Herba Catharanthi
From HerbLab, herbal encyclopedia of Chinese traditional medicine
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Herba Catharanthi(长春花)
It was recorded in Dictionary' of Chinese Medicinal Herbs that: "The herb, slightly bitter and cool, functions to cure malignant tumors."
Herba Catharanthi is the dried whole plant of Catharanihus roseus. (L.) G. Don of the family Apocynaceae,
Among the 70 types of alkaloids separated from the plant, 6 have anticancer actions. They are vinblastine, vincristine, leurosine, leurosidine, isoleusosine and lochneridine. 5 have antiviral actions and 6 have actions to reduce high blood pressure. The content of alkaloids is 0.37-1.16% in leaf, 0.46% in stem, 0.7-2.4% in root, 0.14-0.84% in flower, 1.14% in bark and 0.18% in seed.
It was reported that the herb is mainly used for lymphocytic reticulosarcoma (Hodgkin's Disease), chorioepithelioma, acute leukemia (especially of children). The toxicity of vincristine is primarily involved with nerves and muscles. The toxin may accumulate to cause degeneration of nerve cells. Vinblastine mainly arrests bone marrow and granulocytes. The clinical manifestations of the toxicity are anorexia, nausea, alopecia, and in many people, general asthenia. In addition, toxic reactions of the central and the peripheral nervous system are mental depression, abnormal sensation, subsided tendon reflex, headache and hyperspasmia.
ANTICANCER PHARMACOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS
1. Vincristine has an apparent inhibitive action on Ehriich's ascites carcinoma of rats. 2. Vinblastine has a remarkable inhibition on transplanted chronic lymphocytic leukemia-1534. 3. Vinblastine inhibits cell mitosis and causes metakinesis, as a result that the cell's ability to synthesize ribonucleic acid is lost. In the telophase of the cell cycle, vinblastine reduces the solubility and increases the synthesis of RNA so@ as to affect the synthesis of protein. 4. With total cellular volumetric method, the alcohol and the hot water extract of vinblastine was found to inhibit sarcoma-180 of rats, with rates of 100% and 95.7% respectively.
EXPERIMENTAL FORMULAS
For acute lymphocytic leukemia:
coction of Herba Catharanthi (15 grams) is taken. Vincristine sulfate, dissolved in lOrnI of normal saline with a dose of 0.025-0.05 mg/kg of body weight, is administered intravenously once a week. Side effects, including baldness, abdominal pain, nausea, constipation, sourness and pain of muscles, finger numbness and fever, may occur but will disappear upon the cessation of the drug. (Treatment and Prevention of Tumors)
HISTORICAL COMMENTS
It was recorded in Handbook of Common Medicinal Herbs that: "The drug, slightly bitter and cold, is used as a sedative and tranquilizer, to calm the mind and the liver, to reduce blood pressure and to cure hypertension. "
In Records of Medicinal Plants in Guangxi, it was commented that: "The plant cures leukemia, pulmonary cancer, chorioepithelioma and lymphatic tumor. "
It was stated in Dictionary of Chinese Medicinal Herbs that: "6 to 15 grams of the herb is decocted and taken daily."
THE HERBLAB.ORG'S NOTE
When administered in injection, the drug often causes injury to the peripheral nerves with reactions such as numbness of the extremities, muscular tremor and reduced tendon reflex.
Thesereactions, particularly, the numbness of the fingers and the toes, are slow to get over. After I to 3 weeks of administration, leukocytopenia and thrombocytopenia may occur. The drug is contraindicative for patients who have apparent arrest of bone marrow due to chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
