''Tripterygium wilfordii'', or ''léi gōng téng'' (Mandarin) (, Japanese: ''raikōtō''), sometimes called thunder god vine but more properly translated thunder duke vine, is a vine 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 ...

. ''Tripterygium wilfordii'' has been promoted for use in

rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and hands are involv ...

and

psoriasis Psoriasis is a long-lasting, noncontagious autoimmune disease characterized by raised areas of abnormal skin. These areas are red, pink, or purple, dry, itchy, and scaly. Psoriasis varies in severity from small, localized patches to complete ...

; however, due to safety concerns this use is not recommended. Evidence is insufficient to deem it effective as a method of birth control for humans. A 2021 study published in Nature Communications found that one chemical isolated from the herb,

triptonide Triptonide is a chemical compound found in ''Tripterygium wilfordii'', a plant used in traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has bee ...

, was an effective

male birth control Male contraceptives, also known as male birth control, are methods of preventing pregnancy that solely involve the male physiology. The most common kinds of male contraception include condoms, outercourse, and vasectomy. In domestic animals, ca ...

in mice and non-human primates, while others chemicals present in the herb have been previously shown to cause severe liver toxicity. Extracts of the bark T. wilfordii have been used as an insecticide in China for centuries, as documented in Wu Qijun’s 1848 Illustrated Catalogues of Plants.

Health effects

The United Kingdom government does not recommend the use of ''Tripterygium'' due to potential side effects.

Birth control

Evidence is lacking that ''Tripterygium'' is either safe or effective as a method of

birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...

in men. Two trials found less sperm in people taking it for

but these trials were observational in nature. A 2021 study in the journal ''

Nature Communications ''Nature Communications'' is a peer-reviewed, open access, scientific journal published by Nature Portfolio since 2010. It is a multidisciplinary journal and it covers the natural sciences, including physics, chemistry, earth sciences, medicine, ...

'' found that

, a chemical isolated from ''Tripterygium,'' was an effective birth control for male

mice A mouse ( : mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...

and male cynomolgus monkeys, but noted that other chemicals present in the plant cause severe toxicity, so consuming the herb or general extracts of the herb for birth control purposes is potentially dangerous.

Rheumatoid arthritis

In China, ''T. wilfordii'' has historically been used as a treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) is a United States government agency which explores complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). It was initially created in 1991 as the Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM), ...

has noted tentative evidence that ''T. wilfordii'' may improve some RA symptoms. Serious side effects, however, occur frequently enough to make the risks of taking it higher than the possible benefits.

Other bioactive chemicals

Wilfortrine is a sesquiterpene alkaloid isolated from ''T. wilfordii''. It has

immunomodulatory Immunotherapy or biological therapy is the treatment of disease by activating or suppressing the immune system. Immunotherapies designed to elicit or amplify an immune response are classified as ''activation immunotherapies,'' while immunotherap ...

effects.

Side effects

At medicinal doses, ''T. wilfordii'' extract can have significant side effects, including

immunosuppression Immunosuppression is a reduction of the activation or efficacy of the immune system. Some portions of the immune system itself have immunosuppressive effects on other parts of the immune system, and immunosuppression may occur as an adverse react ...

. In August 2011, the UK

Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care in the United Kingdom which is responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work and are acceptably ...

published a drug safety bulletin advising consumers not to use medicines containing ''lei gong teng'' due to potentially serious side effects. China

State Food and Drug Administration The National Medical Products Administration (NMPA, , formerly the China Food and Drug Administration, or CFDA) was founded on the basis of the former State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA). In March 2013, the former regulatory body was rebra ...

issued a warning in April 2012 about this medicine, urging caution. A 2016 review found gastrointestinal symptoms in 13%, adverse reproductive outcomes in 12%, adverse skin reactions in 8%, hematologic events in 6.5%, cardiovascular events in 5%. Also irregular menstruation OR=4.6. A 2011 review stated that although ''T. wilfordii'' has toxic potential, careful extraction gives an acceptable frequency of adverse reactions, which are largely related to the gastrointestinal tract and

amenorrhea Amenorrhea is the absence of a menstrual period in a woman of reproductive age. Physiological states of amenorrhoea are seen, most commonly, during pregnancy and lactation (breastfeeding). Outside the reproductive years, there is absence of menses ...

. The review found that ''T. wilfordii'' extract is useful remedy for postmenopausal

Pharmacology

Celastrol Celastrol (tripterine) is a chemical compound isolated from the root extracts of ''Tripterygium wilfordii'' (Thunder god vine) and '' Tripterygium regelii'' (Regel's threewingnut). Celastrol is a pentacyclic nortriterpen quinone and belongs to th ...

, a pentacyclic

triterpenoid Triterpenes are a class of chemical compounds composed of three terpene units with the molecular formula C30H48; they may also be thought of as consisting of six isoprene units. Animals, plants and fungi all produce triterpenes, including squal ...

, and

triptolide Triptolide is a diterpenoid epoxide which is produced by the thunder god vine, ''Tripterygium wilfordii''. It has ''in vitro'' and ''in vivo'' activities against mouse models of polycystic kidney disease and pancreatic cancer, but its physical p ...

, a

diterpene Diterpenes are a class of chemical compounds composed of four isoprene units, often with the molecular formula C20H32. They are biosynthesized by plants, animals and fungi via the HMG-CoA reductase pathway, with geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate being ...

triepoxide, are putative active components of the extracts derived from ''Tripterygium wilfordii''. Triptolide has pharmacological activities including anti-inflammatory, immune modulation, antiproliferative, and proapoptotic activity, but its clinical use is limited by severe toxicity. The biological target of triptolide is believed to be the XPB subunit of the TFIIH protein complex (involved in DNA repair and transcription initiation). Tripfordines are

bio-active In pharmacology, biological activity or pharmacological activity describes the beneficial or adverse effects of a drug on living matter. When a drug is a complex chemical mixture, this activity is exerted by the substance's active ingredient or ph ...

sesquiterpene Sesquiterpenes are a class of terpenes that consist of three isoprene units and often have the molecular formula C15H24. Like monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes may be cyclic or contain rings, including many unique combinations. Biochemical modificatio ...

pyridine Pyridine is a basic heterocyclic organic compound with the chemical formula . It is structurally related to benzene, with one methine group replaced by a nitrogen atom. It is a highly flammable, weakly alkaline, water-miscible liquid with a d ...

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 of ''T. wilfordii''. To aid the investigation of pathways related to celastrol, a reference genome of T. wilfordii was sequenced, producing a 340.12 Mb genome with 31,593 structural genes (35 of them, CYP genes involved in the synthesis of the alkaloid active ingredients).

Footnotes

References

MHRA safety bulletin
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1424919 Celastraceae Medicinal plants Plants used in traditional Chinese medicine