General

Scientific Names: Iris japonica Thunb.

Common Names: Bai Hua She Gan, Sou Shan Hu, Jin Zhan Zi Hua, Er Chi Jia Wei, Bai Hua Ying Wei, Shan Shan Cao.

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BOTANICAL:

来 源： 为驾尾科植物白花射干Iris japonica Thunb. 的根或全草。

植物特征： 多年生草本。根状茎细，横生。茎分枝，高25～75厘米；枝成双，每分叉处生1苞片。叶剑形，嵌迭状，宽0.6～2.2厘米。花3～5朵一簇，白色，有少数紫褐色或红紫色斑点，外转花被具白色斑块，近正方形，平展无髯毛，长1.8厘米，内轮花被倒披针形，较短；雄蕊3；花柱3深裂，柱头瓣状。蒴果狭长圆形，长达3.7厘米。种子暗褐色。花期7～8月。

生药材鉴定： 根茎呈不规则结节状。长2～5厘米，直径0.7～2.5厘米。表面灰褐色，粗糙，可见圆形的茎痕或残留的茎基。须根细长弯曲，下部多已折断，长5～20厘米，直径1.5～4毫米；表面黄棕色，有明显的纵皱纹及疏生的细根，有时可见纤细的绒毛。质空虚软韧或硬而脆。横断面中央有小木心，木心与外皮间为空隙戒黄白色的皮层。臭微弱，味淡微苦。

Pharmacology

化学成分: 根茎含鸢尾黄酮甙、鸢尾甙等异黄酮类及色素。

Efficacy

Thirteen species of Iridaceae plants were studied with the capability to induce HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cells into macrophages. The neutrophil stimulating activity in these plants was also examined by measuring superoxide production. Both activities are known to be possessed by tumor promoters such as 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). Dried parts of Iridaceae plants were extracted with methanol. Then, each extract was added to a culture medium of HL-60 cells and cultured for two days. A morphological change of the cells from suspended to adherent state, which was reported to occur in the process of differentiation, was observed. Nine species, most of which belong to the Iris genus, had the activity to cause cell adhesion. Each of the cell adhesion-positive extract was applied to a silica gel column and eluted with chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol in order. The activity was recovered only in the ethyl acetate eluate in all the cases. Those partially purified fractions also activated superoxide generation of neutrophils. When ethyl acetate fractions of Iris tectorum and Iris japonica were analyzed by HPLC, three active peaks different from TPA and teleocidins in UV spectra were detected. From these results, it was suggested that several plants of Iridaceae may contain TPA-type and yet structurally-different tumor promoters. (source)

IN VITRO:

1. Takahashi K, et al., [Study of iridaceae plants with the capability to induce differentiation of HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cells]. Yakugaku Zasshi, 1933 Sept; 113 (9):647-54.

Safety