Abstract
Tianma, the steamed and dried rhizome of Blume, is one of the most popular traditional Chinese medicines and a famous foodstuff in China. Main chemical constituents in the rhizomes include phenolic glycoside, organic acid, volatile oil, sterol, polysaccharides, etc. Phenolic glycosides such as gastrodin and its aglycone gastrodigenin are considered as main bioactive compounds in the fresh or steamed and dried rhizome as well as the commercial products from the medicinal market. The pharmacological actions are shown to be anticonvulsant, sedative, analgesic, neuroprotective, antioxidative and immunomodulatory activities as well as anti-aging, anti-hypertension, expanding the coronary blood vessels, improving peripheral circulation and learning memory, etc. Although Tianma is a relatively safe herbal medicine, it is still strongly recommended to use it under proper conditions.
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© 2015 Springer-Verlag Wien
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Gao, HM. (2015). Gastrodia elata Blume. 天麻 (Tianma, Gastrodia Tuber). In: Liu, Y., Wang, Z., Zhang, J. (eds) Dietary Chinese Herbs. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-211-99448-1_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-211-99448-1_13
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