Effects of <it>Sophora japonica </it>flowers (<it>Huaihua</it>) on cerebral infarction

• Main Authors: Hsieh Ching-Liang, Chen Hsiang-Ni
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2010-09-01
• Series: Chinese Medicine
• Online Access: http://www.cmjournal.org/content/5/1/34

<p>Abstract</p> <p>The dried flowers and buds of <it>Sophora japonica </it>are used as a medicinal herb in China, Japan and Korea to treat bleeding hemorrhoids and hematemesis. This article presents an overview of the effects of <it>Sophora japonica </it>on cerebral infarction based on literature searched from Medline, PubMed, Cochrane Library and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). <it>Sophora japonica </it>contains both anti-hemorrhagic and anti-hemostatic substances. <it>Sophora japonica </it>reduces cerebral infarction partly as a result of its anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities. Previous studies found that <it>Sophora japonica </it>reduced the size of cerebral infarction and neurological deficits and reduced microglial activation, interleukin-1β release and number of apoptotic cells in ischemia-reperfusion injured Sprague-Dawley rats. Further study is required to determine the relationship between <it>Sophora japonica</it>-mediated reduction in cerebral infarction size and the effects of <it>Sophora japonica </it>on platelet aggregation and cardiovascular function.</p>