The efficacy, effects and contraindications of lithospermum officinale and the side effects of lithospermum officinale

Lithospermum erythrorhizon, also known as mountain lithospermum, purple dan, purple hibiscus, xiao, ground blood, crow's mouth grass, lithospermum root, is a perennial herb of the genus Lithospermum of the Boraginaceae family, up to 90 cm high. The roots are erect, cylindrical, slightly curved, often branched, and the outer skin is dark reddish purple. The stems are erect, single or branched at the top, and the whole plant is covered with coarse and stiff hairs. The leaves are alternate and sessile; the leaves are oblong-lanceolate, about 6 cm long and about 1.3 cm wide, with a pointed tip, a cuneate base, an entire margin, and both sides are covered with rough hairs. The cymes are racemose and terminal; the flowers are bisexual; the bracts are leaf-shaped, with coarse hairs on both sides; the calyx is short-tubed, 5-deeply lobed, and the lobes are narrow and gradually pointed; the corolla is white, the corolla tube is short, the tip is 5-lobed, the throat has 5 scale-like appendages, and the base has hairs.

The efficacy and function of Lithospermum officinale

1. Treatment of acute and chronic hepatitis: Use the dried powder of lithospermum red (element) extracted from the root of lithospermum as the melt and sodium hydroxide solution as the solvent to prepare 0.2% lithospermum injection. Intramuscular injection, 1-2 times a day, 2 ml each time. A total of 13 cases of icteric infectious hepatitis were observed, all of which were cured; 157 cases of acute non-jaundice infectious hepatitis, 139 cases were cured, 6 cases were significantly effective, and 12 cases were improved; 113 cases of chronic hepatitis, 84 cases were cured, 14 cases were significantly effective, 2 cases were improved, and 13 cases were ineffective. In addition, 4 cases of liver cirrhosis were treated and a certain effect was achieved.

2. Treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis combined with thrombocytopenic purpura: One case was reported. After general Chinese and Western medicine combined treatment, the effect was not obvious. After taking a large amount of lithospermum officinale, the effect was achieved. On the first day, 1 liang was used, and the nosebleed was reduced after taking it; on the second day, it was increased to 2 liang, and the nosebleed stopped completely; after taking 5 doses in a row, the platelet count increased to 170,000/mm3, the purpura on the whole body disappeared, and the condition was out of danger. There was diarrhea after taking the medicine, but the patient did not feel uncomfortable.

3. Treatment of malignant hydatidiform mole complicated with uterine choriocarcinoma: A case was reported. X-ray film after surgery revealed metastatic lesions in the lungs. After one month of observation, the metastatic lesions gradually expanded and the clinical symptoms became more severe. One liang of lithospermum root was used, decocted and taken once a day, and 10 days was a course of treatment. After four courses of treatment, the clinical symptoms were greatly alleviated, and most of the lesions disappeared after X-ray reexamination. After taking lithospermum root for one month, all clinical symptoms disappeared, and the urine pregnancy reaction was negative.

4. Treatment of infant dermatitis, vulvar eczema, vaginitis and cervicitis: Use 2%, 10%, 20%, 40% lithospermum rapeseed oil extract, or use lithospermum ether extract to make 1% rapeseed oil preparation for local application.

4.1. 100 cases of infantile buttock dermatitis were treated and no erosion occurred after medication.

4.2. For female patients with urogenital fistula, eczema, erosion, ulcers in the genitals due to frequent urine leakage, and increased vaginal discharge caused by various reasons, the effect can be seen in about 3-5 days after applying lithospermum oil. 28 cases have been treated and 24 have been cured.

4.3. For vaginitis, it can be cured within 4-6 days after application, and the recurrence rate is very low. 234 cases have been treated, with a cure rate of 77.7%.

4.4. If cervicitis is accompanied by pelvic inflammatory disease or severe erosion, congestion, and purulent secretions, it is easy to cause bleeding, infection, and acute attack of pelvic inflammatory disease. Lithospermum officinale oil can be applied. Depending on the severity of the disease, continuous 1-3 weeks can make the congestion and purulent secretions disappear until recovery. 182 cases were treated and 96 were cured. The higher the concentration of lithospermum officinale oil, the better the effect. Increasing the concentration has no side effects. Lithospermum officinale oil does not seem to have an antibacterial effect. The principle of its clinical efficacy needs further study.

