Psoralea Corylifolia
Psoralea corylifolia (Babchi) is an important plant in the Indian Ayurveda and Tamil Siddha systems of medicine, and also Chinese medicine. The seeds of this plant contain a variety of coumarins including psoralen. The seeds have a variety of medicinal uses, but the specific role (if any) of psoralen in these uses is unknown. Psoralen itself has a number of commercial uses. An extract of the plant’s fruit Fructus psoraleæ has been shown to act as a norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor.[1]
P. corylifolia extract contains a number of bioactive compounds that are the molecular basis of its action, including flavonoids (neobavaisoflavone, isobavachalcone, bavachalcone, bavachinin, bavachin, corylin, corylifol, corylifolin and 6-prenylnaringenin), coumarins (psoralidin, psoralen, isopsoralen and angelicin) and meroterpenes (bakuchiol and 3-hydroxybakuchiol).[2]
One study in rats suggested that bakuchiol and ethanol extracts of P. corylifolia could protect against bone loss.[3] Bakuchiol isolated from the Chinese medicinal plant, Psoralea corylifolia (Fabaceae), has shown activity against numerous Grampositive and Gram-negative oral pathogens. It was able to inhibit the growth of Streptococcus mutans under a range of sucrose concentrations, pH values and in the presence of organic acids in a temperature-dependent manner and also inhibited the growth of cells adhered to a glass surface.[4] It may be of assistance in treating prostate cancer.[5]
Very high concentrations of the anticancer chemical, genistein, have been found in the leaves of Psoralea corylifolia[6]
Psoralea Corylifolia has been shown to inhibit mitochondrial complex I and may therefore increase susceptibility to oxidative stress.[7]
Side Effects
Psoralea corylifolia has been implicated in at least one case of severe hepatotoxicity in a 64-year-old woman who self-medicated with a variety of Aryuvedic herbs for her vitiligo. The authors identify psoralens as “the primary candidate causing the hepatotoxic reaction.” PMID: 19841509
References
- ↑ Zhao G, Li S, Qin GW, Fei J, Guo LH (2007). “Inhibitive effects of Fructus Psoraleae extract on dopamine transporter and noradrenaline transporter”. J Ethnopharmacol. 112 (3): 498–506. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2007.04.013. PMID 17555897.
- ↑ Zhao LH, Huang CY, Shan Z, Xiang BG, Mei LH: Fingerprint analysis of Psoralea corylifolia by HLPC and LC-MS. J Chromatogr B, 2005, 821, 67–74
- ↑ Lim SH, Ha TY, Kim SR, Ahn J, Park HJ, Kim S.,”Ethanol extract of Psoralea corylifolia L. and its main constituent, bakuchiol, reduce bone loss in ovariectomised Sprague-Dawley rats.” Br J Nutr. 2009 Apr;101(7):1031-9
- ↑ B.Parimala Devi et al. / Journal of Pharmacy Research 2009, 2(11),1669-1675 http://jpronline.info/article/view/906/708
- ↑ Szliszka E, Czuba ZP, Sędek L, Paradysz A, Król W.,”Enhanced TRAIL-mediated apoptosis in prostate cancer cells by the bioactive compounds neobavaisoflavone and psoralidin isolated from Psoralea corylifolia.” Pharmacol Rep. 2011 Jan-Feb;63(1):139-48
- ↑ Peter B. Kaufman, James A. Duke, Harry Brielmann, John Boik, James E. Hoyt”A Comparative Survey of Leguminous Plants as Sources of the Isoflavones, Genistein and Daidzein: Implications for Human Nutrition and Health”, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Spring 1997: 7-12.
- ↑ Tang SY, Gruber J, Wong KP, Halliwell B (2007). “Psoralea corylifolia L. inhibits mitochondrial complex I and proteasome activities in SH-SY5Y cells”. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 1100: 486–96. doi:10.1196/annals.1395.053. PMID 17460213. Unknown parameter
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