• It is used to reinforce the vital function of the kidneys especially that of sexual organs for the treatment of impotence and premature ejaculation of men and infertility in women

a) It is used to reinforce the vital function of the kidneys especially that of sexual organs for the treatment of impotence and premature ejaculation of men. The herb is pungent and sweet in flavour, slightly warm in nature, it is tropistic to the liver and kidney channels. Being sweet and warm, it can invigorate kidney-yang; as a pungent and warm agent, it is capable of dispelling wind-dampness. Being slightly warm, moist and dry, it has effects of invigorating Yang and supplementing vital essence and is especially effective in strengthening muscles and bones, serving to treat insufficiency of kidney-yang and deficiency-cold of essence and blood marked by impotence, infertility and athralgia due to wind-dampness. It tonifies the kidney, invigorating Yang, strengthening muscles and bones, dispelling wind and eliminating dampness.Source: "Legendary Chinese Healing Herbs" - Dr. Henry Lu- Academy of Oriental Heritage, Blaine, USA. The author is best known for his translation of "Yellow Emperor's Classics of Internal Medicine" written around 300 B.C. from Chinese to English; "Dictionary Of Traditional Chinese Medicine" written by Prof. Lou Zhicen - Professor of Pharmacognosy, Prof. Li Shuncheng - Associate Professor of Medicine and Prof. Tang Zijin - Associate Professor of Medicine of Beijing Medical College.

b) Research showed that it benefits the reproductive organs A 30g/kg/day dose of Radix Morindae Officinalis decoction was administered to castrated mice once a day for 15 days. Results showed that the weights of levator ani muscles, seminal vesicle and prostate were not significantly effected. Qiao Zhisheng, et al. Comparison of pharmacological activities of different Radix Morindae Officinalis species, Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine. 1991; 11(7):4

• It is used to nourish the liver and kidneys

Researches by scientists have shown that Radix Achyrantes can be used to improve bone quality. Bones are forms from bone marrows. Bone marrows come from kidney essence. One of the reasons why men suffer from ED problems is because of weakening kidneys. One of the phyto-chemicals of Achyrantes is beta-sitosterol. Researches by scientists have discovered that beta-sitosterol reduces blood levels of cholesterol, and is sometimes used in treating hypercholesterolemia (high level of cholesterol in the blood. It is a well known fact high cholesterol can cause ED problems. Beta-sitosterol also prevents the oxidation of LDL cholesterol thereby reducing the risk of atherosclerosis.

a) TCM believes that kidneys control bone growth. For bone to grow, the body needs bone marrow. In TCM bone marrow is derived from kidney essence. That explains why those who suffers from osteoporosis also suffers from dysfunction kidneys. In recent years, many bone disorders have been successfully treated by TCM practitioners through treatment of the kidney. Bioassay-directed fractionation of a butanol-soluble fraction of methanol extract of the root of Achyranthes bidentata resulted in the isolation of 5 new oleanolic acid glycosides 1-5, namely, 18-(beta-D-glucopyranosyloxy)-28-oxoolean-12-en-3beta-yl 3-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-beta-D-glucopyranosiduronic acid methyl ester (1), achyranthoside C dimethyl ester (2), achyranthoside C butyl dimethyl ester (3), achyranthoside E dimethyl ester (4), and achyranthoside E butyl methyl ester (5), together with 10 known compounds. Their structures were established on the basis of spectroscopic interpretation and chemical methods. All the oleanolic acid glycosides inhibited the formation of osteoclast-like multinucleated cells (OCLs) induced by 1alpha,25(OH)2D3 in a co-culture assay system. (An osteoclast (from the Greek words for "bone" and "broken") is a type of bone cell that removes bone tissue by removing the bone's mineralized matrix. This process is known as bone resorption. Osteoclasts and osteoblasts are instrumental in controlling the amount of bone tissue. Osteoblasts form bone; osteoclasts resorb bone. Osteoclasts are formed by the fusion of cells of the monocyte cell line. Osteoclasts are characterized by high expression of tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and cathepsin K.). "Five new oleanolic acid glycosides from Achyranthes Bidentata with inhibitory activity on osteoclast formation." 76739

b) Eight compounds were separated from the roots of Achyrathes bidentata by repeated chromatography. On the basis of physicochemical properties and spectral analysis their structures were elucidated as alpha-spinasterol (1), beta-sitosterol (2), chrysophanol (3), dibutyl phthalate (4), palmitic acid (5), alpha-spinasterol-3-O-beta-D-glucoside (6), daucosterol (7) and ecdysterone (8). Compounds 1-7 were isolated from the plant for the first time. “Separation and identification of the compounds from Achyranthes bidentata Bl” 38963