5. Treatment of juvenile flat warts and psoriasis: Use lithospermum extract shikonin to make 0.1% injection, 2 ml each time for intramuscular injection; a few patients with psoriasis use 0.05% shikonin injection for intravenous injection, 10 ml each time. All once a day. 23 cases of juvenile flat warts, after 7-10 treatments, 10 cases were cured (self-conscious symptoms disappeared, all or most of the rash disappeared), 10 cases were effective (symptoms were alleviated, the rash was significantly smaller and flattened or the erythema became lighter, and the scales became thinner), and 3 cases were ineffective (the rash did not improve after more than 10 injections). 29 cases of psoriasis were treated with intramuscular injection. After 10-20 treatments, 5 cases were cured, 15 cases were significantly effective, and 9 cases were ineffective; 7 cases were treated with intravenous injection. After 10 times, 3 cases were cured, 1 case was significantly effective, and 3 cases were ineffective. Preliminary observation shows that the effect on flat warts is indeed effective, the course of treatment is significantly shortened, and the recurrence rate is low. The effect is better for psoriasis in the active stage. The disadvantage is local pain during injection. Another study used 20g of lithospermum root and 100ml of dimethyl sulfoxide, soaked them for 3-4 days, then applied the liquid to the affected area 1-2 times a day; this was used to treat more than 20 cases of flat warts, and the warts usually fell off or healed within 1-2 weeks.

6. Treatment of pityriasis rosea: Use 0.5-1 liang of Lithospermum officinale (2-5 qian for children), decoct and take 1 dose daily, 10 days as a course of treatment. After a certain interval, you can continue to take it for several courses of treatment. 70 cases were treated, 37 were cured, 25 improved, and 8 were ineffective. The average medication period was 9 days, and the maximum was no more than 2 months.

7. Regarding the prevention of measles: Lithospermum officinale root has been widely used in various places to prevent measles, but the usage is not exactly the same and the results are also very inconsistent.

8. Take orally in three dosage forms: lithospermum root decoction, pills, and compound lithospermum root decoction (lithospermum root, white atractylodes, costusroot).

Nutritional value of comfrey

The root of Lithospermum erythrorhizon contains pigments and fatty acids. The pigments are naphthoquinone derivatives, including shikonin (Shikonin), acetylshikonin (Acetylshikonin), deoxyshikonin (Deoxyshikonin), isobutylshikonin (Isobutyshi-konin), isovalerylshikonin (Isovalerylshikonin), tail, tail-dimethyla-crylshikonin (tail, tail-Dimethyla-crylshikonin), tail-hydroxy-isovalerylshikonin (tail-Hydroxyisovalerylshikonin), alkannan, alkannin, α-methyl-n-butyrylshikonin (α-Methyl-n-butyrylshikonin), 3,4-dimethylpentene-3-acylshikonin (Teracrylshikonin). Xinjiang pseudo-lithospermum erythrorhizon contains tail-hydroxyisovalerylshikonin and 3,4-dimethylpentene-3-acylshikonin. The main fatty acids are palmitic acid, oleic acid and linoleic acid.

Medicinal value of Lithospermum officinale

1. Effect on anti-pathogenic microorganisms: Lithospermum officinale decoction, shikonin, and tail-dimethylacryloyl shikonin have inhibitory effects on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, etc. Shikonin has obvious antibacterial effects on Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Shigella dysenteriae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. 10% saline solution of lithospermum officinale has inhibitory effects on Epidermophyton floccosum and Microsporum woolly. In vitro experiments have shown that lithospermum officinale and its derivatives (except hydrogen shikonin) have significant antibacterial activity, and lithospermum officinale also has inhibitory effects on amoeba. Lithospermum officinale decoction has a certain effect on tuberculosis in mice.

