Research on medicinal and food homologous substances and their health foods that can help alleviate physical fatigue
April 23, 2024
In today's society, people's pace of life and work is getting faster and faster, and the psychological pressure they bear is also increasing. As a result, sub-health states and diseases caused by it are becoming more complex and diverse, and fatigue is one of them.
Chronic fatigue syndrome is a syndrome characterized by severe fatigue as the main symptom, with unknown causes and persistent or recurrent attacks. Patients may not receive relief even after sufficient rest, lasting for more than 6 months. Some patients may also experience symptoms such as low fever, sore throat, headache, muscle or joint pain, lymph node swelling and pain, lack of concentration, memory loss, insomnia, and depression, which can lead to a decrease in their daily activity ability. In severe cases, they may even be bedridden for years and unable to work or live normally, bringing huge psychological pressure and economic burden to their families and society.
The ancient Chinese medicine book "Neijing · Suwen · Ju Tong Lun" states that "labor leads to Qi depletion", which means that labor or exercise can cause insufficient Yang energy in the body, leading to Qi deficiency syndrome such as limb weakness and fatigue, and mental fatigue, resulting in physical fatigue.
The anti fatigue effects of medicinal and food homologous substances have been extensively studied. Many medicinal and food homologous substances have identified their effective anti fatigue ingredients, while some medicinal and food homologous substances that have not yet identified their effective anti fatigue ingredients mainly focus on studying the effects of their extracts.
This article is based on literature research, starting from the theory of "medicinal food homology" and combining with the research results of modern biomedical research on fatigue, to review the current research status of medicinal food homologous substances and health food products with anti fatigue effects. The aim is to provide theoretical basis for the development of ordinary food with anti fatigue medicinal substances and for the long-term development of anti fatigue health food.
01
Literature analysis of traditional Chinese medicine with the same origin of anti fatigue drugs and food
According to the "Topic Search" in the China Academic Literature Network Publishing Database of China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), as of June 2020, the information on anti fatigue literature related to medicinal and food homologous traditional Chinese medicine has been published as follows: 33 out of 10 anti fatigue literature, accounting for 32.7%; Among the 11~50 articles, there are 31 types, accounting for 30.7% There is only one type of ginseng among 300 articles. See Table 1.
The top 10 Chinese herbal medicines with the same origin in terms of literature on anti fatigue drugs and food are ginseng (1051 articles), huangjing (367 articles), licorice (271 articles), yam (236 articles), longan meat (178 articles), angelica (175 articles), honey (174 articles), malt (143 articles), seabuckthorn (135 articles), and peach kernel (133 articles).
02
Medicinal and food homologous substances with anti fatigue effects
In recent years, with the continuous deepening of research on active ingredients and their mechanisms of action in traditional Chinese medicine, the anti fatigue activity of medicinal substances has gradually been discovered. The theory of "Jun Chen Zuo Shi" is regarded as the core principle of traditional Chinese medicine treatment, which guides the compatibility of drugs and should be followed when making corresponding products using food and drugs as raw materials.
1、 "Junchen" category
Ginseng is the dry root of ginseng, a plant in the Araliaceae family. Its roots have a unique aroma and are considered a rare and beneficial traditional Chinese medicine herb. Modern pharmacological research has found that the bioactive components contained in ginseng mainly include ginsenosides, ginseng polysaccharides, peptides, alkaloids, etc., which have various pharmacological effects on the nervous system and immune diseases.
The experimental results showed that continuous injection of red ginseng extract into the large intestine for 7 days, with a dose of 100 mg each time, can effectively alleviate the psychological fatigue caused by restrictive stress and electric field stimulation in rats.
