Pharmaceutical Center of Yueyang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200437, China.
Department of Drug Preparation, Hospital of TCM and Hui Nationality Medicine, Ningxia Medical University, Ningxia 751100, China.
Curr Pharm Des. 2019;25(3):359-369. doi: 10.2174/1381612825666190313121608.
Prunella vulgaris (PV) is a perennial herb belonging to the Labiate family and is widely distributed in the northeastern Asian countries such as Korea, Japan, and China. It is reported to display diverse biological activities including anti-microbial, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammation as determined by in vitro or in vivo studies. So far, about 200 compounds have been isolated from PV plant and a majority of these have been characterized mainly as triterpenoids, sterols and flavonoids, followed by coumarins, phenylpropanoids, polysaccharides and volatile oils. This review summarizes and analyzes the current knowledge on the chemical constituents, pharmacological activities, mechanisms of action and clinical applications of the PV plant including its potential as a future medicinal plant. Although some of the chemical constituents of the PV plant and their mechanisms of action have been investigated, the biological activities of many of these remain unknown and further clinical trials are required to further enhance its reputation as a medicinal plant.
夏枯草（PV）是唇形科的一种多年生草本植物，广泛分布于韩国、日本和中国等东北亚国家。据报道，通过体外或体内研究，它具有多种生物活性，包括抗菌、抗癌和抗炎作用。迄今为止，已从 PV 植物中分离出约 200 种化合物，其中大部分已被鉴定为三萜、甾醇和类黄酮，其次是香豆素、苯丙素、多糖和挥发油。本综述总结和分析了 PV 植物的化学成分、药理活性、作用机制及其作为未来药用植物的临床应用的最新知识。尽管已经研究了 PV 植物的一些化学成分及其作用机制，但其中许多的生物活性仍然未知，需要进一步的临床试验来进一步提高其作为药用植物的声誉。
