General

Scientific Names: Peganum harmala L.

Common Names: Luo Tuo Peng, Ku Ku Cai, Luo Tuo Song, Chou Cao, Chou Mu Dan.

BOTANICAL:

来 源： 为蒺藜科植物骆驼蓬 Peganum harmala L. 的全草 。

植物特征： 多年生草本，高30-70cm，无毛。根多数，粗达2cm，茎直立或开展，由基部多分枝。叶互生，卵形，全裂为3-5条形或披针状条形裂片，裂片长1-3.5cm，宽1.5-3mm。花单生枝端，与叶对生；萼片5，裂片条形，长15-20mm，有时仅顶端分裂；花瓣黄白色，倒卵状矩圆形，长15-20mm，宽6-9mm；雄蕊15，花丝近基部宽展；子房3室，花柱3。蒴果近球形，种子三棱形，稍弯，黑褐色，表面被小瘤状突起。 花期5-6月，果期7-9月 。

生药材鉴定： 根肥厚而长。茎由基部四散分枝，下部平卧，上部斜生，茎枝圆形有棱。叶互生，2～3回羽状全裂，基生叶无柄，通常3出，裂片披针形线形；托叶刺毛状。

Pharmacology

化学成分: 含l-鸭嘴花碱(l-Peganine)、dl-鸭嘴花碱(dl-Peganine)、鸭嘴花酮碱(Vasicinone)、脱氧鸭嘴花酮碱(Deoxyvasicinone)、哈尔明碱(Harmine)、脱氧鸭嘴花碱(Deoxypeganine)等。

Efficacy

Spinal-Z, a methanolic mixture of dried powdered seeds of Peganum harmala Linn. and leaf of Dracocephalum kotschyii Boiss. is an Iranian ethno-medical remedy. It has been used for the treatment of various types of cancer for many years. To evaluate the use of Spinal-Z in treatment of cancer, we examined its effects against a panel of malignant cell lines and tumors induced in mice. The in vitro antiproliferative activities of Spinal-Z, the seed extract of P. harmala and the leaf extract of D. kotschyii were determined using the MTT assay. The concentration of the agent required to inhibit cell growth by 50% (IC50) was estimated. In addition, the anti-tumor activities of the remedy and its constituents were investigated. Viability of cells treated with Spinal-Z and its components decreased in a dose dependent manner. Spinal-Z and its components showed cytotoxic effects against all cell lines tested. The leaf extract of D. kotschyii showed a greater preferential cytotoxic effect than the seed extract of P. harmala and Spinal-Z, on all cell lines tested. Harmine showed cytotoxicity against HL60 and K562 cell lines. This could explain the cytotoxic effect of P. harmala on these cells. The leaf extract of D. kotschyii was able to inhibit tumor proliferation in mice. The active ingredient in the leaf extract of D. kotschyii appears to be a flavone identified as xanthomicrol. Xanthomicrol was able to inhibit proliferation of a number of malignant cells. The cytotoxic effects of xanthomicrol were more selective towards malignant cells than doxorubicin.(source)

From ancient times, Peganum harmala was claimed to be an important medicinal plant. Its seeds were known to possess hypothermic, and essentially hallucinogenic properties. Various authors have undertaken studies on the antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral effects of Peganum harmala seeds, but studies on the antitumour activity are not to be found in the literature. In Moroccan traditional medicine, seed powder is sometimes used on skin and subcutaneous tumours. This work was designed to investigate some aspects of the antineoplastic properties of the plant Peganum. Varying concentrations (10 to 120 micrograms/ml) of total alkaloid extracts of Peganum harmala seeds (collected in Morocco) were tested in vitro on four tumoural cell-lines: Med-mek and UCP-Med carcinoma, UCP-Med sarcoma and Sp2/O-Ag14. In vivo experiments were performed with the Sp2/O cell-line grafted subcutaneously in syngenic BALB/c mice. In vitro, proliferation of tumoural cell lines was significantly reduced by all tested concentrations of the Peganum alkaloid extracts during the first 24 h of contact. A cell lysis effect occurred after 24 h and progressed to complete cell death within 48 to 72 h depending on the alkaloid concentration. Results obtained indicate that alkaloids of Peganum have a high cell toxicity in vitro. The active principle at a dose of 50 mg/kg given orally to mice for 40 days was found to have significant antitumoural activity. Peganum harmala alkaloids thus possess significant antitumour potential, which could prove useful as a novel anticancer therapy. (source)

骆驼蓬总碱浓度为47及94μg/ml时，对人宫颈癌细胞系细胞杀伤率分别为62.9%和75.3%，去氢骆驼蓬碱为59%和71.7%，异去氢骆驼蓬碱47μg/ml，杀伤率为59%。对低分化鼻咽癌细胞株，去氢骆驼蓬碱47及94μg/ml时，抑制率分别为70.3%和89.5%。

体内试验：骆驼蓬碱22．5和45mg/kg.d×10腹腔注射对小鼠肉瘤的抑制率为32．2%～47.7%。对网状细胞肉瘤的抑制率为33．25～58.2%，对小鼠肝癌细胞为29．4%～58．3%。

用于治疗消化道癌。 骆驼蓬种子粉末，日服2～3次，每次2～4g，治疗胃癌8例，结果：可见食欲增加或症状减轻共6例，经2～9个月追访仍健在者3例。骆驼蓬总碱片剂10mg／片，日服3次，每次4～7片，或总碱注射液5mg/m1，每次10～30mg肌肉注射或置于糖盐水中静脉滴注，治疗消化道肿瘤2l例，其中单用片剂治疗12例，口服片剂加静脉滴注者5例，静滴加肌肉注射4例，均连续给药30天，结果完全缓解19%，部分缓解66.7%，总有效率为85.7%，其中2例生存5年以上。

骆驼蓬复方(本品加黄芪、白术、党参、柴胡、茵陈)治疗晚期肝癌12例，显示有明显疗效，生存5年以上1例，并有抗肝癌转移作用，未发现肝、肾、心和血液系统有毒副作用，部分患者有消化道反应及头昏。用种子粉末治疗胃贲门癌3例，胃癌5例，进药后饮食增加，上腹部疼痛减轻，有明显的改善症状的临床效果。 (source)

IN VITRO:

1. Jahaniani F, et al., Xanthomicrol is the main cytotoxic component of Dracocephalum kotschyii and a potential anti-cancer agent. Phytochemistry. 2005 Jul; 66(13):1581-92.
2. Chen Q, et al., Antitumor and neurotoxic effects of novel harmine derivatives and structure-activity relationship analysis. Int J Cancer. 2005 May 1; 114(5):675-82.
3. Hussain Z, et al., The effect of medicinal plants of Islamabad and Murree region of Pakistan on insulin secretion from INS-1 cells. Phytother Res. 2004 Jan; 18(1):73-7.
4. Lamchouri F, et al., In vitro cell-toxicity of Peganum harmala alkaloids on cancerous cell-lines. Fitoterapia. 2000 Feb; 71(1):50-4.
5. Lamchouri F, et al., Antitumour principles from Peganum harmala seeds. Therapie. 1999 Nov-Dec; 54(6):753-8.
   
   
   
   
   

Safety