Research Study on Radix Bupleuri (Chai Hu)
Herbology I
AOMA Fall 2013
The Chinese herb known as Chai Hu is the root of Bupleurum Root Radix Bupleuri. It is part of the Umbelliferae
family and is collected in the spring and autumn. Its preparation is to dry it
in the sun, slice and use raw. It can also be bake-fried with wine or vinegar
to produce different effects. It has aromatic qualities which disperse and
lift, it is bitter for purgation and pungent for dispersion. These qualities
release half-interior half-exterior pathogenetic heat, regulate the circulation
of Qi, sooth the liver and elevate Yang to treat Qi sinking in the middle Jiao
(Zhixian & Xingdong, 2004).
Chai Hu
is considered the key herb for treatment of a Shaoyang syndrome. When the
pathogenic factor is halfway between interior and exterior the condition is
rather complex since the patient can exhibit both interior related and exterior
related symptoms (Zhixian & Xingdong, 2004). Of all the symptoms exhibited
the most essential one for diagnosis of Shaoyang Syndrome is “alternating
chills and fever.” In TCM diagnosis, Malaria is sometimes considered a shaoyang
disorder due to patients often exhibiting alternating chills and fever. Chai Hu guides the trapped pathogenic
factor outwards and harmonizes the interior and exterior (Chen & Chen,
2004).
Chai Hu’s ascending and dispersing characteristics are also
commonly used to spread Liver Qi and unblock Liver Qi stagnation. It can be
combined with many different herbs to treat specific manifestations of Liver Qi
stagnation such as emotional distress, hypochondriac fullness and pain, cold
extremities, migraine, eye pain and swelling, irregular menstruation with
cramps and jaundice (Chen & Chen, 2004).
It’s ascending nature is also
excellent for lifting Yang Qi. If there is a Qi or Yang deficiency causing
prolapse of internal organs Chai
Hu can be used to
raise and tonify Qi, especially if paired with Sheng Ma and Huang
Qi. Chai Hu treats prolapse of the rectum
and uterus,
hypermenorrhea, lingering diarrhea and polyuria caused by deficiency and
sinking Qi in the middle Jiao (Chen & Chen, 2004).
Chai Hu
is part of a formula called Long
Dan Xie Gan Tang
which clears and drains damp-heat from the lower Jiao and drains excess fire
from the liver and gallbladder. Due to Chai
Hu’s dispersing
quality it is added to the formula to dissipate the excess heat being retained.
Having this function qualifies it to be the second deputy of the formula.
Together Huang
Qin and Zhi zi make up the first deputy because
they not only clear heat but also drain damp, a quality Chai Hu doesn’t possess. Chai Hu is especially vital to the
formula because it plays a second role as an envoy. One of the jobs of an envoy
is to guide the effects of the other herbs to specific channels. Chai Hu enters the liver and gallbladder
channels, so as an envoy in this formula it leads the other herbs to those
channels (Kim, 2008).
Chai Hu
has been used in Chinese medicine to treat Liver Qi stagnation for thousands of
years but in 2005 it’s chemical effects relating to Liver Qi stagnation were
tested by doctors at the Beijing University of TCM (Chen, Ji, Lu, Hu, 2005).
The study examined the effects of Xiao
Yao San containing Chai Hu on patients with Liver
Stagnation and Spleen Deficiency Syndrome (LSSDS). The study looked at 58
patients suffering from depression, hypochondriac pain, listlessness, flatulence
and loose stools. They assessed changes in the plasma indices of
norepinephrine(NE), epinephrine(E), dopamine(DA), beta-endorphin(beta-EP),
adrenocorticotropin hormone(ACTH), estradiol(E2), testosterone(T),
immunoglobulin A (Ig A) and G (Ig G) (Chen, Ji, Lu, Hu, 2005). After subjects
in the experimental group had been taking Xiao
Tao San containing Chai Hu
for one month there was a significant decrease in their self-rated anxiety
scale (Chen, Ji, Lu, Hu, 2005). Blood
samples of the experimental group showed their plasma beta-EP was enhanced and
their E and DA were decreased. These finding suggests that Xiao Yao San containing Chai Hu treats patients with LSSDS by
it’s regulation of beta-EP, E and DA (Chen, Ji, Lu, Hu, 2005). Beta-EP has a
close relationship with emotional disorders and imbalance. One of Chai Hu’s actions in the Long Dan Xie Gan Tang formula has to do with it’s
relationship to the liver and gallbladder. This study supports Chai Hu in this formula because all the
studied plasma hormones have important biological connections to the liver and
specifically deal with emotions which could be linked to Liver Stagnation.
