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Ethnopharmacological relevance Rhizoma alismatis (simplified as RA, “Zexie” in Chinese, 泽泻) is a well-known natural medicine with long history in Chinese medicine. As a traditional medicine in China, RA is an important part of many prescriptions and has been commonly used for treating a wide range of ailments related to dysuria, edema, nephropathy, hyperlipidaemia, diabetes, inflammation as well as tumor in clinical applications. Based on scientific literatures, the present paper aims to provide comprehensive and up-to date information about the traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology and quality control of RA as well as critical analysis of the research. The review will provide a new foundation and direction for the further studies of RA. Materials and methods All available information about RA was supplied by library database and electronic search (ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Pubmed, Google Scholar, etc .). The different types of useful information were collected and arranged in corresponding part of the paper. Results Phytochemical studies showed that the main chemical composition of RA was the terpenoid including sesquiterpene, diterpene and triterpene. The crude extracts and isolated compounds from RA showed diverse pharmacological activities including diuretic, nephroprotective, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-atherosclerotic, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative activities. However, high-dose or long-term use of RA can lead to water-electrolyte imbalance, bloody urine, acidosis and even hepatotoxicity or nephrotoxicity, which have been proven by several studies. Conclusions Pharmacological researches show RA possessing various bioactivities including diuresis, nephroprotective effect, anti-hyperlipidemia, etc . However, more bioactive components especially diuretic and nephroprotective compounds need to be isolated and identified, and more rigorous researches on action mechanisms are required. More experiments in vitro or in vivo and clinical studies are encouraged to clarify correlation between traditional uses and modern applications, and the toxicity need to be further and precisely explored. In addition, a standardized fingerprint for RA is indispensable and emergent. These achievements will further expand to therapeutic potential and usage of RA and provide a powerful support for clinical use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnopharmacological relevance Seven species from the genus Dictamnus are distributed throughout Europe and North Asia and only two species grow in China. One is Dictamnus dasycarpus Turcz., which could be found in many areas of China and has been recorded in Chinese Pharmacopoeia . The other is Dictamnus angustifolius G. Don ex Sweet, which is only present in Xinjiang province and has been used as an alternative for Dictamnus dasycarpus in the local for the treatment of rheumatism, bleeding, itching, jaundice, chronic hepatitis and skin diseases. The present paper reviewed the traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of the genus Dictamnus . Materials and methods Information on the Dictamnus species was collected from classic books about Chinese herbal medicine and globally accepted scientific databases including PubMed, Elsevier, ASC, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science, CNKI and others. Results About 170 chemical compounds, which include quinoline alkaloids, limonoids, sesquiterpenes, coumarins, flavonoids and steroids, have been isolated from the genus Dictamnus . The characteristic and active constituents of Dictamnus species are considered to be quinoline alkaloids and limonoids, which exhibited a broad spectrum of biological activities such as anti-cancer, anti-inflammation, anti-microbe, anti-platelet-aggregation, vascular-relaxation, anti-insect, anti-HIV, anti-allergy and neuroprotection. Moreover, quinoline alkaloids and limonoids could be used as quality control markers to distinguish different species from the genus Dictamnus . However, there were also some reports on the toxic hepatitis and phototoxic effect of Dictamnus species, and the related research needs to be further studied. Conclusion In this review, we summarized the chemical constituents, pharmacology, quality control and toxicology of the species from genus Dictamnus . Phytochemical investigations indicated that quinoline alkaloids and limonoids were the major bioactive components with potential cytotoxic, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-platelet-aggregation and vascular relaxing activities. These two kinds of compounds have attracted great interests in the past few years and may have great potential to be new drug lead compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnopharmacological relevance The processed lateral root of Aconitum carmichaelii Debeaux (Ranunculaceae), an extensively used traditional Chinese medicine, is known as Fuzi in China (Chinese: 附子), “bushi” in Japan, “Kyeong-Po Buja” in Korea, Chinese aconite, monkshood or Chinese wolfsbane. It has been used to treat shock resulting from acute myocardial infarction, low blood pressure, coronary heart disease, chronic heart failure, etc. Aim of the review The present paper aims to provide an up-to-date review at the advancements of the investigations on the ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, pharmacological effect and toxicity of Fuzi. Besides, the possible tendency and perspective for future research of this plant are discussed, as well. Materials and methods All available information on Fuzi was collected via electronic search (using Elsevier, PubMed, ACS, CNKI, Google Scholar, Baidu Scholar, and Web of Science), books and classic works about Chinese herb. Results 122 chemical constituents, among which C 19 -diterpenoid alkaloids and C 20 -diterpenoid alkaloids are the predominant groups, have been isolated and identified from Fuzi. Fuzi with its active compounds is possessed of wide-reaching biological activities, including effects on cardiovascular system, anti-inflammation and analgesic action, anti-tumor activity, effect on the immune system, hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects, anti-aging effect, effect of protecting kidney and effect on energy metabolism. Conclusions Nearly all of compounds were found from the roots of the plant, so further phytochemical studies should focus more on the other parts of the plant, such as the leaves, flowers or stems. Besides, a majority of the pharmacological studies were carried out using crude and poorly characterized extracts. Thus, more bioactive components particularly cardiotonic and analgesic compounds should be identified through bioactivity-guided isolation strategies. Moreover, investigations on how to develop Fuzi׳s new clinical usage on the basis of its pharmacological effects are in requirement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]