Bai Hua She She Cao - Hedyotis diffusa

Professional Data
 Pin Yin
Bai Hua She She Cao
 
 Latin
Herba Hedyotidis Diffusae
 Introduction Back to Top
Herba Hedyotidis diffusae consists of the entire plant of an annual herb, Oldenlandia diffusa (Willd.) Roxb. (family Rubiaceae).
 Western medical Back to Top
This herb is indicated in the treatment of appendicitis, lung abscess, furuncles, carbuncles, snake-bite by poisonous snake, etc.
 Eastern medical Back to Top
  • Pattern: Clears Heat, removes Toxin, treats boil, induces diuresis, treats stranguria.
  • Properties: Bitter, sweet, cold.
  • Channels entered: Stomach, Large Intestine & Small Intestine.
 Chemical constituents Back to Top
From the entire plant of this herb, hentriacontane, stigmasterol, maloic acid, oleanolic acid, b-sitosterol, and b-sitosterol-D-glucoside etc. were isolated.
 Pharmacological actions Back to Top
Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effect

In vitro, bai hua she she cao had slight inhibitory effect on staphylococcus aureus and bacillus dysenteriae. Its decoction could stimulate the proliferation of reticuloendothelial system in normal rabbits or rabbits with artificial appendicitis, and increase the phagocytosis of WBC in vivo and in vitro so as to exert its anti-inflammatory effect.

Hedyotis diffusa (HD), H. corymbosa (HC), or Mollugo pentaphylla (MP), which have the same commercial name Bai Hua She She Cao, possessed anti-inflammatory activity, and that MP has the greatest inhibition against carrageenan-induced paw edema.

Hepatoprotective effect

Extracts of Hedyotis diffusa (HD), H. corymbosa (HC), or Mollugo pentaphylla (MP), which have the same commercial name Bai Hua She She Cao, could significantly reduced the acute elevation of serum glutamate oxalate transaminase (sGOT) and serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (sGPT) concentration, and alleviated the degree of liver damage 24 hours after the intraperitoneal administration of hepatotoxins.

Anti-tumor effect

bai hua she she cao (6g/ml crude drug) had quite strong inhibitory effect on acute leukemia of lymphocyte type, granulocyte type, monocyte type and chronic granulocytic leukemia in vitro. 0.5~1g crude drug had inhibitory effect on yoshida sarcoma and Ehrlich ascites tumor.

 Clinical Studies Back to Top
Appendicitis

Fresh bai hua she she cao 30g (or dried one 15g), water decoction, twice daily, the dose could be appropriately reduced in children. For those with severe symptoms, the dose could be increased to 60~90g. All treated 19 cases were cured.

Infantile pneumonia

Intramuscular injection of Bai Hua She She Cao Injection, 2ml (containing effective ingredients of 4g raw drug). The dose was halved in infants. The injection was given twice daily for a course of 5~7 days. 112 cases of infantile pneumonia were treated, 52 cases were cured, 25 short-term cured, 17 improved, 12 ineffective, 6 dead. The patients were averagely hospitalized for 7.98 days.

Biliary diseases

bai hua she she cao, yin chen, jin qian cao, 30g each, water decoction, 1 dose daily. The method was used to treat 10 cases of biliary diseases including gall-stones, and 9 cases' abdominal pain, jaundice, fever were relieved after an average of 2.2 days.

Pelvic inflammation, annexitis

bai hua she she cao 45g, liang mian zhen 9g, chuan po shi 9g could also be added, water decoction, one dose daily. 77 cases of pelvic inflammation, annexitis were treated, expect 4 ineffective cases, all other patients were cured.

 
 References Back to Top

Except those noted, all references come from Weng Weiliang, et al., Clinical Chinese materia medica, Henan Science & Technology Press, 1998