Shuo Jie, also known as Lu Ying, Zou Ma Feng, Gan Shan Hu, Jie Gu Cao, Ma Bian Shao, belongs to the Caprifoliaceae family, and is mainly distributed in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hebei, Hunan, Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, and other regions in China. Shuo Jie has the effects of promoting blood circulation, relieving pain, dispelling wind and dampness, and diuresis and detoxification. It is used to treat various diseases such as bruises, fractures, toothaches, abdominal pain, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.
I. Morphological characteristics of Shuo Jie
Shuo Jie is a tall herbaceous to semi-shrub plant. The plant can reach a height of 3m, with a white pith. It has odd-pinnate compound leaves; the leaflets have no petiole or short petioles. The leaf blades are lanceolate in shape with gradually pointed tips. The edges are serrated. The base is obtuse to rounded. It has large umbel-like inflorescences. The flowers are white. The tender leaves are usually harvested in spring and summer for fresh consumption or blanching in boiling water. They can also be dried and used as a herbal medicine. The whole plant is harvested in autumn, the soil is removed, and it is dried for medicinal use.
II. Nutritional composition and effects of Shuo Jie
Per 100g of tender leaves contains 5.1g of protein, 0.07g of fat, 3.1g of crude fiber, 362mg of calcium, 64mg of phosphorus, 5.5mg of iron, 6mg of carotene, 0.03mg of vitamin B1, 0.33mg of vitamin B3, 1.9mg of niacin, and 95mg of vitamin C.
Shuo Jie has the effects of promoting blood circulation, relieving pain, dispelling wind and dampness, and diuresis and detoxification. It is used to treat various diseases such as bruises, fractures, toothaches, abdominal pain, rheumatoid arthritis, hemiplegia, coughing, asthma, edema, jaundice, dysentery, urinary tract pain, leucorrhea, rubella, erysipelas, ulcers, burns, and athlete's foot swelling.
III. Pharmacological analysis of Shuo Jie
The whole plant of Shuo Jie, a plant of the Caprifoliaceae family, is used in traditional Chinese medicine. It has a warm nature and sour taste, and is non-toxic. The decoction can contract blood vessels and accelerate bone healing. It can also reduce the permeability of capillaries.
1. Accelerating fracture healing
In rabbits with artificially induced fractures, after fixation with splints, the external application of Shuo Jie powder (mixed with wine) was changed once every 3 days. The rabbits were orally given Shuo Jie decoction daily. At the end of the 4th week, there was a significant amount of denser bone callus and noticeable calcification (X-ray images). Histological sections showed that the large bone callus tissue had mostly ossified, and a large number of bone trabeculae had formed. The injection of phosphorus-32 into the local hematoma of the fracture site after Shuo Jie treatment showed a faster dissipation rate of the pulse, indicating a "blood-activating and stasis-removing" effect. The deposition of phosphorus in the tissue was also higher than in the control group, indicating that Shuo Jie can promote the deposition of phosphorus in the bone callus and accelerate fracture healing.
2. Anti-inflammatory and anti-edema effects
The external application of Shuo Jie alcohol paste on rabbits did not cause local vascular dilation. Shuo Jie decoction had no significant vasoconstrictor effect on the frog's hindlimb blood vessels, but a high concentration had a significant vasoconstrictor effect on the isolated rabbit ear blood vessels. Shuo Jie ointment showed a mild reduction in capillary permeability in experiments on rabbits and mice. The above effects may be related to its anti-edema therapeutic effect.
3. Other effects
Shuo Jie decoction did not show analgesic effects in mice using the hot plate method, and had no inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in vitro.
