Chemical Composition of Dit Da Jow Herbs

The chemical composition of naturally grown herbs required for Dit Da Jow may vary according to climatic conditions, harvest time, storage condition, elevation and so on. As such, the same type of herb can vary in its composition and concentrations of chemical constituents from batch to batch. These variables can result in significant differences in pharmacological activity . Therefore, the identification and extraction of active ingredient(s)/chemical group(s) from an herbal remedy represents a new approach in the development of Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM).

The herb-derived chemical drugs, which have well defined pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic profiles, are manufactured in pharmaceutical grade with standardized chemical composition. One good example is Ginkgo (Yín-Xìng in Chinese) leave extract which contains 24% ginkgo-flavonol glycosides and 6% terpene lactones .

At the present time, there are 15 major categories of active ingredients in CHM, including flavones, alkaloids, glucides, glycosides, volatile oils, resins, phytochromes, organic acids, amino acids, tannins, proteins, enzymes, trace elements, polysaccharides and mineral salts. Each phytochemical group contains thousands of single compounds. For example, flavones contain more than 9000 derivatives/analogs of known structures, which produce anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-virus, anti-ischemic and anti-hypertensive actions . Inorganic salts present in CHM belong to 25 elements, including Be, Cr, Cu, Zn, Ge, Sr, Mo, Cd, Tl and Pb, and so forth.

Chinese Pharmaceutical Research

In China, the pharmaceutical industry mainly focuses on the exploration of active extracts rather than single compound in the product development from CHM. A pure compound isolated from an herb is regarded as chemical drug (also known as Western medicine). While water or ethanol extracts of herbs are too crude in terms of chemical composition, preparations containing concentrated phytochemical compounds are preferred to be used as herbal drugs.

For instance, Diao-Xin-Xue-Kang (Chinese), a Chinese herbal formula used for the prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease including angina, is consisted of steroidal saponins from Dioscorea panthaica Prain et Burkill and Dioscorea nipponica Makino. Yu-Feng-Ning-Xin-Pian (Chinese), a formula used for the treatment of hypertension, senile cerebrovascular disease and angina pectoris, is consisted of total flavonoids (including puerarin) derived from Radix Puerariae.

The principle of formulation in TCM is adopted to guide the choice of herbs (herb matching) in multi-component herbal formulae prescribed for the treatment of diseases. It is documented that 91% of the 6986 herbal formulas are multi-component and 3196 herbal materials were used to constitute 11,810 formulas. As such optimal therapeutic effect can be achieved by herbal treatment both internally and externally. The chemical composition of Dit Da Jow incorporates over a thousand different compounds creating a very powerful synergistic liniment.

Chemical Composition Theory

While the theory underlying the principle of formulation has yet to be clearly established in modern scientific terms, two possible outcomes resulting from herbal interaction in the mixture have been proposed: (i) synergistic interaction among component herbs and (ii) generation of secondary compound(s) from the decoction process.

The significance of herb matching has been revealed in a few formulations including Six Ingredient Rehmannia Decoction (Liu-Wei-Di-Huang-Wan) and Pulse Promoting Drink (Sheng-Mai-Yin or its parent formula Shengmai San). All of these formulas produce a therapeutic action, including chemical entity, which is distinct from that produced by a single component herb.

Seeking new chemical entities in multi-component herbal formulae is a promising approach in drug discovery. Up to now, there is no successful example. Since the effects of Chinese herbal formulas are not simply the summation of component herbs, one or more new compound(s) may be produced from herb-herb interaction during the decoction process. These new chemical compounds should be identified.

Herbs are derived from plant materials such as leaves, flowers, fruit, seed, stems, wood, bark, roots, rhizomes or other plant parts. Given that the therapeutic effect of an herb depends on the ingredients present in the plant part, if the bio-active substance is also present in other plant parts or even the whole plants, it can be exploited. Ginsenosides, which encompasses more than 40 kinds of monomeric compounds, are major active ingredients of Radix Ginseng (the root part of P. ginseng) with a wide spectrum of pharmacological actions. In fact, ginsenosides were also found in the leaves and stems of P. ginseng . It is likely that leaves and stems of P. ginseng can produce similar pharmacological actions as Radix Ginseng.

For example, tea-drinking is invented by Chinese about 4700 years ago. Saichyo (767–822 AD), a Japanese who studied in China, was the first man bringing tea-drinking to Japan. In 1610, Dutch merchants transported tea from China to Europe. Tea-drinking has been regarded as a health-promoting habit in the world. Many plant species other than Camellia sinensis have been used for tea leaves. In addition, tea flower is used as food in Japan and oil extracted from tea seeds is used as cooking oil in China. Ephedra long used in Chinese Herbal Medicine has totally different properties when comparing its roots to its leaves and branches. They are so different you would think the properties are from different plants.

Hong Hua

Lets look at a popular herb in a lot of Dit Da Jow liniments called Hong Hua (Carthamus tinctorius L.)

Chemistry of the dried flowers: Approximately 0.3% of the flower petal consists of the glycoside cartharmin. This is a a yellow substance; enzymes inside the petal can change the color by producing carthamone and carthemidin. Other substances isolated from the flower include neocarthamin and safflower yellow, which is actually made up of four different yellow substances. In addition, two new quinochalone glycosides and erythro-alkane-6,8-dioleh ave also been isolated from the flower of Carthamus tinctorius. The safflower seed is also rich in linoleic acid oil.

Therapeutic Uses: This herb is reputed to promote blood circulation, remove blood stasis, and restore normal menstruation. It is claimed to be especially effective in the treatment of dysmenorrhea and menopause. It was also used in angina pectoris to increase the coronary circulation.
In the treatment of cerebral thromosis, this herb is given in the form of a 50% injection solution, diluted with 10% glucose solution for intravenous infusion. Hong Hua injection ampules (5%) are also available for intramuscular injection; the standard dose is 2 ml, given in the treatment of neuralgic dermatitis, or to relieve pain due to hematoma swelling.

This is one of hundreds of herbs used in Dit Da Jow preparation and with each herb used there can be dozens of compounds thus the chemical composition of Dit Da Jow can consist of thousands of compounds and with the way the old masters put the unique combination of herbs together created a powerful synergistic healing liniment.