ABSTRACT
Many experiments show that Chaihu has remarkable anti-inflammation activity. The essential oil of Chaihu administered i.p. at the dose of 400 mg/kg to rat results in a remarkable reduction in inflammation caused by glair and edema formed with carrageenan in the hind paw. The hot water extract from Chaihu reduced the activity of cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase in bull heart; the rate of suppression was 38.1 to 43.1%, and the suppression rate of chloroform extract was 74.1%, but the part of infusibility in chloroform did not reduce the activity of phosphodiesterase in bull. Chaihu injection 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 ml were added in 1-ml solution that contained 2.5% liver plasma of mice. The formation of malondialdehyde was markedly inhibited in the liver plasma. The root and rhizome of B. longiradiatum are toxic to humans: Patients experience nausea and vomiting, followed by serious twitching and opisthotonus before death.
