Qing Feng Teng (Caulis Sinomenii)

Qing Feng Teng (Caulis Sinomenii)

What Is Qing Feng Teng

Qing Feng Teng commonly known as Caulis Sinomenii is the vine of Sinomenium acutum, which is a perennial deciduous liana belonging to the family Menispermaceae. It is a relatively practical and common Chinese herbal medicine, which first appeared in <Tu Jing Ben Cao>(Illustrated Classic of Materia Medica) in 1,061 AD.

The genus contains only one known species. Sinomenium acutum has low requirements on climate and soil. They often grow on the slopes of mountains and hills, forest edges along valleys and streams, shrubs, grasses, or climbing on trees and rocks. They are found in China, India, Nepal, Thailand, Japan, and Korea.

In late autumn and early winter, people gather the vines of Sinomenium acutum, remove impurities, cut them into thick slices, dry them in the sun, and make them into Chinese herbal medicines.

Sinomenium acutum

Qing Feng Teng contains sinomenine, disinomenine, isosinomenine, acutumidine, acutumine, acutuminine, dauricumine, 8-demethoxycephatonine, 2-O-demethyl-acutumine, 8-demethoxyrunanine, sinoscrewtine, sinoracutine, sinactine, tetrahydropalmatine, cheilanthifoline, cheilanthifoline, 8,14-dihydrosalutaridine, stepharine, tuduranine, michelalbine, magnoflorine, sinomendine, dauriporphine, and dauriporphinoline.

In addition, it contains lupeol, lupenone, glutinone, acetyloleanolic acid, p-hydroxyben-zaldehyde, vanillin, syringaldehyde, isoacetovanillone, methyl syringate, ethyl syringate, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, daucosterol, lignans, butenolides, and anthraquinones.

Generally, greenish-brown, tan, or gray-brown Qing Feng Teng with striations and lenticels, gray-yellow or light gray-brown section, and yellowish-white to brownish-yellow pith is preferred.

According to <Compendium of Materia Medica>, the medicinal nature of Qing Feng Teng is relatively neutral, with a bitter and pungent taste. It has a certain therapeutic effect on the pathological changes of the liver and spleen meridians.

In traditional Chinese medicine, it is often used to expel wind and dampness, activate meridians and promote urination, and treat rheumatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, joint swelling, numbness of limbs, skin itching, beriberi, edema, stomach pain, arrhythmia, hyperostosis, stroke, facial distortion, chronic nephritis, gout, ankylosing spondylitis, and mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis.

There are about 50 kinds of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions containing it, such as Jin Si Wan Ying Gao, Bao Gu Zhui Feng Gao, and Hu Gu Mu Gua Wan.

Benefits

  • Anti-inflammation, inhibiting xylene-induced ear swelling in mice and collagen-induced ankle swelling in rats.
  • Increasing the pain threshold and inhibiting the pain caused by thermal and chemical stimulation in mice.
  • Antagonizing the elevation of blood pressure in dogs caused by epinephrine or norepinephrine.
  • Antagonizing BaCl2-induced arrhythmias in rats and CaCl2-Ach-induced in mice.
  • Expelling wind and dampness, and treating rheumatic arthralgia, joint swelling, numbness of limbs, shoulder and arm pains, and waist and knee pain.
  • Activating meridians and promoting urination, treating edema and beriberi.
  • Inhibiting the growth of MKN-28 gastric cancer cells, A549 lung cancer cells, and MCF-7 breast cancer cells, and inducing apoptosis of SGC-7901 gastric cancer cells.
  • Sinomenine significantly reduces autonomic activity in mice and delays defensive conditioning latency in cats.
  • Intraperitoneal injection of sinomenine can significantly reduce the incidence and degree of lesions in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. It can inhibit the activation and proliferation of T lymphocytes and reduce the secretion of inflammatory cytokines.
  • Studies have found that its alcoholic extract can inhibit the release of monoamine neurotransmitters, reduce intracellular Ca 2+ concentration, and prevent and treat morphine dependence withdrawal symptoms.

Combinations

Side Effects

  • A small percentage of patients taking it cause skin itching, rash, dizziness, headache, abdominal pain, fear of cold and fever, loss of appetite, leukopenia, or thrombocytopenia.
  • Individual patients taking it may cause nausea, bitter taste, heart palpitations, or shock.
  • After the patient stops taking the medicine, if the above symptoms are not relieved, the patient should go to the hospital for treatment in time.

Precautions and Warnings

  • The dosage of Qing Feng Teng should be controlled at 6-12g.
  • It can be made into decoctions, lotions, or medicinal liquors.
  • People who are allergic to Qing Feng Teng should not take it.
  • It should not be taken at the same time as epinephrine or norepinephrine.
  • Pregnant and breastfeeding women should take it under the guidance of a doctor.