In vitro, lithospermum has an inhibitory effect on Jingke 68-1 virus. Lithospermum decoction can delay and reduce the occurrence of herpes simplex virus-induced lesions in rabbit kidney cells. Lithospermum polysaccharide has a significant inhibitory effect on herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) in rabbit cells, with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 100μg/ml and a maximum inhibitory index of 4 to 5. The antiviral mechanism of lithospermum polysaccharide is to inhibit the replication of HSV-1 in host cells and significantly affect the replication dynamics of HSV-1 in rabbit kidney cells. Lithospermum polysaccharide also has an effect on anti-herpes virus local strains.

2. Anti-inflammatory effect The ether, water and ethanol extracts of Lithospermum have certain anti-inflammatory effects. Oral administration of 200 mg/kg of Lithospermum alcohol extract has a significant inhibitory effect on the exudative inflammation of the peritoneal cavity of mice caused by acetic acid. Intraperitoneal injection of 100 mg/kg of Lithospermum alcohol extract can significantly inhibit the edema of the hind feet of rats caused by daunomycin and formaldehyde; it significantly inhibits the hyperplastic inflammation of granulation tissue in rats, and the effect of oral administration is weak. 5 mg/kg of acetylshikonin has a significant inhibitory effect on the swelling of the plantars of rats caused by formaldehyde. The effect of intraperitoneal injection is the strongest, the effect is fast, and it can last for more than 24 hours, while the intensity and appearance time of subcutaneous and oral administration are relatively low. Intraperitoneal injection of 5 mg/kg of acetylshikonin can significantly inhibit the proliferation of subcutaneous cotton ball granulomas in rats, and intradermal injection also has a significant inhibitory effect on the hyperpermeability of vascular vessels in rats caused by histamine. Intraperitoneal injection of 5mg/kg of acetylshikonin has a significant inhibitory effect on the edema of the soles of the feet caused by the removal of bilateral adrenal formaldehyde, indicating that the anti-inflammatory effect of acetylshikonin has no obvious relationship with the pituitary adrenal system. The water extract of lithospermum can counteract the lethal effect of 2 times histamine and 4.9 times horse serum on rabbits, can prevent histamine from causing increased capillary permeability in rabbit skin, and can prevent acute serum sickness in rabbits. Shikonin and acetylshikonin are made into ointments, and local administration has a significant inhibitory effect on inflammation such as hyperpermeability of blood vessels and edema, and can also increase granulation growth and promote wound healing.

Oral administration of Lithospermum officinale decoction has a mild antipyretic effect on experimental fever in rabbits, and its extracts and pigment components also have a mild antipyretic effect.

3. Effects on the cardiovascular system Xinjiang-produced lithospermum has a significant excitatory effect on the in vivo heart of healthy rabbits and the isolated heart of toads; the isolated heart inhibited by urethane also has this reaction. It is reported that the effect of lithospermum decoction on the heart is excitatory in small amounts, inhibitory in large amounts, and finally stops at the diastolic phase, and has no significant effect on the perfusion volume of toad visceral blood vessels, hind limb blood vessels and isolated rabbit ear blood vessels. Intravenous or intramuscular injection of lithospermum decoction under general anesthesia can cause a sharp drop in blood pressure or even death in nearly half of the experimental animals, but injection or oral administration has no significant effect on non-anesthetized animals. Lithospermum ethanol extract has a contraction effect on isolated rabbit ears and frog hind limb blood vessels.

