General

Scientific Names: Terminalia chebula Retz.

Common Names: He Zi, He Li, He Li Le, Sui Feng Zi.

BOTANICAL:

来 源： 本品为使君子科植物诃子Terminalia chebula Retz. 或绒毛诃子Terminalia chebula Retz. var. tomentella Kurt.的干燥成熟果实。

植物特征： 本品为长圆形或卵圆形，长2～4cm，直径2～2.5cm。表面黄棕色或暗棕色，略具光泽，有5～6条纵棱线及不规则的皱纹，基部有圆形果梗痕。质坚实。果肉厚0.2～0.4cm，黄棕色或黄褐色。果核长1.5～2.5cm，直径1～1.5cm，浅黄色，粗糙，坚硬。种子狭长纺锤形，长约1cm，直径0.2～0.4cm；种皮黄棕色，子叶2，白色，相互重叠卷旋。无臭，味酸涩后甜。

资源分布：诃子生于海拔800一1540m的疏林中，或阳坡林缘。分布于广东、海南、广西、云南。绒毛诃子生于海拔800一1100的阳坡林缘。分布于云南永德、双江、镇康、龙陵、瑞丽等地。

生药材鉴定： 干燥果实呈卵形或近圆球形。表面黄绿色或灰棕色，微带光泽。质坚实，断面灰黄色，显沙性，东久则呈灰棕色。内有黄白色坚硬的核，钝圆形。核壳厚，砸碎后，里有白色细小的种仁。气微，味酸涩。以黄棕色、有光泽、坚实者为佳。

Pharmacology

化学成分: 本品含鞣质，其主要成分为诃子酸(chebulinic acid)、诃黎勒酸(chebulagic acid)、原诃子酸(ter—chebin)、葡萄糖没食子鞣甙(glucogallin)、鞣花酸(ellagic)及没食子酸(gallic acid)等。

Efficacy

抗肿瘤作用： （1）煎剂对移植性小鼠氏腹水癌、腹水肉瘤及棱形细胞肉瘤的生长均有抑制作用。 （2）分别接种艾氏腹水癌、腹水肉瘤及棱形细胞肉瘤组织的小鼠，经口灌服煎剂，能延缓其腹水与肿瘤的生长。 （3）经煎液处理后的小鼠恶性肿瘤细胞，接种于小鼠体内，能使其丧失生活能力。

In the study, 6 extracts and 4 pure compounds of Terminalia chebula RETZ. were investigated for anti-lipid peroxidation, anti-superoxide radical formation and free radical scavenging activities. The superoxide radical scavenging of the 4 pure compounds was further evaluated using electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrometry. The results showed that all tested extracts and pure compounds of T. chebula exhibited antioxidant activity at different magnitudes of potency. (source)

A 70% methanol extract of Terminalia chebula fruit, was studied for its effects on growth in several malignant cell lines including a human (MCF-7) and mouse (S115) breast cancer cell line, a human osteosarcoma cell line (HOS-1), a human prostate cancer cell line (PC-3) and a non-tumorigenic, immortalized human prostate cell line (PNT1A) using assays for proliferation ([(3)H]-thymidine incorporation and coulter counting), cell viability (ATP determination) and cell death (flow cytometry and Hoechst DNA staining). In all cell lines studied, the extract decreased cell viability, inhibited cell proliferation, and induced cell death in a dose dependent manner. Flow cytometry and other analyses showed that some apoptosis was induced by the extract at lower concentrations, but at higher concentrations, necrosis was the major mechanism of cell death. ATP assay guided chromatographic fractionation of the extract yielded ellagic acid, 2,4-chebulyl-beta-D-glucopyranose (a new natural product), and chebulinic acid which were tested by ATP assay on HOS-1 cell line in comparison to three known antigrowth phenolics of Terminalia, gallic acid, ethyl gallate, luteolin, and tannic acid. Chebulinic acid (IC(50) = 53.2 microM +/- 0.16) > tannic acid (IC(50) = 59.0 microg/ml +/- 0.19) > and ellagic acid (IC(50) = 78.5 microM +/- 0.24), were the most growth inhibitory phenolics of T. chebula fruit in our study. (source)

IN VITRO:

1. Cheng HY, et al., Antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities of Terminalia chebula. Biol Pharm Bull. 2003 Sep; 26(9):1331-5.
2. Saleem A, et al., Inhibition of cancer cell growth by crude extract and the phenolics of Terminalia chebula retz. fruit. J Ethnopharmacol. 2002 Aug; 81(3):327-36.
   
   
   

Safety

用药忌宜: 凡外邪未解，内有湿热火邪者忌服。《品汇精要》：“气虚人忌多服。” 《医学入门》： “气虚及暴嗽、初泻，不可轻用。”