Drugs of practically any pharmacological category can be found among Chinese medicinals. During the past twenty-five years, the Chinese have made much progress in bringing their traditional medicines into a modern environment. While scrutinizing traditional medicines with modern methods on the one hand, they continue to expand their traditional uses on the other. Thus, one finds a steady flow of a considerable number of research publications and at the same time huge numbers of clinical reports on use of traditional prescriptions in treating diseases ranging from the common cold to cancer. Most of the published information during the past 150 years has so far been abstracted in a series of three volumes called Zhong Yao Yan Jiu Wen Xian Zhai Yao (Research on Chinese Materia Medica: Literature Abstracts, 1820-1961, 1962-1974, 1975-1979). Also, research and clinical data on about 250 important Chinese medicinals are summarized in the Zhong Yao Yao Li Yu Ying Yong (Pharmacology and Applications of Chinese Drugs). The most active areas of current research and practice in Chinese materia medica include medicinals used in the treatment of cancer and cardiovascular, viral and irnmunological diseases.

The following are some data on recent studies on Chinese medicinals. As the information is so extensive, the examples given in the following only represent a very small fraction of what actually is available.

Antitumor drugs. There must be thousands of herbal formulas currently used for treating cancer in China. Over 400 of these can be found in three recently published books on anticancer medicinals (Chang 1987, Yang 1981, Hu and Xuan 1982), which were compiled primarily from modern published data; they are prepared from more than 200 single drugs. The prescriptions range from ones that contain medicinals with known antitumor chemicals to those whose components have not yet been chemically and/or pharmacologically studied. Examples are many and the f ollowing are a few selected at random (Cheng and Xu 1985, Cheng et al. 1984, Guo et al. 1985, Huang 1987, Jiang 1984, Jiang and Yan 1986, Li 1982, Liu et al. 1985, Ren and Hong 1986, Wang 1987, Yu 1983):

Cephalotaxus fortunei Hook. f, C. sinensis (Relid. et Wils.) Li, C. hainanensis Li [bark, root, twigs]—hainanolide, harringtonines, etc.

Camptotheca acuminata Decne. [root, bark fruit, twigs, leaves]—camptothecine, etc.

Iphigenia indica Kunth [bulb]—colchicine

Curcuma zedoaria Rosc., C. aromatics Salish., C. kwangsietisis S. Lee et C.F. Liang [rhizome]—curdione, curcumol

Crotalaria sessiliflora L., C. assamica Benth. [whole plant]—monocrotaline

Sophora subprestrata Chun et T. Chen, S. flavescens Ait. [root/rhizomel—matrine, oxymatrine, sophocarpine, etc.

Trichosanthes kirilozvii Maxim, T. uniflora Hao [root]—trichosanthin

Strobilanthes cusia (Nees) O. Kuntze, Isatis indigotica Fort., Indigofera suffruticosa Mill., Polygonum tinctorium Ait., etc. [qingdailnatural indigo]—indirubin

Rabdosia rubescens (Hemsl.) Hara and other Rabdosia spp. [whole plant]—diterpenoids (rubescensines, oridonin etc.)

Cucumis melo L. [pedunclel—cucurbitacins B and E

Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle [root/stem bark, fruit]—lactones

Cardiovascular drugs. A considerable number of traditional drugs and prescriptions are used in conditions related to the heart and blood. They include those grouped under the categories of huo xue hua yu (invigorating blood circulation and dispersing stasis), blood tonics, and hemostatics. The following are a few examples of such medicinals (Chai et al. 1985, Chen 1987a, Deng and Gong 1987, Huang 1986, Jiang 1984, Li et al. 1983, Liu and Chen 1984, Ou et al. 1987, Shan 1988, Shan et al. 1986, Song et al. 1988, Wang and Ba 1985, Wang and Jing 1984, Yang 1988, Yue et al. 1985, Zhang 1985, Zhou 1984):

Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi [root]—antiarrhythmia, hypotensive, hypoglycemic (e.g. puerarin.)

Ephedra spp. [root/rhizome]—hypotensive (ephedranin A, mahuanin A & B, alkaloids)

Aconitum carmichaeli [fuzi, lateral root]—cardiotonic, anti-thrombin, etc. (e.g. higenamine)

Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge [root]—anticoagulant, vasodidator (e.g. tanshinones, danshensu)

Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. [rhizome]-vasodilator, anti-thrombin, anti-atherosclerotic (e.g. tetramethylpyrazine)

Lentinus edodes (Berk.) Sing. [fruiting body]—antiplatelet aggregation, etc. (hydro-alcoholic extract).

