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Abstract
Panax ginseng (Ginseng), Rhodiola rosea (Hong Jing Tian) and Schisandra chinensis (Wu Wei Zi) are well-known herbs in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Recently, there have been a number of studies on these three herbs. This review discusses their active components and major pharmacological effects. For P. ginseng, it has been shown to have an anti-inflammatory activity, affects pulmonary function and erectile dysfunction, improves cognition in patients with Alzheimer's disease and promotes sexual arousal in menopausal women as well as prevents cancer. For R. rosea, its effectiveness in alleviating depression and reducing fatigue is summarized in this review. Additionally, anti-cancer and other clinical effects of S. chinensis are also discussed. These three herbs are considered as adaptogens as they bear multiple functions and their effects were found to be very different in patients depending on the circumstances (age, gender, environment, diet, season, etc.). Thus, in most cases, the art of the TCM practitioner is to prescribe these herbs after a complete evaluation of overall heath status of the patients.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks go to Prof. Georges M. Halpern for providing all the necessary references for the manuscript. The author would like to thank Hoi Tin Tong (Hong Kong, China) for providing the herbs and great support on this project. The help of Dr Susan Ho on proofreading the manuscript and that of Ms. Jian-Hong Wu on taking the photos of the herbs were also acknowledged.
Declaration of interest: This work was financially supported by a grant from the Shenzhen Municipal Key Laboratory Advancement Program, Shenzhen, China. The author reports no conflicts of interest. The author alone is responsible for the content and writing of the paper.