Chinese Medicine, 2013, 4, 101-123 http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/cm.2013.43015 Published Online September 2013 (http://www.scirp.org/journal/cm) Houttuynia cordata Thunb: A Review of Phytochemistry and Pharmacology and Quality Control Jiangang Fu, Ling Dai, Zhang Lin, Hongmei Lu* College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, China Email: *[email protected] Received July 1, 2013; revised August 6, 2013; accepted August 21, 2013 Copyright © 2013 Jiangang Fu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ABSTRACT Houttuynia cordata Thunb is an important medicinal plant widely distributed in East Asia. The collected information is an attempt to cover recent developments in the pharmacology, phytochemistry and quality control of this species. Dur- ing the past several decades, the medicinally important phyto-constituents have been identified including essential oil, flavonoids and other polyphenols, fatty acids and alkaloids. A survey of the literatures shows H. cordata possesses a variety of pharmacological activities including antiviral, antitumor, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidative effects. Little attempt has been done to review the techniques used for its quality control. Future efforts should concen- trate more on in vitro, in vivo studies and clinical trials in order to confirm traditional wisdom in the light of a rational phytotherapy. The information summarized here is intended to serve as a reference tool to practitioners in the fields of ethnopharmacology and natural products chemistry. Keywords: Houttuynia cordata Thunb; Phytochemical Constituents; Pharmacological Activity; Quality Control 1. Introduction and Tibet, and north to Shaanxi and Gansu. It grows opti- mally on moist, shady hillside, wayside and ridge of field There is a long history of herbal medicine in far Eastern with an altitude of 300 - 2600 m. countries; in particular, Chinese people have utilized H. cordata is a well known traditionally used medici- herbs and plants to treat various diseases for more than nal material in the indigenous medicine systems of 8000 years [1]. With the advance of modern medicine Southeast Asia. It is commonly called Yu-Xing-Cao, and drug research, chemical synthesis has replaced plants Ji-Cai, historically called Cen-Cao (Wuyue Chunqiu), Ji as the primary source of medicinal agents in industrial- (Mingyi Bielu), Zi-Bei-Yu-Xing-Cao (Lü Chan Yan Ben ized countries. However, in 1985, the World Health Or- Cao), Zi-Ji (Jiuji Yifang), Zu-Zi (Bencao Gangmu), ganization estimated that about 80% of the world’s popu- Zu-Cao (Xinxiu Bencao), Chou-Zhu-Cao (Yilin zuan- lation relied on traditional medicines including herb med- yao··yaoxing), Ce-Er-Gen (Zunyifu Zhi), Zhu-Bi-Kong icines for their primary health care needs [2]. Several (Tianbao Bencao), Jiu-Jie-Lian (Lingnan Caiyao Lu), aspects: 1) the high cost of chemical synthesis drug dis- Zhe-Er-Gen or Fei-Xing-Cao (Guizhou Mingjian Fan- covery, 2) the efficiency of herb medicine on complex gyao Ji), and Chou-Xing-Cao (Quanzhou Bencao) in illnesses such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, 3) China; dokudame in Japan; E-Sung-Cho in Korea; Khao- the unique activities of herbal medicine aiming at the tong or Plu-khao in Thailand; giấp cá or diếp cá in Viet- system level via interactions with a multitude of targets nam. It has the functions of relieving fever, resolving in the human body, make people return to the herbal toxin, reducing swelling, draining pus and promoting medicine, a potential reservoir for new drugs [3]. urination [4]. During the period of the Severe Acute Res- Houttuynia cordata Thunb, the sole species in the ge- piratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak, it was one of the nus Houttuynia that belongs to the Saururaceae family, ingredients in the SARS prevention formulas recognized is a flowering and perennial herb native to China, Japan, by the Health Ministry of China. Recently, several stud- Korea and Southeast Asia. In China, this plant is distrib- ies also provided scientific data to support and unveil its uted widely, eastwards to Taiwan, southwest to Yunnan anti-SARS [5], anti-inflammatory [6,7], anti-allergic *Corresponding author. [8,9], virucidal [10,11], antileukemic [12], anti-oxidative Copyright © 2013 SciRes. CM 102 J. G. FU ET AL. [13,14] and anti-cancer [15] activities. It was reported [34,35]. In addition, H. cordata is used to prepare the that H. cordata contains groups of such chemical com- massage pack which is able to treat acne, chloasma, ponents as flavones, essential oil and alkaloids [16]. atopy, and freckle without leaving any scar [36]. Over the last few years, there has been