Textual research on Bupleuri Radix in Chinese classical prescriptions

Abstract

Through consulting the herbs and medical books of past dynasties, combining with modern literature and field investigation, this paper made textual research on the name, origin, producing area, harvesting and processing of Bupleuri Radix used in the Catalogue of Ancient Classical Prescriptions(the first batch).From Han to the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the source of Bupleuri Radix was a mixture of Bupleurum and Peucedanum, it's hard to define the origin of authentic products.In Tang Dynasty, Caryophyllaceae had been used as Bupleuri Radix. In Song Dynasty, it was clear that the genuine production area of Bupleuri Radix was Yinzhou, its origin was B. corzonerifolium and B. yinchowense.After the Ming Dynasty, B. chinense gradually became the mainstream. It has been confirmed that there were differences in the efficacy between Stellaria dichotoma in Caryophyllaceae and Bupleurum in Umbelliferae, however, the use of S. dichotoma is still attributed to Bupleuri Radix. In the Qing Dynasty, S. dichotoma was distinguished from Bupleuri Radix as another medicine. Among the prescriptions containing Bupleuri Radix included in the Catalogue of Classical Prescriptions in Ancient China(the first batch), the mainstream of genuine Bupleuri Radix should be B. scorzonerifolium and B. chinense. It is suggested that the genuine base of Bupleuri Radix should be selected according to the current resources and industrial development of Bupleuri Radix, and it should conform to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia.