Tinkturenpresse

Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC. - syn.Atractylodes chinensis (Bunge) Koidz.; Atractylodes japonica Koidz. ex Kitam.; Atractylodes lyrata Siebold & Zucc.; Atractylodes ovata (Thunb.) DC. - Asteraceae
苍术 cāngzhú (chin.), ホソバオケラ hosobaokera (jap.), southern tsangshu, swordlike atractylodes

Atractylodes japonica Koidz. ex Kit. - Wa-byakulu-tsu (jap.), JP XII
Atractylodes ovata DC. - Kara-byakujutsu (jap.), JP XII

Perennial herb, up to 70cm tall, native to East Asia (China, Korea, Japan), cultivated there; leaves alternate, elliptic-lanceolate, up to 4cm long, serrate; flowers white, tinged with purple, terminal.
The dried finger-shaped, roughly monilifrom rhizomes are 3-9cm long, smell somewaht aromatic and own a warm and bitter taste. Indications are oedama and water retention, vomiting and loss of appetite.
[Medicinal plants in China: a selection of 150 commonly used species., World Health Organization., 1989, 48-49]

„Atractylodes lancea Thunb. is a species of Atractylodes that grows in central China. It is one source of cāng zhú, a Chinese herbal medicine that is believed to act primarily on the digestive system.“
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atractylodes_lancea

„A few sources have reported antimicrobial activity for the herb when burned as an incense: one coil of antiseptic atractylodes incense per 45 cubic meters of space significantly reduced the transmission of viruses and microbes, with an effect similar to formalin or ultraviolet light exposure.“
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C4%81ng_zh%C3%BA

„In an attempt to elucidate the physiological activities of (6E,12E)-tetradecadiene-8,10-diyne-1,3-diol diacetate (TDEYA), which was detected as a hydrolysis form (TDEY) in the plasma after oral administration of a decoction of Atractylodes rhizome in rats, we examined the inhibitory effects of various enzymes which are considered to participate in the regulation of body fluid levels and inflammatory reactions.TDEY and TDEYA did not show inhibitory effects on carbonic anhydrase (CA) or angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) at concentrations less than 1.0×10-3 M. However, both acetylene compounds inhibited Na+, K+ adenosine triphosphatase (Na+, K+ -ATPase) weakly and xanthine oxidase (XO) strongly. From the results of several acetylene compounds examined on XO inhibition, it is clear that the active structure of the compounds is due to the presence of conjugated triple and double bonds. In the in vivo experiment of TDEYA, urine volume, urinary electrolytes and uric acid excretion showed no significant differences from the control. However, the administration of TDEYA to rats tended to increase xanthine excretion.“

(6E,12E)-tetradecadiene-8,10-diyne-1,3-diol diacetate (TDEYA, R=OAc) and TDEY (R=OH)
[Enzyme inhibitory activities of acetylene and sesquiterpene compounds in Atractylodes rhizome., Sakurai, T., Yamada, H., Saito, K.I., Kano, Y., Biol. Pharm. Bull, Vol.16(2), 1993, 142-145]

„Atractylon, a major component of the crude drug “Byaku-jutsu” (rhizomes of Atractylodes japonica), strongly inhibited Na+,K+-ATPase activity with an I50 value of 8.9 × 10−6 M. It also inhibited Mg2+ ATPase, H+,K+-ATPase, H+-ATPase and Ca2+-ATPase activities, but less potently.“
[Specific inhibition of Na+, K+-ATPase activity by atractylon, a major component of Byaku-jutsu, by interaction with enzyme in the E 2 state., Satoh, K., Nagai, F., Ushiyama, K., Kano, I., Biochemical pharmacology, Vol.51(3), 1996, 339-343]

atractylon

„Lipophilic extracts of Atractylodes lancea rhizomes exhibited potent inhibitory activities in 5-lipoxygenase [IC50 (5-LOX) = 2.9 μg/mL (n-hexane extract)] and cyclooxygenase-1 [IC50 (COX-1) = 30.5 μg/mL (n-hexane extract)] enzymatic assays. Bioactivity-guided fractionation of the n-hexane extract led to the isolation of a new compound atractylochromene, a potent inhibitor in both test systems [IC50 (5-LOX) = 0.6 μM, IC50 (COX-1) = 3.3 μM]. Also obtained was 2-[(2E)-3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadienyl]-6-methyl-2,5-cyclohexadiene-1,4-dione, which showed a selective inhibitory activity against 5-LOX [IC50 (5-LOX) 0.2 μM, IC50 (COX-1) 64.3 μM]. The sesquiterpene atractylon and the coumarin osthol turned out to be moderate but selective 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors. Atractylenolides I, II, and III showed no significant inhibitory effects for either enzyme. Structures were established by spectral data interpretation.“
[5-Lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase-1 inhibitory active compounds from Atractylodes lancea., Resch, M., Steigel, A., Chen, Z.L., Bauer, R., Journal of natural products, Vol.61(3), 1998, 347-350]

„The effect of rhizomes of Atractylodes lancea on gastric disorders, in particular, the delay in gastric emptying induced by NG-nitro-l-arginine in rats, was investigated. Intragastric treatment with an aqueous extract (250 mg/kg) and its lipophilic fractions (4 mg/kg) significantly improved delayed gastric emptying. The major constituents of the lipophilic fraction were two sesquiterpens, hinesol and ß-eudesmol, and four known polyacetylenic compounds, atractylodin, atractylodinol, acetylatractylodinol and 4,6,12-tetradecatriene-8,10-diyne-1,3,14-triol. The activity was found in the four polyacetylenic compounds at a similar potency, but not in the two sesquiterpens. To clarify the effect of the four polyacetylenic compounds in this extract, we attempted to evaluate the activity of atractylodin, as representative, at a dose of 0.2 mg/kg based on the total amounts (0.2 mg/250 mg aqueous extract) of the four polyacetylenic compounds. In addition, atractylodin improved the delay in gastric emptying at between 0.1 and 0.3 mg/kg in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that the aqueous extract improved the delayed gastric emptying, and polyacetylenic compounds contributed to its activity.“
[Effect of the rhizomes of Atractylodes lancea and its constituents on the delay of gastric emptying., Nakai, Y., Kido, T., Hashimoto, K., Kase, Y., Sakakibara, I., Higuchi, M., Sasaki, H., Journal of ethnopharmacology, Vol.84(1), 2003, 51-55]

picture source: Flora of China, Harvard http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=120574&flora_id=2

picture source: Kosishikawa Botanical Garden 2007, http://flowers.la.coocan.jp/Asteraceae/Atractylodes%20japonica.htm