台灣民間常用草藥的抗高血壓作用評估

Screening of the Hypotensive Effect of Plants Used in Taiwan for the Treatment of Hypertension

為了確認台灣地區人民經常相互介紹使用的高血壓治療草藥是否確實具有療效，本項實驗擇用了遺傳性高血壓老鼠(SHR)來探討。觀察到野牡丹（葉）、烏柏（葉）、黃芩（根）、番石榴（葉和果實）、菱實（果實）、長春花（地上部）、茶子（果實）、小金櫻（果實）、仙鶴草（地上部）、釣藤（莖）、虎杖（根莖部）、川七（根）和夏枯草（花序）等植物的含水有機溶媒抽取物皆可產生降血壓效果；以野牡丹（葉）和烏柏（葉）為最顯著。可是，五味子（果實）的抽取物卻未能產生抗高血壓的作用。以上結果驗證了這些草藥的療效，益於日後的使用及活性成份的純化。

In an attempt to understand the effectiveness of plants that are popularly used to relief the hypertension in Taiwan, we investigated the actions of 14 plants by screening the changes of tail blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Aqueous organic preparations (H2O: Acetone=1: 4) of each crude extracts were injected intraperitoneally into SHR. Then, maximal decrease of blood pressure recorded at every 10 min was compared to the pretreatment values. We found that the leaves of Melastoma candidum or Sapium sebiferum possessed a more marked hypotensive activity. Other plants screened in the present study also produce a significant antihypertensive action except the fruit of Schisandra chinesis. The obtained results confirmed the actual activity of these antihypertensive plants and encouraged us to attempt the purification of active substances.