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Gynostemma pentaphyllum

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Gynostemma pentaphyllum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Eudicots
(unranked):
Rosids
Order:
Cucurbitales
Family:
Cucurbitaceae
Subfamily:
Zanonioideae
Subtribe:
Gomphogyninae
Genus:
Gynostemma
Species:
G. pentaphyllum
Binomial name
Gynostemma pentaphyllum
(Thunb.) Makino 1902
Baby jiaogulan plants

Gynostemma pentaphyllum, also called jiaogulan (Chinese: 绞股蓝; pinyin: jiǎogǔlán, literally "twisting-vine orchid"[1]) is an herbaceous vine of the family Cucurbitaceae (cucumber or gourd family) indigenous to the southern reaches of China, northern Vietnam, southern Korea, and Japan. Jiaogulan is best known as an herbal medicine reputed to have powerful antioxidant and adaptogenic effects purported to increase longevity.[medical citation needed] Clinical research has indicated a number of therapeutic qualities of Jiaogulan, such as lowering cholesterol and high blood pressure, strengthening immunity, and inhibiting cancer growth.[medical citation needed]

Description

Jiaogulan belongs to the genus Gynostemma, in the family Cucurbitaceae, which includes cucumbers, gourds, and melons, although it lacks the characteristic fruit. It is a climbing vine, attaching itself to supports using tendrils. The serrated leaves commonly grow in groups of five (as in G. pentaphyllum) although some species can have groups of three or seven leaves. The plant is dioecious, meaning each plant exists either as male or female. Therefore, if seeds are desired, both a male and female plant must be grown.

Taxonomy

Gynostemma pentaphyllum is known as Jiaogulan (Chinese: 绞股蓝 "twisting-vine-orchid"[1]) in China. The plant was first described in 1406 CE by Zhu Xiao, who presented a description and sketch in the book Materia Medica for Famine as a survival food rather than a medicinal herb.[2] The earliest record of jiaogulan's use as a drug comes from herbalist Li Shi-Zhen's book Compendium of Meteria Medica published in 1578, identifying jiaogulan for treating various ailments such as hematuria, edema in the pharynx and neck, tumors, and trauma. While Li Shi-Zhen had confused jiaogulan with an analogous herb Wulianmei, in 1848 Wu Qi-Jun rectified this confusion in Textual Investigation of Herbal Plants, which also added more information on medicinal usage.[3]

Modern recognition of the plant outside of China originated from research in sugar substitutes. In the 1970s, while analyzing the sweet component of the jiaogulan plant (known as amachazuru in Japan), Dr. Masahiro Nagai discovered chemical compounds identical to some of those found in Panax ginseng, an unrelated plant.[4] Afterward, Dr. Tsunematsu Takemoto discovered that jiaogulan contains four saponins identical to those in Panax ginseng as well as seventeen other similar saponins. Over the next decade 82 saponins (gypenosides) were identified in jiaogulan, compared to the 28 (ginsenosides) found in Panax ginseng.

Distribution and habitat

Over thirty species of Gynostemma are known to grow throughout China, predominantly in the Southwest, although most species exist in at least one other country. The species G. pentaphyllum has the widest distribution outside of China, ranging from India to Southeast Asia to Japan and Korea.

Jiaogulan is a vine hardy to USDA zone 8 in which it may grow as a short lived perennial plant. It can be grown as an annual in most temperate climates, in well-drained soil with full sun. It does not grow well in cold climates with temperatures below freezing.

Toxicity

Jiaogulan does not show toxicity.[5][6]

Use in ethnomedicine

The plant is best known for its use as an herbal medicine. It has not seen widespread use in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) because it grows far from central China where TCM evolved; consequently, it was not included in the standard pharmacopoeia of the TCM system. Until recently it was a locally-known herb used primarily in mountainous regions of southern China and in northern Vietnam. It is described by the local inhabitants as the "immortality herb", because people within Guizhou Province, where jiaogulan tea is consumed regularly, are said have a history of unusual longevity.[7][8]

Jiaogulan is most often consumed as an herbal tea, and is also available as an alcohol extract and in capsule or pill form.[9]

Pharmacological research

Antioxidant

Jiaogulan has been found to increase superoxide dismutase (SOD), which is a powerful endogenous cellular antioxidant. Studies have found it increases the activities of macrophages, T lymphocytes and natural killer cells and that it acts as a tumor inhibitor.[10]

Adaptogen

Jiaogulan is known as an adaptogen, which is an herb reputed to help the body to maintain optimal homeostasis.[11][unreliable source?] Its chemical constituents include the triterpenoid saponins gypenosides which are closely structurally related to the ginsenosides which are present in ginseng.[12] Most research has been done since the 1960s when the Chinese realized that it might be an inexpensive source of adaptogenic compounds, taking pressure off of the ginseng stock. Adaptogenic effects include regulating blood pressure and the immune system, improving stamina and endurance.[13] Jiaogulan is also believed to be useful in combination with codonopsis for jet lag and altitude sickness.[8][unreliable source?]

Blood pressure

The adaptogenic nature of gypenosides have been found lower hypertension and raise hypotension, keeping blood pressure in a normal range.[medical citation needed] In vitro studies indicate that jiaogulan stimulates the release of nitric oxide, in isolated heart cells; this is one proposed mechanism by which jiaogulan reduces high blood pressure.[14] In a double-blind study, gypenosides administered to those with Grade II hypertension showed 82% effectiveness in reducing hypertension, compared to 46% for ginseng and 93% for indapamide (a hypertension medication).[15]

Cardiovascular functions

Animal studies as well as clinical testing on humans suggest that jiaogulan, when combined with other herbs, has beneficial effects on cardiovascular system, increasing heart stroke volume, coronary flow, and cardiac output while reducing the heart rate, without affecting arterial pressure.[16][17]

Cholesterol reduction

Numerous clinical studies in Chinese medical literature have shown that jiagolan lowers serum cholesterol,[18] triglycerides, and LDL (the "bad" cholesterol) while raising HDL ("good" cholesterol) levels, with reported effectiveness rates ranging from 67% to 93%.[19][unreliable source?]