a rapid increase in the information available on the structures and phar- 4. Phytochemistry macological activities of H. cordata (Figure 1). In this To date, the majority of phytochemical studies on H. review, we present recent H. cordata plant research in cordata have focused on three types, namely: essential three sections: phytochemistry, pharmacological activi- oil, flavonoid and alkaloids components [16]. Recent ties and quality control. The information was mainly pharmacological studies indicated the essential oil com- collected from databases (Scifinder, ISIWeb of Knowl- ponents in H. cordata possess anti-inflammatory, anti- edge) and several books. bacterial and antiviral activities [6,10]. The flavonoid 2. Morphological Description components revealed antineoplastic, antioxidant, anti- mutagenic and free radical scavenging capacity [14, H. cordata is herbaceous perennial plant growing to 20 - 37,38]. Similarly, the alkaloid components demonstrated 80 cm, the flowers are greenish-yellow, borne on a ter- significant potent antiplatelet and cytotoxic activities minal spike 2 - 3 cm long with 4 - 6 large white basal [15]. bracts; spike terminal yellowish-brown. The odour is fishy on rubbing and the taste is slightly adstringent (Fig- 4.1. Essential Oil ure 2). Most of previous studies were mainly focused on the 3. Traditional Uses of H. cordata chemistry of essential oil. The volatile oils of H. cordata were extracted by various methods, supercritical CO2 ex- The uses differ from one country to another. In China, H. traction [39,40], steam distillation [41-43], petroleum cordata has been used to treat anisolobis sores. The ether extraction [39,42], solid-phase microextraction [43], documented folk uses and indications in China were flash evaporation and simultaneous distillation-extrac- listed in detail in Table 1. In Korea, it has been used for tion [44,45], isolated by preparative HPLC [45,46], and the treatment of cough, pneumonia, bronchitis, dysentery, analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively by GC , GC- dropsy, leukorrhea, uteritis, eczema, herpes simplex, MS, GC-MS with on-column derivatization procedure acne, chronic sinusitis and nasal polyps [11,17]. In Thai- [41] TLC [47,48], flash GC [49], combined gas-liquid land, it has been used for immune stimulization and as chromatography and mass spectroscopy [48]. The con- anticancer agent [18]. In Japan, it has been mainly used siderable differences may depend on the extraction pro- as diuretics [19] and also used for the treatment of stom- cedure, the season, the part, the dry process, the stage of ach ulcers [20], the control of the infection [21], and as development and the distinct habitat in which the plant antimicrobial [22,23], antitumor [24], promoting agents has been collected [47,50-54]. A total of 346 volatile for the production of an antibiotic substance by a strain components were reported. They were composed mainly of gram-positive, spore-bearing bacilli [25]. In India, the of terpenoids (27.0%), hydrocarbons (16.8%), esters shoot has been used for the freshness, good sleep, heart (11.9%), alcohols (11.6%), ketones (7.2%), aldehydes disorders by Apatani who have traditionally settled in (4.9%), acids (3.8%), phenols (1.7%), aethers (0.9%) and seven villages in the Ziro valley of Lower Subansiri dis- mixed compounds (14.2%). Among these, which were trict of Arunachal Pradesh in the Eastern Himalayan re- found with higher frequency are: methyl n-nonyl ketone, gion of India [26]. Besides general medicinal uses, H. -myrcene, houttuynin, decanal, trans-caryophyllene, de- cordata is employed as food (Table 2) and cosmetic for- canoic acid, camphene, β-pinene, lauraldehyde, bornyl mulations. In Korea and Japan, H. cordata is frequently acetate, α-pinene, limonene, 4-terpineol, caryophyllene used in combination with other herbal medicines as cos- oxide, nonanol and linalool so on. metic. Its extraction are used as cosmetic composition for preventing or treating wrinkle [27], preventing chapped 4.2. Flavonoids and Other Polyphenols skin [28], antiaging [29,30], improving the skin condi- tions [31], removing freckles and skin-whitening [30]. As would be expected in biologically active plants, a The fermented extract with other herbal medicine are number of flavonoids and other polyphenols have been used for alleviating atopic dermatitis [32] and other skin isolated and identified from H. cordata (Table 3). The troubles [33], owing to the anti-inflammatory and skin- quercitrin is the first flavonoids extracted from the leaves calming effect, pruritus-alleviating effect, and humidify- and stems of H. cordata [55]. Quercetin-3-O-β-D-galac- ing effect of this composition. The extraction