetin 7-O-rutinoside), a flavone glycoside of diosmetin, is manufactured from citrus fruit peels as a phlebotonic non-prescription dietary supplement used to aid treatment of hemorrhoids or chronic venous diseases, mainly of the le ...
), alkaloid
Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar ...
s (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 ...
, jatrorrhizine, palmatine), saponins, and coumarin
Coumarin () or 2''H''-chromen-2-one is an aromatic organic chemical compound with formula . Its molecule can be described as a benzene molecule with two adjacent hydrogen atoms replaced by a lactone-like chain , forming a second six-membered h ...
s. Medicinal applications of the oil include treatment of pancreatitis
Pancreatitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a large organ behind the stomach that produces digestive enzymes and a number of hormones. There are two main types: acute pancreatitis, and chronic pancr ...
, reduction of cholesterol
Cholesterol is any of a class of certain organic molecules called lipids. It is a sterol (or modified steroid), a type of lipid. Cholesterol is biosynthesized by all animal cells and is an essential structural component of animal cell mem ...
and sugar in blood
Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the cir ...
and the treatment of various skin diseases.
Chemistry
Essential oils:
* Fruit oil contains myrcene
Myrcene, or β-myrcene, is a monoterpene. A colorless oil, it occurs widely in essential oils. It is produced mainly semi-synthetically from '' Myrcia'', from which it gets its name. It is an intermediate in the production of several fragrances. ...
(62.3–70.3%) and β-caryophyllene (6.8–10.5%)
* Leaf oil contains β-elemol (18.5%) and (''Z'')-β-ocimene (12.6%)
* Flower oil contains (''Z'')-β-ocimene (9.5%), β-elemol (9.4%), myrcene (7.8%) and nonacosane
Nonacosane is a straight-chain hydrocarbon with a molecular formula of C29H60, and the structural formula CH3(CH2)27CH3. It has 1,590,507,121 constitutional isomers.
Nonacosane occurs naturally and has been reported to be a component of a pheromon ...
(7.7%)
Amurensin, a ''tert''-amyl alcohol derivative
In mathematics, the derivative of a function of a real variable measures the sensitivity to change of the function value (output value) with respect to a change in its argument (input value). Derivatives are a fundamental tool of calculus. ...
of kaempferol 7-''O''-glucoside, can be found in ''P. amurense''.
Gallery
Phellodendron amurense (12).JPG, Leaf
Phellodendron amurense (15).JPG, Tree
Phellodendron amurense (18).JPG, Bark
Phellodendron amurense seeds, by Omar Hoftun.jpg, Seeds
See also
* Amur cork tree fruit oil
*Chinese herbology
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 ...
50 fundamental herbs
* Sān miáo wán
References
External links
Phellodendron amurense
PLANTS Profile for Phellodendron amurense (Amur corktree) , USDA PLANTS
Cortex Phellodendron
{{Taxonbar, from=Q481711
Flora of Northeast Asia
Plants used in traditional Chinese medicine
Zanthoxyloideae