Lan Ruigao discovered that ginsenoside CK can activate the Nr2/HO-1 signaling pathway, indicating that ginsenoside enhances the antioxidant stress capacity of skeletal muscles and can effectively help combat fatigue. Li Qiuyang et al. found in their study on fermented black ginseng that continuous administration of 30 days in a mouse fatigue model can alleviate oxidative damage induced by fatigue stress, enabling the body to avoid the harm caused by oxidative stress. Central fatigue is also an increasingly serious problem nowadays, which can lead to reduced physical activity and greatly weaken cognitive and thinking abilities. Ginsenoside can significantly improve this condition by inhibiting the activity of the HPA axis, enhancing the activity of neurotransmitters in the nervous system such as serotonin, dopamine, y-aminobutyric acid, and acetylcholine, thereby enhancing the cold tolerance of the brain.
Huangjing rhizomes are rich in non starch polysaccharides, triterpenoid saponins, flavonoids and other functional ingredients, which are used for diseases such as spleen and stomach qi deficiency, body fatigue and fatigue, cough and blood, and insufficient essence and blood. Shi Juan et al.'s experiment showed that Huangjing crude polysaccharide can effectively prolong the load swimming time of mice, while also increasing their liver glycogen levels, and there is a clear dose interaction between the two. In addition, it can effectively reduce the damage caused by bromobenzene to mouse liver, while also increasing the activity of their peroxidase GSH Px (Peroxidase), and there is a clear dose interaction between the two. The research results indicate that Huangjing crude polysaccharide can strongly resist fatigue and resist the invasion of free radicals.
The medicinal ingredients of licorice mainly include licorice flavonoids, glycyrrhetinic acid, glycyrrhetinic acid, glycyrrhetinic acid, etc. Its main effects include nourishing qi and tonifying the middle, clearing heat and detoxifying. Chu Liya et al. found that after 15 days of oral administration of licorice decoction, the physical recovery ability of mice was stronger than that of untreated mice, and the blood lactate content was also lower than that of untreated mice, indicating that licorice has a good anti fatigue effect.
Angelica sinensis was first recorded in the "Shennong Bencao Jing" and has the function of "tonifying the five internal organs and generating muscles.". Wang Xiaoling et al. observed that Angelica sinensis polysaccharides can significantly promote the proliferation of mammary skeletal muscle satellite cells (MSCs) and the expression of c-kit protein in the hematopoietic microenvironment in vitro. This discovery provides a new method for studying the development process of APS. After treatment with licorice flavonoids, the growth of MSCs can be greatly improved, and the expression of c-kit can be greatly improved, thereby greatly enhancing the liver glycogen uptake of experimental mice. At the same time, it can also greatly reduce the excretion of lactic acid and blood uric acid during the experiment, thereby increasing exercise ability, reducing exercise induced fatigue, and promoting fatigue recovery.
Astragalus membranaceus and Inner Mongolia Astragalus membranaceus are two important members of the genus Astragalus in the legume family. Their medicinal value has been recorded in the "Shennong Materia Medica Classic" and they have strong nourishing and energy enhancing effects on the body. Wang Chengcheng et al. randomly divided 200 patients with chronic fatigue syndrome caused by Qi deficiency into a control group and an experimental observation group. The control group was treated with compound vitamin B, while the observation group was treated with Huangqi injection combined with Buzhong Yiqi acupuncture for two weeks. The observation found that the total effective rate of the experimental observation group was 88.54% (85/96), while the total effective rate of the control group was 54.34% (50/92). The total effective rate of the observation group was higher than that of the control group (P<0.05), indicating that Huangqi has clinical efficacy in treating chronic fatigue syndrome caused by Qi deficiency and effectively improving patient symptoms.
Longan has the effects of appetizing and invigorating the spleen, supplementing deficiency and enhancing intelligence, and treating insufficient heart and blood. Both before and after drying, it has the effect of relieving fatigue, and longan polysaccharides are the main active ingredients of longan. The experimental results of Nie Yingtao et al. showed that longan polysaccharides can significantly prolong the weight bearing swimming time of mice, reduce the production of urea nitrogen and lactate in mice, and have a certain regulatory effect, thereby producing a blood nourishing effect.