c) Beta-sitosterol (BS) is a compound that has shown various activities potentially useful for human health. In the present study, we determined its antigenotoxic capacity and lymphocyte induction potential in mouse as well as its capacity to trap free radicals in vitro. BS, in doses from 200 to 1,000 mg/kg, was able to significantly reduce the frequency of sister chromatid exchanges induced by 10 mg/kg of doxorubicin (DX) in bone marrow cells. The same range of BS doses also gave rise to a strong reduction in the rate of micronucleated, polychromatic erythrocytes induced by DX. In addition, we determined an increase in the production of lymphocytes in mice administered with BS. By means of the DPPH assay, the compound was shown to trap free radicals in a concentration dependent manner as high as 78.12% using 250 μg/ml. Our research established three relevant biological activities of BS which show its potential as a chemopreventive (The use of chemical agents, drugs, or food supplements to prevent disease) agent. “Cell protection induced by beta-sitosterol: inhibition of genotoxic damage, stimulation of lymphocyte production, and determination of its antioxidant capacity”.  02773

d)   Research by scientists showed that beta-sitosterol decreases cholesterol synthesis.  CaCo-2 cells were used to address the effect of the plant sterol, beta-sitosterol, on cholesterol trafficking, cholesterol metabolism, and apoB secretion.  Compared to cells incubated with micelles (5mM taurocholate and 250 microM oleic acid) containing cholesterol, which caused an increase in the influx of plasma membrane cholesterol to the endoplasmic reticulum and increased the secretion of cholesteryl esters derived from the plasma membrane, beta-sitosterol did not alter cholesterol trafficking or cholesteryl ester secretion. Including beta-sitosterol in the micelle together with cholesterol attentuated the influx of plasma membrane cholesterol and prevented the secretion of cholesteryl esters derived from the plasma membrane. Stigmasterol and campesterol had effects similar to beta-sitosterol although campesterol did not promote a modest influx of plasma membrane cholesterol. Including beta-sitosterol in the micelle with cholesterol  decreased the uptake of cholesterol.Compared to cholesterol, 60% less beta-sitosterol was taken up by CaCo-2 cells.  No observable esterification of beta-sitosterol was appreciated and the transport of the plant sterol to the basolateral medium was negligible. Cholesterol synthesis and HMG-CoA reductase activities were decreased in cells incubated with beta-sitosterol. This was associated with a decrease in reductase mass and mRNA levels. Cholesteryl ester synthesis and ACAT activities were unaltered by beta-sitosterol. Both stigmasterol and campesterol decreased reductase activity, but only campesterol increased ACAT activity. Beta-sitosterol did not affect the secretion of apoB mass. The results suggest that beta-sitosterol does not promote cholesterol trafficking from the plasma membrane to the endoplasmic reticulum. Beta-sitosterol interferes with the uptake of micellar cholesterol causing less plasma membrane cholesterol to influx and less cholesteryl ester to be secreted. Despite its lack of effect on cholesterol trafficking, beta-sitosterol decreases cholesterol synthesis at the level of HMG-CoA reductase gene expression.  "Effect of micellar beta-sitosterol on cholesterol metabolism in CaCo-2 cells." 348360

e) Some of the researches done on the relationship between beta-sitosterol and cholesterol:

i) At McGill University in Montreal (Can. J. Physiol. Pharmacol. 75, 1997, p. 217-27) doctors did a review of the literature on beta-sitosterol and cholesterol metabolism. They researched in detail 18 major studies that used sitosterols to lower cholesterol and triglycerides. They concluded, "addition to diet of phytosterols represents an effective means of improving circulating lipid profiles to reduce risk of coronary heart disease." This study came complete with forty high quality references and left no doubt about the effectiveness of phytosterols on humans. Also at McGill University (Metabolism Clinic Experiments 47, 1998, p. 751-6) patients on a fixed diet were given sterols from pine oil for a mere ten days in a strict, randomized crossover study. This was not a low fat or low cholesterol diet at all. They successfully lowered both their total cholesterol and LDL levels in this short term placebo controlled experiment. They concluded, these results demonstrate the short term efficacy of pine oil plant sterols as cholesterol lowering agents"

