100% huang bo decoction, ethanol infusion or berberine had inhibitory effect on staphylococcus, hemolytic streptococcus, diplococcus gonorrhoeae, pneumococcus, shigella dysenteriae, bacillus coli, anthrax bacillus, bacilius diphtheriae, tubercle bacillus, bacillus pyocyaneus, typhoid bacillus, bacillus paratyphosus, bacillus subilis, comma bacillus, trichomonas vaginalis and leptospira, etc.. They could also inhibit HBsAg.. huang bo had strong inhibitory effect on fungi. It also had inhibitory effect on ameba and leishmania.

Hyodemic injection of huang bo extract at the dosage of 100mg/kg to rats had significant anti-ulcer effect. Oral administration of 100mg/kg~1000mg/kg also had obvious anti-ulcer effect. And the effective ingredient was berberine, which could protect the gastric mucous membrane and reduce the secretions of gastric acid.

Volatile oil of huang bo fruit had anti-tussive and expectorant effects.

Phellodendrine had inhibitory effect on the central nervous system and it could inhibit the spontaneous activites and various reactions in mice. Berberine had anti-curara, anti-cholinesterase and acetylcholine-promoting effects. huang bo, limonin and obacunone isolated from huang bo could obviously shorten the sleeping time (induced by a-chloralosane and urethane) of mice.

huang bo could obviously increase antigen binding cells in the spleen of mic. Berberine contained in huang bo could increase the phagocytic ability of WBC in the blood of dogs. It could also excite the reticuloendothelial system, elevate and protect platelets from being destroyed, and promote the generation of the antibody onload="highlight();" in mice.

in vitro tests showed that huang bo had inhibitory effect on human cervical cancer cell strain JTC-26, and the inhibitory rate was over 90%.

Inhibitory effect of berberine on the mediastinal lymph node metastasis produced by orthotopic implantation of Lewis lung carcinoma.

We examined the effect of berberine, a major component with anti-fungal properties contained in Coptidis Rhizoma and Phellodendri Cortex, on the lymph node metastasis of murine lung cancer. Oral administration of berberine for 14 days significantly inhibited the spontaneous mediastinal lymph node metastasis produced by orthotopic implantation of Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) into the lung parenchyma in a dose-dependent manner, but did not affect the tumor growth at the implantation site of the lung. Combined treatment with berberine and an anti-cancer drug, CPT-11, resulted in a marked inhibition of tumor growth at the implantation site and of lymphatic metastasis, as compared with either treatment alone. Anti-activator protein-1 (anti-AP-1) transcriptional activity of non-cytotoxic concentrations of berberine caused the inhibition of the invasiveness of LLC cells through the repression of expression of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA).

--Mitani N, Murakami K, Yamaura T, Ikeda T, Saiki I. Cancer Lett. 2001 Apr 10;165(1):35-42.

Berberine had different effects on smooth muscles of different organs. It had inhibitory effect on the vascular smooth muscle, and showed excitatory effect on smooth muscles of the uterus, bladder, bronchia and gastrointestinal tract.

Jateorhizine had anti-arrythmia effect. Ethanol extract, fluid extract of huang bo, berberine, phellodendrine and palmatine could lower the blood pressure. Berberine could dilate the coronary artery.

huang bo had anti-inflammatory, anti-febrile and anti-toxin effects.

Oral administration of dry extract of huang bo (0.13q was equal to 1g crude herb) at the dosage of 0.4g tid~qid was used to treat 31 cases of bacillary dysentery, and all were cured.

0.2% Phellodendrine Injection 3~6ml for intramuscular injection, bid, 2 months as a course of treatment. 30 cases of pulmonary TB wre treated, and 24 were improved, 6 ineffective.

0.2% Phellodendrine Injection 3ml for intramuscular injection, once every 8 hours. 2~3 days after body onload="highlight();" temperature became normal, the dosage was reduced bo im, twice daily. 7 cases were treated, and the body onload="highlight();" temperature of all cases became normal 12~72 hours after treatment.

Supplemented San Huang Tang (huang bo, huang qin, haung lian, 15g each; hu zhang 30g) was decocted and the juice was used for retention emena. 128 cases of chronic pelvic inflammation, cervicitis and colpitis were treated, 95 cases were cured, 19 markedly effective, 9 improved and 5 ineffective.

huang bo, huang lian and liu huang were made into cream which was applied to affected areas of eczema, 2~3 times daily. 70 cases of infantile eczema were treated, 54 were cured, 12 effective and 4 ineffective.

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