Wang Mengyue, Zhang Min, Tang Qiyu, Li Xiaobo
School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, P. R. China.
Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med. 2011 Dec 29;9(2):189-96. doi: 10.4314/ajtcam.v9i2.2. eCollection 2012.
In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), licorice is usually processed with honey and traditionally used in decoction form. However, the influence of honey-roasting on the main pharmacological activities and the water-soluble active constituents of licorice has not been reported. The aim of the present study is to determine whether honey-roasting can modify the main pharmacological activities and the active constituents of licorice. According to licorice clinical application and processing method, the mainly related pharmacological activities of crude licorice, processed licorice and refined honey, such as enhancing immune function, relieving cough, eliminating phlegm and detoxication, were compared. The results showed that honey-roasting obviously reinforced the licorice activity of enhancing Pi-deficiency mice's immune function, and significantly weaken the licorice activity of relieving cough, removing phlegm and detoxication. However, honey didn't show the significant activity of relieving cough, removing phlegm and detoxication. The influence of honey-roasting on the chemical compositions in licorice slice and licorice decoction was investigated by using HPLC. The results showed that the content and the decocting quantity of mainly 5 active glycosides in licorice, i.e. liquiritin apioside, liquiritin, licuraside, isoliquiritin and glycyrrhizin, obviously changed after processing; glycyrrhizin and liquiritin obviously decomposed during honey-roasting. In conclusion, honey-roasting obviously modified the main pharmacological activities and the water-soluble compositions of licorice. The modification was not cause by honey only. This finding may shed some light on understanding the differences in the therapeutic values of crude and processed licorice.
在传统中医（TCM）中，甘草通常用蜂蜜炮制，并传统上以汤剂形式使用。然而，蜂蜜炮制对甘草主要药理活性和水溶性活性成分的影响尚未见报道。本研究的目的是确定蜂蜜炮制是否能改变甘草的主要药理活性和活性成分。根据甘草的临床应用和炮制方法，比较了生甘草、炮制品甘草和精制蜂蜜的主要相关药理活性，如增强免疫功能、止咳、祛痰和解毒等。结果表明，蜂蜜炮制明显增强了甘草增强脾虚小鼠免疫功能的活性，并显著减弱了甘草的止咳、祛痰和解毒活性。然而，蜂蜜并未表现出明显的止咳、祛痰和解毒活性。采用高效液相色谱法（HPLC）研究了蜂蜜炮制对甘草片和甘草汤剂化学成分的影响。结果表明，甘草中主要的5种活性糖苷，即甘草苷元芹糖葡萄糖苷、甘草苷、甘草新苷、异甘草苷和甘草酸，在炮制后含量和煎出量明显改变；甘草酸和甘草苷在蜂蜜炮制过程中明显分解。总之，蜂蜜炮制明显改变了甘草的主要药理活性和水溶性成分。这种改变并非仅由蜂蜜引起。这一发现可能有助于理解生甘草和炮制品甘草治疗价值的差异。
