Cornus officinalis
Encyclopedia
Cornus officinalis is a species of dogwood
known also as Japanese cornel or Japanese cornelian cherry or Cornelian cherries.
it is known as sansuyu (산수유), in Chinese
as shān zhū yú (山茱萸) and in Japanese
as sanshuyu (サンシュユ).
-Shan-zhu-yu,(Chinese) San-syu-yu (Japanese). The fruits of Cornus officinalis have been used in traditional oriental medicine for treatment of inner ear diseases, such as tinnitus
and hearing loss.
and ursolic acid
. Ursolic acid has shown in vitro
protective effects on auditory cells.
Ethanolic extracts of the fruit of C. officinalis has been shown to prevent hepatic injuries associated with acetaminophen-induced liver injury-induced hepatotoxicity
(in mice) by preventing or alleviating oxidative stress.
The chemical constituents isolated from the fruit (Corni fructus) have protective effects on beta cell
s in vitro
, and may control postprandial hyperglycemia by alpha-glucosidase
inhibition.
Cornel iridoid glycoside, a chemical extracted from Cornus officinalis, promoted neurogenesis
and angiogenesis
and improved neurological function after ischemia
in rats.
A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study found that a Chinese herbal formula that mainly consisted of Cornus officinalis was not only effective at improving erectile function, but it was also safe for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. A chemical substance isolated from Cornus officinalis also may enhance the motility of human sperm.
Cell cultures of C. officinalis contain gallotannin
s in the forms of tri-, tetra- and pentagalloylglucoses. The main tannins are 1,2,3,6-tetragalloylglucose, 1,2,6-trigalloyl-glucose, 1,2,3,4,6-pentagalloyl-glucose and 6-digalloyl-1,2,3-trigalloyl-glucose.
Dogwood
The genus Cornus is a group of about 30-60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods. Most dogwoods are deciduous trees or shrubs, but a few species are nearly herbaceous perennial subshrubs, and a few of the woody species are evergreen...
known also as Japanese cornel or Japanese cornelian cherry or Cornelian cherries.
Etymology
In KoreanKorean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
it is known as sansuyu (산수유), in Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
as shān zhū yú (山茱萸) and in Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
as sanshuyu (サンシュユ).
Traditional medicine
It occurs in China, Japan and Korea where it is used as a food plant and as a medicinal plantHerbalism
Herbalism is a traditional medicinal or folk medicine practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts. Herbalism is also known as botanical medicine, medical herbalism, herbal medicine, herbology, herblore, and phytotherapy...
-Shan-zhu-yu,(Chinese) San-syu-yu (Japanese). The fruits of Cornus officinalis have been used in traditional oriental medicine for treatment of inner ear diseases, such as tinnitus
Tinnitus
Tinnitus |ringing]]") is the perception of sound within the human ear in the absence of corresponding external sound.Tinnitus is not a disease, but a symptom that can result from a wide range of underlying causes: abnormally loud sounds in the ear canal for even the briefest period , ear...
and hearing loss.
Chemical constituents
The plant contains oleanolic acidOleanolic acid
Oleanolic acid or oleanic acid is a naturally occurring triterpenoid, widely distributed in food and medicinal plants, related to betulinic acid. It can be found in Phytolacca americana , and Syzygium spp, garlic, etc...
and ursolic acid
Ursolic acid
Ursolic acid is a pentacyclic triterpene acid, used in cosmetics, that is also capable of inhibiting various types of cancer cells by inhibiting the STAT3 activation pathway and human fibrosarcoma cells by reducing the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 by acting through the glucocorticoid...
. Ursolic acid has shown in vitro
In vitro
In vitro refers to studies in experimental biology that are conducted using components of an organism that have been isolated from their usual biological context in order to permit a more detailed or more convenient analysis than can be done with whole organisms. Colloquially, these experiments...
protective effects on auditory cells.
Ethanolic extracts of the fruit of C. officinalis has been shown to prevent hepatic injuries associated with acetaminophen-induced liver injury-induced hepatotoxicity
Hepatotoxicity
Hepatotoxicity implies chemical-driven liver damage.The liver plays a central role in transforming and clearing chemicals and is susceptible to the toxicity from these agents. Certain medicinal agents, when taken in overdoses and sometimes even when introduced within therapeutic ranges, may injure...
(in mice) by preventing or alleviating oxidative stress.
The chemical constituents isolated from the fruit (Corni fructus) have protective effects on beta cell
Beta cell
Beta cells are a type of cell in the pancreas located in the so-called islets of Langerhans. They make up 65-80% of the cells in the islets.-Function:...
s in vitro
In vitro
In vitro refers to studies in experimental biology that are conducted using components of an organism that have been isolated from their usual biological context in order to permit a more detailed or more convenient analysis than can be done with whole organisms. Colloquially, these experiments...
, and may control postprandial hyperglycemia by alpha-glucosidase
Alpha-glucosidase
Alpha-glucosidase is a glucosidase acting upon 1,4-alpha bonds. This is in contrast to beta-glucosidase.The term maltase, which refers to an enzyme cleaving maltose, is nearly equivalent.Types include:* Acid alpha-glucosidase* neutral** GANAB** GANC...
inhibition.
Cornel iridoid glycoside, a chemical extracted from Cornus officinalis, promoted neurogenesis
Neurogenesis
Neurogenesis is the process by which neurons are generated from neural stem and progenitor cells. Most active during pre-natal development, neurogenesis is responsible for populating the growing brain with neurons. Recently neurogenesis was shown to continue in several small parts of the brain of...
and angiogenesis
Angiogenesis
Angiogenesis is the physiological process involving the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing vessels. Though there has been some debate over terminology, vasculogenesis is the term used for spontaneous blood-vessel formation, and intussusception is the term for the formation of new blood...
and improved neurological function after ischemia
Ischemia
In medicine, ischemia is a restriction in blood supply, generally due to factors in the blood vessels, with resultant damage or dysfunction of tissue. It may also be spelled ischaemia or ischæmia...
in rats.
A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study found that a Chinese herbal formula that mainly consisted of Cornus officinalis was not only effective at improving erectile function, but it was also safe for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. A chemical substance isolated from Cornus officinalis also may enhance the motility of human sperm.
Cell cultures of C. officinalis contain gallotannin
Gallotannin
A gallotannin is a class of molecules belonging to the hydrolysable tannins. Gallotannins are polymers formed when gallic acid, a polyphenol monomer, esterifies and binds with the hydroxyl group of a polyol carbohydrate such as glucose.-Metabolism:...
s in the forms of tri-, tetra- and pentagalloylglucoses. The main tannins are 1,2,3,6-tetragalloylglucose, 1,2,6-trigalloyl-glucose, 1,2,3,4,6-pentagalloyl-glucose and 6-digalloyl-1,2,3-trigalloyl-glucose.