Diabetes

Gynostemma pentaphyllum tea has been studied in a randomized controlled trial in type 2 diabetic patients.[20] It may have potential as a hypoglycemic treatment to reduce blood glucose.[21]

Alternate names

Western languages such as English and German commonly refer to the plant as jiaogulan. Other names include:[22]

  • Chinese: xiancao (仙草, literally "immortal grass"; more accurately "herb of immortality")
  • English: five-leaf ginseng, poor man's ginseng, miracle grass, fairy herb, sweet tea vine, gospel herb, Southern Ginseng
  • Japanese: amachazuru (kanji: 甘茶蔓; hiragana: あまちゃずる; literally 甘いamai=sweet, tasty 茶 cha=tea, 蔓 zuru=vine, creeping plant)
  • Korean language: dungkulcha (덩굴차) or dolwe (돌외)
  • Latin: Gynostemma pentaphyllum or Vitis pentaphyllum
  • Taiwanese: sencauw
  • Tay language: zan tong
  • Thai: jiaogulan (เจียวกู่หลาน)
  • Vietnamese: giảo cổ lam or bổ đắng (bổ= nutritious, đắng=bitter)
  • Portuguese: cipó-doce

References

  1. ^ a b Blumert, Michael (2003). Jiaogulan: China's "Immortality" Herb. Badger, CA: Torchlight Publishing. p. 12. ISBN 1-887089-16-0. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "Investigation of the plant jiaogulan and its analogous herb, Wulianmei". Zhong Cao Yao. 21 (9): 424. 1990. {{cite journal}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help)
  3. ^ Blumert, p. 21.
  4. ^ Nagai, Masahiro (November 1976). Abstracts of Papers, 23d Meeting of the Japanese Society of Pharmacognosy. Japanese Society of Pharmacognosy. p. 37.
  5. ^ "Chronic toxicity of Gynostemma pentaphyllum". Fitoterapia. 75 (6): 539–51. September 2004. doi:10.1016/j.fitote.2004.04.010. {{cite journal}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help)
  6. ^ "Neuroprotective effects of herbal ethanol extracts from Gynostemma pentaphyllum in the 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rat model of Parkinson's disease" (PDF). Molecules. 15 (4): 2814–24. 2010. doi:10.3390/molecules15042814. {{cite journal}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help)CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
  7. ^ Winston, David (2007). Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief. Healing Arts Press. ISBN 978-1-59477-158-3. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help) Contains a detailed herbal monograph on jiaogulan and highlights health benefits.
  8. ^ a b Bensky, Dan (2004). Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd Edition. Eastland Press. ISBN 978-0-939616-42-8. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  9. ^ Blumert, pp 66-70.
  10. ^ "Therapeutic effect of jiaogulan on leukopenia due to irradiation and chemotherapy". Zhong Guo yi Yao Xue Bao. 7 (2): 99. 1992. {{cite journal}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help)
  11. ^ David Winston (2007). Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief. Healing Arts Press. ISBN 978-1-59477-158-3. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "Histochemical localization of ginsenosides in Gynostemma pentaphyllum and the content changes of total gypenosides [Chinese]". Shih Yen Sheng Wu Hsueh Pao: Journal of Experimental Biology. 38 (1): 54–60. February 2005. {{cite journal}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help)
  13. ^ "Complete Jiaogulan information from Drugs.com". Drugs.com.
  14. ^ "The direct release of nitric oxide by gypenosides derived from the herb Gynostemma pentaphyllum". Nitric Oxide. 3 (5): 359–65. 1999-10-03. doi:10.1006/niox.1999.0245. PMID 10534439. {{cite journal}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help)
  15. ^ "Comparative study on anti-hypertensive effect of Gypenosides, Ginseng and Indapamide in patients with essential hypertension". Guizhou Medical Journal. 20: 19–26. 1996. {{cite journal}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help)
  16. ^ "Comparison between the effects of gypenosieds and ginsegnosides on cardiac function and hemodynamics in dogs". Chinese J Pharmacol Toxicol. 4 (1): 17–20. 1990. {{cite journal}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help)
  17. ^ "Effects of gypenosides-containing tonic on the pulmonary function in exercise workload". Journal of Guiyang Medical College. 18 (4): 261. 1993. {{cite journal}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help)
  18. ^ "Traditional Chinese medicine in treatment of hyperlipidaemia". J Ethnopharmacol. 46 (2): 125–9. May 1995. doi:10.1016/0378-8741(95)01234-5. PMID 7650951. {{cite journal}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help)
  19. ^ Blumert, p. 42.
  20. ^ "Antidiabetic effect of Gynostemma pentaphyllum tea in randomly assigned type 2 diabetic patients". Hormone & Metabolic Research. 42 (5): 353–7. May 2010. PMID 20213586. {{cite journal}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help)
  21. ^ "Screening of the hypoglycemic effect of eight Vietnamese herbal drugs". Methods & Findings in Experimental & Clinical Pharmacology. 31 (3): 165–9. April 2009. PMID 19536359. {{cite journal}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help)
  22. ^ "Other Names for Jiaogulan". Immoralitea. 2005. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
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