Institute of Fundamental Studies, Kandy, Sri Lanka.
J Tradit Complement Med. 2014 Jul;4(3):196-202. doi: 10.4103/2225-4110.126175.
Sri Lanka has variety of herbs whose effectiveness has been proven across many generations. These herbs are classified into two groups - 'heating' and 'cooling', based on the physiological reactions upon consumption. Application-wise, the 'cooling' herbs are administered to patients contracted with diabetes, imbalances in the lipid profile, or even cancer. However, this classification has been misunderstood due to inconsistent interpretations and lack of scientific reasoning. This study systematically determines the rationale behind this classification, by specifically evaluating the antioxidant activity of 18 herbs - nine herbs from each category. The oxygen radical absorbance capacities, DPPH radical scavenging activities, and the total phenolic contents are analyzed here. The 'heating' herbs have a comparatively lower antioxidant potential than the 'cooling' herbs. The total phenolic contents correlate with the antioxidant values. It can be hypothesized that the high antioxidant potential of the 'cooling' herbs may have been responsible for the containment of the diseases mentioned previously.
斯里兰卡有各种各样的草药，其有效性经过了多代人的验证。这些草药根据食用后的生理反应分为“热”和“冷”两类。在应用方面，“冷”草药被用于治疗糖尿病、血脂异常甚至癌症患者。然而，由于解释不一致和缺乏科学推理，这种分类方法被误解了。本研究通过专门评估来自两类各九种草药的抗氧化活性，系统地确定了这种分类的基本原理。本文分析了氧自由基吸收能力、DPPH 自由基清除活性和总酚含量。“热”草药的抗氧化能力明显低于“冷”草药。总酚含量与抗氧化值相关。可以假设，“冷”草药的高抗氧化能力可能是其对上述疾病有抑制作用的原因。
