Hou Po

Hou Po - Magnolia officinalis
		Professional Data

Pin Yin
Hou Po

Latin
Cortex Magnoliae officinalis

Introduction

Cortex Magnoliae officinalis is the dried stem bark, root bark and branch bark of Magnolia officinalis Rehd. et Wils. or Magnolia officinalis Rehd. et Wils. var. biloba Rehd. et Wils. (Fam. Magnoliaceae). The drug is collected from April to June. The root bark and the branch bark are dried in the shade. The stem bark is slightly decocted in boil water and piled up in a wet place until its inner surface purplish-brown or brown, steamed to rolled, and dried.

Western medical

The herb can be used to treat psoriasis, ileus, and chronic pharyngitis, etc..

Eastern medical

Pattern: Dries Dampness, moves qi, lowers the adverse flow of qi, calms asthma.
Properties: Bitter, acrid, warm.
Channels Entered: Spleen, Stomach, Lung and Large Intestine.

Chemical constituents

The herb contains volatile oil and its main ingredient is ¦Â-Eudesmol. It also contains magnolol, tetrahydromagnolol and isomagnolol. The other ingredients include magnocurarine and saponins.

Pharmacological actions

Inhibitory effect on bacteria

Water decoction of hou po (1g crude drug per ml) had inhibitory effect on helicobacter pylori, and the inhibition zone was 20mm. hou po decoction had inhibitory effect on pneumococcus, shigella dysenteriae, staphylococcus aureus and dermal fungi.

Effect on acute pancreatitis in rats

Hou Po Formula (hou po 10g, yin chen 12g, zhi zi 3g, da huang 1.8g (decocted later)). 0.89g/ml. Gastrogavage of 2ml could reduce the secretion of pancreatic juice and the content of amylopsin in rats with acute pancreatitis caused by deoxysodium cholate.

Effect on smooth muscle

hou po decoction could excite isolated intestinal canal of mice and guinea pigs at small dosage, and inhibit the canal at large dosage. It also had exciting effect on the bronchial smooth muscle of guinea pigs.

Clinical Studies

Psoriasis

Modified Tong Dao San: hou po 10g, zhi ke 12g, sheng da huang 9g, mang xiao 9g, chen pi 10g, dang gui 15g, mu tong 9g, hong hua 10g, su mu 15g, gan cao 10g. With loose stool due to Spleen deficiency, remove da huang and mang xiang, add chao shan yao, bai zhu, fu ling; With Damp-Heat, add tu fu ling, huang lian, huang bo, zhi zi; with severe stagnated Blood, add sang leng, e zhu, shui zhi; with qi deficiency, add ren shen, huang qi. 45 cases were treated, after average 75 days' treatment, 44 cases had certain effects.

Adhesive ileus

Formula for ileus: hou po, lai fu zi, da huang, 30g each; jiao sheng qu, jiao mai ya, zhi shi, zhi ke, 15g each; mang xiao, ji nei jin, tao ren, xing ren, 10g each. 1 dose every day, taken in 2~4 times through stomach tube, 50~100ml every time. 150 cases were treated on the base of fasting including water, fluid infusion, gastrointestinal decompression, and 146 cases were cured.

Chronic pharyngitis

Li Yan Tang (Formula benefiting the throat, experiential formula): hou po, she gan, gua lou pi, zhe bei, lian qiao, zhi ke, niu bang zi, sha shen, 10g each; shan dou gen 12g; jie geng, chai tui, gan cao, 6g each. With sore throat, add xuan shen, jin yin hua, 12g each; with bitter taste and yellow tongue fur, add huang qin 12g; with oppressive feeling in the throat, add ma bo 10g; with nausea, add zhu ru 6g; with dry throat and thirst, add hua fen, shi hu, 15g g each; with hyperactivity of Fire due to yin deficiency, add huang bo, zhi mu, 12g each. 1 dose every day, 10 days as a course of treatment, 2~3 courses totally. 46 cases were treated, 24 were markedly effective, 19 improved and 3 ineffective.

References

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