Maji Amal K, Pandit Subrata, Banerji Pratim, Banerjee Debdulal
a Department of Botany and Forestry , Vidyasagar University , Midnapore 721102 , India.
Nat Prod Res. 2014;28(23):2111-27. doi: 10.1080/14786419.2014.928291. Epub 2014 Jul 1.
Pueraria tuberosa (Willd.) DC is a perennial herb commonly known as 'vidarikanda', distributed throughout south east Asia. The plant's tuber is widely used in ethanomedicine as well as in traditional systems of medicine, particularly in ayurveda. It has been used in various ayurvedic formulations as restorative tonic, antiaging, spermatogenic and immune booster and has been recommended for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, hepatosplenomegaly, fertility disorders, menopausal syndrome, sexual debility and spermatorrhoea. Numerous bioactive phytochemicals, mostly isoflavonoids such as puerarin, genistein, daidzein, tuberosin and so on have been identified in the tuber. In vivo and in vitro studies have provided the support against traditional demands of the tuber as spermatogenic, immune booster, aphrodisiac, anti-inflammatory, cardiotonic and brain tonic. However, further studies are required to define the active phytochemical compositions and to validate its clinical utilisation in the herbal formulations for human uses. This review provides an overview of traditional applications, current knowledge on the phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of P. tuberosa. This review also provides plausible hypotheses about how various isoflavones particularly puerarin, genistein and daidzein, individually or collectively, may be responsible for the therapeutic potential against a wide range of ailments.
葛薯（Pueraria tuberosa (Willd.) DC）是一种多年生草本植物，俗称“vidarikanda”，分布于东南亚各地。该植物的块茎在民族医学以及传统医学体系中被广泛使用，尤其是在阿育吠陀医学中。它已被用于各种阿育吠陀配方中，作为恢复性滋补品、抗衰老剂、生精剂和免疫增强剂，并被推荐用于治疗心血管疾病、肝脾肿大、生育障碍、更年期综合征、性功能减退和遗精。在块茎中已鉴定出多种具有生物活性的植物化学物质，主要是异黄酮类，如葛根素、染料木黄酮、大豆苷元、薯蓣素等。体内和体外研究为该块茎作为生精剂、免疫增强剂、壮阳剂、抗炎剂、强心剂和脑滋补剂的传统用途提供了支持。然而，需要进一步研究来确定活性植物化学成分，并验证其在用于人类的草药配方中的临床应用。本综述概述了葛薯的传统应用、当前关于其植物化学、药理学和毒理学的知识。本综述还提出了合理的假设，即各种异黄酮，特别是葛根素、染料木黄酮和大豆苷元，如何单独或共同对多种疾病的治疗潜力负责。