In 2012, two studies were published
in which the effects of Chai
Hu was investigated.
The first one looked at how Vinegar-Baked
Chai Hu (VBCH)
treats obesity and hyperlipidemia. In previous studies it was shown that VBCH
had a much stronger effect on migrating pain and bile secretion than with raw Chai Hu, but little was known about it’s
effect on lipid regulation (Tzeng, Lu, Liou, Chang & Liu, 2012). The 2012 study found that VBCH suppressed the
growth of adipose tissue mass as well as bodyweight gain. These finding suggest
that it may inhibit lipid accumulation in adipose tissues, most notably in the
liver (Tzeng, Lu, Liou, Chang & Liu, 2012). This is an important finding
because ectopic accumulation of lipids in the liver is associated with many
diseases including metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes (Tzeng, Lu, Liou,
Chang & Liu, 2012). Though Long
Dan Xie Gan Tang
wouldn’t specifically be used to treat obesity, type 2 diabetes and
hyperlipidemia, many symptoms it treats could be secondary indications for
those disorders; such as, glaucoma, uveitis, pyelonephritis, eczema, headaches,
etc. (Kim, 2008).
The second 2012 research paper is
directly related to Long
Dan Xie Gan Tang as
it has to do with the treatment of hyperthyroidism. Hyperactivity of the
thyroid promotes an accumulation of oxidatively damaging molecules and since
the liver is a major target organ for thyroid hormone, this directly leads to
liver damage (Kim, Kim, Chung, Cheon, Ku, 2012). Researchers induced
hyperthyroidism in rats and administered Chai
Hu to the
experimental group. Chai
Hu significantly
inhibited histopathological changes in the thyroid by reducing the thickness of
the follicular lining of the epithelium (Kim, Kim, Chung, Cheon, Ku, 2012). This shows that Chai Hu has direct control on
hyperthyroid states. By decreasing epididymal fat, liver damage was inhibited
and liver antioxidant defense were enhanced (Kim, Kim, Chung, Cheon, Ku, 2012). Long Dan Xie Gan Tang can be prescribed for
hyperthyroidism already, so these findings further enforce its effectiveness in
this pursuit. Chai
Hu’s actions of
dispersing heat and focusing the other herbs towards the liver and gallbladder
are now even more significant.
There are currently no herb-drug
interactions for single Chai
Hu, though their are
a few for the formula which Chai
Hu is a part, Xiao
Chai Hu Tang (Minor
Bupleurum Decoction). It was
shown that after administering Xiao
Chai Hu Tang the
bioavailability of Tolbutamide, a type 2 diabetes treatment, was reduced. It
was also reported that Xiao
Chai Hu Tang may
cause an increased risk of acute pneumonitis. The formula did not directly
produce any lung tissue damage but may be over stimulating the neutrophils
which cause damage which is then repaired by fibroblasts leading to an increase
in pulmonary fibrosis (Chen & Chen, 2004).
Chai Hu’s functions are useful for overall health as well as
treating more specific syndromes. The liver is an important organ for detoxing
the body, so Chai
Hu’s actions of both
expelling pathogens and treating imbalance in the liver and spleen makes it an
extremely functional herb.
Chen,
J. K., & Chen, T. T. (2004). Chinese
medical herbology and pharmacology.
City of Industry, CA: Art of Medicine Press, Inc.
Chen, J., Ji, B., Lu, Z., Hu, L. (2005). Effects of Chai Hu
(Radix Burpleuri) Containing Formulation on Plasma β-endorphin, Epinephrine and
Dopamine in Patients. American Journal Of Chinese Medicine, 33(5), 737-745.
Kim, H. (2008). Handbook of Oriental Medicine. (4th ed). Anaheim, CA:
QPuncture.
Kim, S., Kim, S., Chung, I., Cheon, W., Ku, S. (2012).
Antioxidant and Protective Effects of Bupleurum falcatum on the
l-Thyroxine-Induced Hyperthyroidism in Rats. Evidence-Based Complementary
& Alternative Medicine (Ecam), 1-12.
Tzeng, T., Lu, H., Liou, S., Chang, C., Liu, I. (2012).
Vinegar-Baked Radix Bupleuri Regulates Lipid Disorders via a Pathway Dependent
on Peroxisome-Proliferator-Activated Receptor-α in High-Fat-Diet-Induced Obese
Rats. Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine (Ecam), 1-12.
Zhixian,
L., & Xingdong, H. (2004). The
chinese materia medica.
(2nd ed.). Beijing: Academy Press (Xue Yuan).
No comments:
Post a Comment