Ass hide glue is sweet in taste and flat in nature. It has the effect of enriching blood and enhancing immunity. Due to the increase of protein content, the traditional macromolecule ass hide glue is difficult to be accepted and ingested by people. Therefore, the small oligopeptides prepared by bionic enzymolysis and bionic digestion technology can provide good nutritional value and improve people's tolerance and drug resistance. Jiang Yipu et al. evaluated the anti fatigue and antioxidant function of small molecule ass hide glue by building a complex blood deficiency model in rats, and evaluated its pharmacological activity and drug effect by detecting the duration of swimming exhaustion, hematological indicators and serum superoxide dismutase (SOD). It was found that the anti fatigue and antioxidant capacity of small molecule ass hide glue could be evaluated by measuring the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and lipid peroxide (LPO). Compared with the control group, different doses of ass hide glue can significantly improve the swimming ability of rats, and can significantly reduce the content of MDA and LPO in serum. These findings confirm the anti fatigue, antioxidant and durability effects of small molecule ass hide glue.
2、 Assistant envoys
The main active ingredients of mulberry include mulberry polysaccharides, anthocyanins, etc., which have the effects of nourishing blood and enhancing immunity. Liu Bing found through experimental research that mulberry polysaccharides have anti fatigue effects, and the effect of the high-dose group in the experiment is similar to that of sildenafil.
Kudzu root is the dry root of wild kudzu, a leguminous plant, which has the effects of relieving muscle and fever. Dong Hongying et al. conducted graded extraction of Pueraria lobata protein, proving that the DPPH, ABTS, and hydroxyl radical scavenging rates of glutelin in Pueraria lobata protein are high, and the antioxidant effect is good. Dai Yi's research found that kudzu flavonoids can alter the metabolic activity of mouse peritoneal macrophages, suggesting that kudzu flavonoids can affect the metabolic activity of macrophages, indicating that kudzu flavonoids have the effect of improving immunity.
03
Medicinal and food homologous anti fatigue health products
A new type of carbonated natural health drink has been developed, which is composed of 10 traditional Chinese medicines, including Wumei, Qiguo, Hawthorn, Huoxiang, Chrysanthemum, Perilla, Ginger, Reed Root, Baimao Root, Licorice, etc., and added with honey, oligosaccharides and other excipients. After multiple single factor experiments and orthogonal experiments, a nutritious and rich anti fatigue natural health drink with good quality stability and unique flavor has been successfully made.
By optimizing the preparation process, a compound beverage called "Jin Kui Yao Lue" was developed, which includes licorice (9 g), jujube (10 pieces), and floating wheat (15 g). It can effectively improve cardiovascular and cerebrovascular function, enhance spleen and stomach function, protect the liver, and alleviate fatigue. Through tail suspension experiments in mice, forced swimming experiments, and antagonistic experiments with reserpine, it has been shown that the compound beverage of sweet wheat and jujube can have a certain anti fatigue effect. At the same time, the compound beverage of Ganmai and jujube prepared by optimizing the process has a strong aroma of Ganmai, natural acidity and sweetness, and a consistent orange color, which has excellent stability and reliable quality.
A study has identified an oral solution composed of corn stalks, sea buckthorn, hawthorn, and licorice, which can significantly improve the endurance of mice, prolong their load gaming time, and improve their liver function, reduce their serum urea levels, thereby achieving good anti fatigue effects. From this, it can be seen that the development of anti fatigue health products based on the same origin of medicine and food has also become an important research direction in the field of overall health.
With the popularization of health and wellness concepts, medicinal substances that can not only serve as food but also achieve disease prevention and treatment effects have attracted much attention. The traditional Chinese medicine health theory of "medicine and food have the same origin", which has undergone thousands of years of practical testing, needs further enrichment and development in today's greatly advanced science and technology to develop more anti fatigue health foods and drugs, effectively alleviate the sub health fatigue that troubles people in today's society, and comprehensively improve people's health level.