4. Contraceptive effect: 50% syrup of Yunnan-produced lithospermum was orally administered to mice for one month, which could significantly inhibit their estrus cycle and recover after two months of discontinuation of the drug. It could also inhibit the fertility of mice. Normal mice took lithospermum orally for two months, and their ovaries were significantly reduced, but there was no significant effect on the weight of other endocrine glands such as the thyroid gland and adrenal glands. Oral administration of 10% lithospermum bait to mice had a significant effect on reducing fertility, and fertility could still be restored after discontinuation of the drug. Oral administration of lithospermum to mice had a significant anti-pituitary gonadotropin and anti-chorionic gonadotropin effect. The ethanol extract of lithospermum root (produced in Japan) and lithospermum root powder were mixed and fed to animals, which could inhibit the estrus of rats, but the pigment components extracted from the root were ineffective. When lithospermum oil was used in ovariectomized mice, no keratinized cells appeared in the vaginal smear, and the weight of the uterus did not increase, indicating that it had no estrogen-like effect. Xinjiang Lithospermum is an effective anti-fertility agent for mice and rats. It can terminate pregnancy whether it is administered before implantation or in early pregnancy. Xinjiang Lithospermum water extract can terminate early pregnancy in mice and rabbits, with an average anti-early pregnancy efficiency of 97.5% and 71.4% respectively. Lithospermum water extract can cause massive necrosis of placental chorionic cells, but has no effect on the corpus luteum; it has an excitatory effect on the pregnant uterus. Lithospermum extract has an anti-implantation effect in mice. Animal experiments have found that long-term use of Lithospermum extract can reduce the weight of the pituitary, ovaries and uterus, but has no damage to the tissues, and its inhibitory effect is reversible.

The 50% alcohol extract of Lithospermum ruderale produced abroad can reduce the fertility of mice and prolong the estrus of normal mice. If estrogen or gonadotropin is injected again, it can still induce estrus; for immature male or female mice, it can cause the weight of sexual organs, thymus, and pituitary gland to decrease, and growth and development to be delayed. Most of this active ingredient is in flowers, seeds, leaves, and roots. Its mechanism of action is to inhibit the formation of pituitary gonadotropin, especially luteinizing hormone. It may also be that it directly inactivates the above hormones, which is the so-called "inactivation" effect.

5. Anti-tumor effect experiments show that 5-10 mg/kg of shikonin extracted from Xinjiang lithospermum can completely inhibit the growth of ascites sarcoma 180 cells. 10 mg/kg can prolong the life of tumor-bearing mice by 92.5%. Its derivative shikonin is active against Wacker carcinoma 256 and sarcoma 180. Xinjiang lithospermum petroleum ether 20-30 mg/kg intramuscular injection has a significant inhibitory effect on rat W256 and mouse EAC, S180, U14, S37 and other tumor strains, and significantly prolongs the survival time of animals, but is ineffective against L615.

It has been reported that shikonin has a certain radiosensitizing effect on liver cancer and Lewis lung cancer. Shikonin plus radiation may enhance the direct killing power of macrophages of Lewis lung cancer mice on tumor cells. The extension of the survival of tumor-bearing mice indirectly increases the effect of radiotherapy. It is reported that shikonin root has a certain effect on choriocarcinoma and malignant hydatidiform mole. Using the methylene blue test tube method for initial screening, shikonin root has a very mild inhibitory effect on acute lymphocytic leukemia. Shikonin can reduce the incidence of spontaneous breast cancer (in mice).

6. Other effects: 10g/kg Yunnan lithospermum decoction given to rabbits by gavage can reduce the temperature rise caused by typhoid and paratyphoid mixed vaccine. 10mg/kg intraperitoneal injection of shikonin and acetylshikonin can reduce the body temperature of normal mice and has a fever-reducing effect on fever caused by TTG. Xinjiang soft lithospermum decoction has a mild antipyretic effect on rabbits, has an unsteady excitatory effect on the isolated uterus and small intestinal smooth muscle of rabbits, and has no diuretic effect on rats. Oral decoction can strengthen the tonic contraction of the small intestine, while intravenous injection has no such reaction. Lithospermum leaf extract can reduce blood sugar in rabbits. Soft lithospermum is extracted with benzene as the lysozyme to make an injection, which has a significant effect on reducing the increase of serum alanine aminotransferase in mice caused by carbon tetrachloride and α-naphthalene isothiocyanate.

Side Effects of Comfrey

Side effects are caused by poor drug selectivity and are inherent in the drug itself. Whether it is a prescription drug or an over-the-counter drug, it should be used under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist. If you feel uncomfortable while taking the drug, you must stop taking it in time and consult a doctor or pharmacist to avoid unnecessary damage.

Contraindications of using Lithospermum officinale

1. People with weak gastrointestinal tract and loose stools should take it with caution.

2. "Bencao Jingshu": It is forbidden to use this product for those with smallpox, weak spleen and stomach, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and clear urination.