Review
Botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Apocynum venetum L. (Luobuma): A review

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Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevance

Apocynum venetum L. (Apocynaceae, Luobuma

) has a long history as a Chinese traditional medicine with uses to calm the liver, soothe the nerves, dissipate heat, and promote diuresis. Recently, Luobuma tea has been commercialized as a sedative and anti-aging supplement that has become increasingly popular in North American and East Asian health food markets.

Aims of the review

The aim of this review is to provide an up-to-date and comprehensive overview of the botany, chemical constituents, traditional uses, pharmacological activities and safety aspects of Apocynum venetum in order to assess its ethnopharmacological use and to explore its therapeutic potentials and future opportunities for research.

Background and methods

The accessible literature on Apocynum venetum written in English, Chinese and Japanese were collected and analyzed. The literatures included ancient Chinese herbal classics, pharmacopoeias and articles that included in Pubmed, Web of Science, Google Scholar and Wanfang.

Key findings

Modern pharmacological studies demonstrated that Apocynum venetum possess wide pharmacological activities that include antihypertensive, cardiotonic, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, lipid-lowering, antidepressant and anxiolytic effects, which can be explained by the presence of various flavonoid compounds in this plant. The traditional (Lop Nor region) use of Apocynum venetum with tobacco as an agent to detoxify nicotine may receive interest as a possible therapeutic option to detoxify the body from smoking. Based on animal studies and clinical trials, Apocynum venetum causes no severe side effects, even in a stable daily dosage (50 mg/person/day) for more than three years.

Conclusions

Apocynum venetum potentially has therapeutic potential in the prevention and treatment for the cardiovascular and neurological diseases, especially for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, neurasthenia, depression and anxiety. Further investigations are needed to explore individual bioactive compounds responsible for these in vitro and in vivo pharmacological effects and the mode of actions. Further safety assessments and clinical trials should be performed before it can be integrated into medicinal practices.

Graphical abstract

Apocynum venetum L. commonly known as Luobuma in China, has a long history as a Chinese and Japanese traditional medicine and food supplement that calms the liver, soothes the nerves, dissipates heat, and promotes diuresis. Recently, Luobuma tea has been commercialized as a sedative and anti-aging supplement that has become increasingly popular in North American and East Asian health food markets.

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Introduction

Apocynum venetum L., commonly known as Luobuma in China, is a traditional and popular Chinese herb with a long history of use as a medicine and tea. Apocynum venetum was first scientifically studied in the 1950s with modern taxonomic and pharmacological methods in Lop Nor Region and the first bibliography was published in 1958 (Dong, 1958). Research on Apocynum venetum with current technology has been conducted mainly in China and Japan (Fig. 1). A series of studies (Kim et al., 2000a, Kim et al., 2000b, Xiong et al., 2000, Cao et al., 2003, Irie et al., 2009) showed that Apocynum venetum effectively lowers blood pressure and has hepatoprotective, cardiotonic, and antioxidant activities. Other publications (Butterweck et al., 2001, Grundmann et al., 2007, Grundmann et al., 2009) indicated that Apocynum venetum has an antidepressant potential and can reduce anxiety. Animal experiments and limited clinical trials suggest that Apocynum venetum is safe even when used chronically. Luobuma tea has been billed as an antihypertensive, anti-aging, sedative nutritional supplement and has become increasingly popular in both North American and East Asian health food markets (Kobayashi et al., 2004).

To provide further support and evidence for the ethnopharmacological use of this herb, we performed a systematic review on the chemical constituents, pharmacological effects, and safety aspects of Apocynum venetum.

Section snippets

Botanical aspects

Apocynum venetum (Luobuma

in Chinese, Apocynaceae) is a perennial herbaceous or half-shrub plant (Editorial Committee of the Flora of China of Chinese Academy of Science, 1977, He et al., 1992). It is 1–2 m tall and exudes a milky juice when wounded. The slender cylindrical stems are purplish to light red. The leaf arrangement is opposite, with lanceolate to ovate leaves that are 1–5 cm long and 4–15 mm wide. The purplish red or pink flowers are bell-shaped and flower from June to July. Fruits

Traditional uses and modern indications

Apocynum venetum has long been used in traditional Chinese and Uygur medicine. The first record of Apocynum venetum can be traced back to the early 15th century, when it was documented in the ancient Chinese herbal book Jiu-Huang-Ben-Cao (Ming Dynasty, by ZHU Su), which is translated as “Herbal for Relief of Famines”. The book stated that the fired leaves and tender stems of Apocynum venetum could be served as food and tea. The Compendium of Materia Medica (Ming Dynasty, by LI Shizhen) stated

Constituents of Apocynum venetum

Multiple classes of phytochemicals including flavonoids, cardiac glycosides and organic acids, as well as many other medicinal ingredients and several minerals, have been identified in Apocynum venetum leaves in different investigations. The predominant flavonoids include flavonols and flavan-3-ols (Fig. 3). Although the compounds contained in the plant's flowers have not been well studied, several flavonol compounds and organic acids have been isolated from the flower of Apocynum venetum (Chen

Pharmacological properties

Various studies have confirmed cholesterol-lowering and antihypertensive effects of Apocynum venetum extracts. Their calming effects on nerves, including sedative, antidepressant and anxiolytic effects, have been investigated in animal models. These activities might be related to general mechanisms of antioxidation, free radical scavenging and diuresis. Other studies have suggested that flavonoids, flavonols and glycosides are the major active compounds in Apocynum venetum.

Safety and drug interactions

The systemic toxicity and safety evaluations of Apocynum venetum are still inadequate. The acute, subchronic and chronic toxicities of commercialized Luobuma tea have been evaluated. The median lethal dose (LD50) of acute oral toxicity of concentrated tea of Apocynum venetum leaves is more than 10 g/kg (Yu et al., 2006). Genotoxicity, teratogenic and reproductive studies did not show any risk (Yu and Wang, 2006). In addition, several clinical reports confirmed that depression patients who took 50

Conclusions

Apocynum venetum has received increasing interest in recent years, and phytochemical and pharmacological studies have validated the traditional uses of Apocynum venetum. A variety of pharmacological activities, including antihypertensive, hepatoprotective, antidepressant, anxiolytic and antioxidant effects can be explained by the presence of various flavonols, flavanols and glycosides in this plant. The local use of Apocynum venetum with tobacco as an agent to detoxify nicotine may receive more

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Ministry of Education and State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs “overseas teacher” project (No. MS2011XBNL057) and a grant (No. 01140407) for returned overseas Chinese Scholars from Northwest A&F University, China.

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