Panax pseudo-ginseng Wall. var. notoginseng (Burk.) Hoo et Tseng [rhizomel—anti-arrhythmia (saponins)

Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. [root tuber]—anti-atherosclerotic (alcohol extractives)

Polygonum cuspidatum Sieb. et Zucc. [rhizome]—antiplatelet aggregation (polydatin)

Antivital drugs. Antivital drugs can be found in several categories of traditional medicinals. They include the so-called heat-dispersing drugs (antipyretics) and those for treating "exterior symptom complex" (diaphoretics). These drugs are frequently used in prescriptions along with tonics (immunomodulating drugs). The following two formulas are worth noting as they have been in use for centuries:

1. Yu Ping Feng San (Jade Screen Powder)
   Huangqi (astragalus root)
   Fangfeng (root of Ledebouriella divaricata)
   Baizhu (rhizome of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz.)

2. Yin Qiao San (Honeysuckle Forsythia Powder)
   Honeysuckle flower (Lonicera spp.)
   Forsythia fruit (Forsythia suspensa)
   Mint (Mentha haplocalyx Brig.)
   Jingjie (herb of Schizonepeta tenuifolia Briq.)
   Dandouchi (fermented black soybean)
   Niubangzi (fruit of Arctium lappa L.)
   Jiegeng [Platycodon grandiflorum (Jacq.) A. DC]
   Danzhuye (herb of Lophatherum gracile Brongn.)
   Licorice root

Jade Screen Powder was first recorded in 1481 AD. It has tonic properties and is used to build up body resistance in the prevention of the common cold and influenza. Due to its antivital as well as immunomodulating activities, it has drawn much attention in the past few years. So far, studies have demonstrated it to lower the incidence of cold and influenza, prevent the recurrence of chronic bronchitis, and enhance host immunity. After treatment with this prescription, patients' IgA, IgG, and rate of T-lymphocyte transformation and E-rosette formation are all markedly increased (Geng 1986, Li 1988, Liu 1987).

Honeysuckle Forsythia Powder was first recorded in 1798 AD. Currently it is probably the most widely used cold remedy in China and in overseas Chinese communities. It is used in treating the common cold, influenza, and other febrile viral infections. Its multiple pharmacological effects have been reported, which include antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-allergic (Deng et al. 1986).

Immunomodulating drugs. There are dozens of well-known Chinese medicinals with immunomodulating activities that have been traditionally used as tonics; some are now also used in cancer to counteract the toxic side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The following are a few examples of these medicinals (Chen 1985, Chinese 1985, Deng and Liao 1984, Du et al. 1986, Geng 1986, Li et al. 1986, Lin et al. 1985, Liu and Xu 1985, Wang 1987, Zang et al. 1985).

Tremella fuciformis Berk [fruiting body]—polysaccharides
Polyporus umbellatus (Pers.) Fries [sclerotium]—polysaccharides
Poria cocos [sclerotium]—polysaccharides
Lentinus edodes (Berk.) Sing. [fruiting body]—polysaccharides

Cordyceps sinensis (Berk) Sacc. [whole fungus plus host remains]—polysaccharides
Oriental ginseng polysaccharides
Astragalus polysaccharides

Others. I cannot leave this topic without mentioning another category of traditional drugs that are of keen interest not only to the Chinese but to Americans as well. These are the anti-aging medicinals. The newly published Kang Shuai Lao Fangji Ci Dian (Encyclopedia of Anti-Aging Formulas) records 1018 formulas, mostly selected from classic formularies, with only a few from modern sources. Over the past few years, I have seen a steady increase in reports on anti-aging research in the Chinese literature. Using modern criteria relating to aging such as immune functions, free radical formation, superoxide dismutase activity, monoamine oxidase activity, and blood lipid levels, many traditional tonics have been shown to have anti-aging effects. They include ginseng, Siberian ginseng [root/rhizome of Acanthopanax senticosus (Rupr. et Maxim.) Harms], Schisandra chinensis fruit, lingzhi (fruiting body of Ganodertna spp.), fuzi (processed lateral root of Aconitum carmichaeli), Epimedium herb, heshouwu (root of Polygonum multiflorum), danggui (root of Angelica sinensis), baizhu (rhizome of Atractylodes macrocephala), and luobuma (leaf of Apocynum venetum L.), among others (Jiangsu 1988, Li et al. 1986).