To understand the meaning of blending crude drugs in Chinese medicinal prescriptions, the influence of Saussurea root on the pharmacological action of Corydalis tuber was examined. Saussurea root increased the depression of acetylcholine-induced contraction caused by the hot water extract solution of Corydalis tuber in mouse ileum at low dosage, which showed no direct influence on acetylcholine...

Background and objective: Medicinal oils are one of the most common and special dosage forms in oral and topical therapies of Persian medicine (PM). The oil of Saussurea costus (bitter qust) root is prominent topical oil with different applications in PM. In this study, the oil of bitter qust was prepared according to ancient Persian medical texts. Methods:</st...

The aim of this research was to investigate antidiabetic activity of Costus igneus (also known as insulin plant) leaves extracts in streptozotocin induced diabetic albino rats. A comparison was made between the action of Costus igneus extract and a known antidiabetic drug glibenclamide (5mg/kg body wt.). An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was also performed in experimental diabetic rats. Eth...

The present work reveals the preliminary phytochemical screening and the study of antimicrobial activities of Costus speciosus (Koen) and Sea Qust. These are medicinal plants of considerable importance. Carbohydrates, Tannins, Steroids, Anthocyanates and Proteins were detected in both plants. Alkaloids, saponines, Anthraquinones were present in Costus speciosus but where absent in Sea Qust. The...

Traditional Chinese medicine can promote the proliferation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). We chose four "Kidney-tonifying" Chinese herbal medicines, Radix Astragali, Salvia, Herba Epimedii, and Saussurea Involucrata, to evaluate whether they had positive effects on the proliferation of BMSCs and TGF-β1-induced chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs. The four Chinese herba...

Saussurea involucrata is a Mongolian medicinal plant well known for its effects in promoting blood circulation, and anti-inflammation and analgesic functions. Earlier studies reported that Saussurea involucrata has anti- cancer activity. The purpose of this study was to confirm the anticancer activity of an ethanol extract of Saussurea involucrata against hepatic cancer and elucidate its mechan...

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder of glucose metabolism which correlates with postprandial hyperglycemia and oxidative stress. Control of blood glucose level is imperative in the management of diabetes. The present study tested the hypothesis that Costus afer, an antihyperglycemic medicinal plant, possesses inhibitory activity against carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes. Hexane, ethyl acet...