ii) A very interesting study was done at the Center for Human Nutrition in France (Ann. Nutr. Metab. 39, 1995, p. 291-5) in that healthy people with normal cholesterol levels were given beta- sitosterol to see if their normal levels could be lowered even further. We always think of studies as using unhealthy people with pathological cholesterol levels given supplements to make them normal again. Amazingly enough the healthy people lowered their normal cholesterol levels even more with no change in diet or exercise. In fact, they were a full 10% lower in only a month. This kind of effect is really fascinating. They said, "The present results may be of great interest in the prevention of high cholesterol diet-associated risks, especially in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Since beta-sitosterol was so effective for people who didn't even need it, think what it will do for those people who do need to lower their blood lipids. They concluded, "These findings suggest that a significant lowering of plasma total and LDL cholesterol can be effected by a modest dietary intake of soybean phytosterols"

iii) A good study was done at the Wageningen Agricultural Institute in the Netherlands, the same clinic that did so much good research on trans fatty acids (Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 72, 2000, p. 1510-5). They gave men and women a margarine containing plant sterols and got very significant reductions in cholesterol as well as lower LDL levels in only three weeks. Why a clinic would give margarine to people after studying the negative effects of hydrogenated oils is another matter. Again, these were healthy subjects with normal cholesterol levels, yet they still got great benefits very quickly with no change in diet or exercise.

iv) At Uppsala University in Sweden (Eur. Heart J. Supp. 1, 1999, p. S80-S90) the doctors wanted to give the volunteers the phytosterols in conjunction with a cholesterol lowering diet to see the results of a more comprehensive lifestyle program. The results were really impressive in that the men and women lowered total cholesterol a full 15% and LDL cholesterol a full 19% in less than a month. The shows the very dramatic results you can get with just adding some reasonable dietary changes even without any exercise program at all.

v) At the University of British Columbia at their St. Paul's Hospital (American Journal of Medicine 107 (1999) p. 588-94) a very impressive review was done complete with 86 references of using plant sterols to lower total cholesterol and LDL. They said of the recent research, "In 16 recently published human studies that used phytosterols to decrease plasma cholesterol levels in a total of 590 subjects, phytosterol therapy was accompanied by an average 10% decrease in total cholesterol and 13% decrease in LDL cholesterol levels." This is the best review to date and should convince anyone of the effectiveness of sterols over drugs.

vi) At the University of Kagawa in Tokyo two studies were done. The first was done on healthy young men who were given plant sterols for only five days. In this short time their cholesterol levels fell measurably (Joshi Eiyo Daigaku Kiyo 14, 1983, p. 165-72). The second study was done on healthy young women (same journal 15, 1984 p. 11-18) again giving them plant sterols for only five days. "Administration of phytosterol (mainly sitosterol) increased the output of fecal cholesterol." These were all healthy young Japanese people eating a traditional low-fat diet who did not have a cholesterol problem to begin with, yet they received measurable results in only five days.

vii) At the University of California in San Diego men were isolated in a hospital ward and fed 350 mg of cholesterol and then beta-sitosterol supplements (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 35, 1982, p. 697-700). This resulted in a 42% decrease in cholesterol absorption in the intestines. They said, "Evidently, the judicious addition of beta-sitosterol to meals containing cholesterol rich foods will result in a decrease in cholesterol absorption with a consequent decrease in plasma cholesterol"

viii) The University of Helsinki took a big interest in lowering cholesterol with plant sterol therapy back in 1988. The first study (Clinical Chimica Acta 178, p. 41-9) studied familial (genetic) hypercholesteremia. The higher the sterol levels they found in the patients blood the more cholesterol was excreted rather than absorbed. The second study was in 1989 (Metabolism Clinical Experiments 38, p. 136-40). Men were studied again for blood levels of sterols and they found the higher the levels the more cholesterol was excreted successfully. The third study in 1994 (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 59, p. 1338-46) studied vegetarians who eat twice as many plant sterols as normal people. They showed one reason vegetarians have lower cholesterol levels besides the food they eat is the efficiency of their cholesterol excretion due to their intakes of plant sterols. In the last study in 1999 (Current Opinion Lipidology 10, p. 9-14) they said, "Plant sterols may be useful for the treatment of hyper-cholesteremiaフhey may have a potent cholesterol lowering effect as shown in normal and hypercholesteremic men and women with and without coronary heart disease and diabetes mellitus"

ix) The best study of all was a review from the University of British Columbia (American Journal of Medicine 107, 1999, p. 588-94). This included a full 86 references, and went over seventeen different human studies using plant sterols to lower cholesterol since 1951 (Proceedings of the Society for Biological Medicine 78, 1951, p. 143-7). A total of 590 men and women were used in these studies with phytosterol therapy resulting in an average 10% reduction in total cholesterol and a 13% reduction in LDL cholesterol. They found this worked best in high-fat diets; the worse the diet the more results the researchers got.

