Some Pharmacological Studies on the Crude Drugs Possessing Antiinflammatory Properties-On the Root of Bupleurum and the Leaves of Fig

Crude saikosides obtained from the root of Bupleurum showed a significant reduction of pepsin activity in pylorus-ligated rats. It showed also some normalizing effects of hepatic functions such as ALP and BSP retention values in CCl4 treated rats. Ethanol extract from fig leaves had a potent decreasing effect of analulceration produced by lactic acid in rats. Butanol extract showed a significant and prolonged inhibition on carrageenin induced rat's paw edema. The significance of these pharmacological results was discussed. Bupleurum (Bupleurum falcatum L. ) and Fig (Ficus carica L. )have the anti-inflammatory properties in common. Bupleurum has been prescribed frequently for pneumonia, hepatitis and peptic ulcer in Chinese medicine. Recently, a close correlation between experimental pharmacological results using crude saikosides and clinical applications of Bupleurum has been demonstrated by Shibata. 2) Crude saikosides, a dry brownish powder, mainly contain saponins. The preparation of crude saikosides was reported by Shibata, et al. 3) To extent the pharmacological studies, effects of crude saikosides on pepsin activity and CCl4 induced liver injury were investigated in rats. The leaves, barks and fruits of fig have widely been used as a Japanese folk medicine for swelling, hemorrhoids and parasitism. 4) Psoralen, one of the components of fig, was found to have antibacterial effect.