• It is used to replenish the vital essence of the liver and kidneys

In our previous study, we reported the renoprotective effect of Corni Fructus (Cornus officinalis SIEB. et ZUCC. In this study, we investigated the effects of morroniside isolated from Corni Fructus on renal damage in streptozotocin-treated diabetic rats. Oral administration of morroniside at a dose of 20 or 100 mg/kg body weight/d for 20 d to diabetic rats resulted in significant decreases in increasing serum glucose and urinary protein levels. Moreover, the decreased levels of serum albumin and total protein in diabetic rats were significantly increased by morroniside administration at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight/d. In addition, morroniside significantly reduced the elevated serum urea nitrogen level and showed a tendency to reduce creatinine clearance. Morroniside also significantly reduced the enhanced levels of serum glycosylated protein, and serum and renal thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances. Protein expressions related to the advanced glycation endproduct (AGE) level and actions, oxidative stress such as N(epsilon)-(carboxyethyl)lysine, as well as receptors for AGE and heme oxygenase-1 were increased in diabetic rats, but the levels were also significantly decreased by the administration of morroniside. This suggests that morroniside exhibits protective effects against diabetic renal damage by inhibiting hyperglycemia and oxidative stress. These results indicate that morroniside is one component partly responsible for the protective effects of Corni Fructus and Hachimi-jio-gan against diabetic renal damage. “Protective Effects of Morroniside Isolated from Corni Fructus against Renal Damage in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats.” 591786

• It is used to invigorate blood circulation and promote the flow of vital energy

a) Ligustilide is the most abundant bioactive ingredient in Rhizoma Chuanxiong, a Chinese medicinal herb commonly used for the treatment of cardiovascular ailments. The present study reported, for the first time, the pharmacokinetics of ligustilide, administered in its pure form and in an herbal extract, in rats. After i.v. administration of pure ligustilide, it was distributed extensively (V_d, 3.76 ± 1.23 l/kg) and eliminated rapidly (t_1/2, 0.31 ± 0.12 h). The i.v. clearance (CL) of ligustilide after Chuanxiong extract administration was significantly higher than that dosed in its pure form [CL, 20.35 ± 3.05 versus 9.14 ± 1.27 l/h/kg, p < 0.01; area under the curve (AUC), 0.79 ± 0.10 versus 1.81 ± 0.24 mg · h/l, p < 0.01], suggesting significant interaction between ligustilide and components present in the extract. Dose-dependent pharmacokinetics was observed after i.p. administration, and a significantly higher dose-normalized AUC (1.77 ± 0.23 mg · h/l) at 52 mg/kg was obtained than that at 26 mg/kg (0.93 ± 0.07 mg · h/l, p < 0.05). Oral bioavailability of ligustilide was low (2.6%), which was partly because of extensive first-pass metabolism in the liver. Seven metabolites of ligustilide were identified, and three of them were unequivocally characterized as butylidenephthalide, senkyunolide I, and senkyunolide H. These three compounds also occurred naturally in the herb and were reported to be bioactive. “Pharmacokinetics and Metabolism of Ligustilide, a Major Bioactive Component in Rhizoma Chuanxiong, in the Rat.” 017707

b) The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of ligustilide on vasodilatation in rat mesenteric artery and the mechanisms responsible for it. Isometric tension of rat mesenteric artery rings was recorded by a sensitive myograph system in vitro. The results showed that ligustilide at concentrations more than 10 μM relaxed potassium chloride (KCl)-preconstricted rat mesenteric artery in a concentration-dependent manner. The vasodilatation effect of ligustilide was not dependent on endothelium. Ligustilide rightwards shifted concentration-response curves induced by KCl, calcium chloride (CaCl₂), noradrenaline (NA) or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in a non-parallel manner. This suggests that the vasodilatation effects were most likely via voltage-dependent calcium channel (VDCC) and receptor-operated calcium channel (ROCC). Propranolol, glibenclamide, tetraethylammonium and barium chloride did not affect the vasodilation induced by ligustilide, showing that p-adrenoceptor, ATP sensitive potassium channel, calcium-activated potassium channel and inwardly rectifying potassium channel were not involved in the vasodilatation. Ligustilide concentration-dependently inhibited the vasoconstriction induced by NA or CaCl₂ in Ca²⁺-free medium, indicating that the vasodilatation relates to inhibition of extracellular Ca²⁺ influx through VDCC and ROCC, and intracellular Ca²⁺ release from Ca²⁺ store. Since caffeine-induced contraction was inhibited by ligustilide, inhibition of intracellular Ca²⁺