Gelsemium elegans, Gou Wen 鉤吻

Graceful Jessamine
Gou Wen (TCM)
 Picture Picture
Picture Gelsemium elegans
Flora Malesiana (1962)

Picture Gelsemium elegans
(Photo by Toby Y) (Wikimedia)

Botanical name:


Gelsemium elegans
This is one of only 3 species of Gelsemium and is native to Southeast Asia. Gelsemium sempervirens is native to the US.

Parts used:


Root, Root-bark, Whole herb. Root is strongest

Temperature & Taste:


Warm, dry. Pungent, Bitter. Toxic

Classification:




Uses:


1. Clear Wind-Damp, Eases Pain:
-Eczema, skin eruptions
-Neuralgia
-Wind-Damp joint pain, Rheumatoid pain

2. Disperses Masses, Resists Toxin:
-Scrofula
-Trauma, Bruising
-Skin Ulcers
-Tumors and Cancer


Dose:


Today it is primarily restricted to topical use.

Substitute:


Gelsemium sempervirens, native to the US may be a synonymous herb, but we have separated them due to their different uses.

Corrective:


Licorice is said to help correct its toxicity

Main Combinations:



Major Formulas:



Cautions:


1. Very toxic. Avoid overdose. ‘When people happen by mistake to eat the leaves mixed with vegetables, they die in the course of half a day.’ (Li Shi Zhen)
2. Not used during Pregnancy, while Breastfeeding, in the very young or elderly, the very weak, or those with Liver or Kidney disease.

Toxicity:


1. Very toxic in overdose. It has been responsible for a number of deaths in China. Causes Gastrointestinal, Neurological and Cardio-respiratory toxicity. The young leaf and shoot is most toxic. Toxic symptoms appear 5 minutes to 2 hours after ingestion.
2. A comprehensive toxicity evaluation in rats after long-term oral Gelsemium elegans exposure.
3. Toxicokinetics of 11 Gelsemium Alkaloids in Rats by UPLC-MS/MS.
4. Comparative toxicokinetic profiles of multiple-components of Gelsemium elegans in pigs and rats after a single oral administration.

Antidote:


Goose or Duck blood was recommended as an antidote. (Ben Cao Gang Mu)

Main Preparations used:



  • Extra Info
  • Research
GENERAL / REVIEW:
–Medicinal plants of the genus Gelsemium (Gelsemiaceae, Gentianales)–a review of their phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology and traditional use.
–Indole alkaloids from Gelsemium elegans.
–Chemical constituents of aerial parts of Gelsemium elegans.
–Ultra-Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS)-Based Pharmacokinetics and Tissue Distribution Study of Koumine and the Detoxification Mechanism of Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch on Gelsemium elegans Benth.

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY:
–Monoterpenoid indole alkaloids from the fruits of Gelsemium elegans and their anti-inflammatory activities.

ANALGESIC:
–Analgesic Alkaloids from Gelsemium elegans Stems.
–The analgesic effect and possible mechanisms by which koumine alters type II collagen-induced arthritis in rats.

NEUROPATHIC PAIN:
–Koumine Attenuates Neuroglia Activation and Inflammatory Response to Neuropathic Pain.
–Gelsemine alleviates both neuropathic pain and sleep disturbance in partial sciatic nerve ligation mice.
–Effects of koumine, an alkaloid of Gelsemium elegans Benth., on inflammatory and neuropathic pain models and possible mechanism with allopregnanolone.
–Gelsenicine from Gelsemium elegans attenuates neuropathic and inflammatory pain in mice.

NEURO-INFLAMMATION:
–Gelsemine, a natural alkaloid extracted from Gelsemium elegans Benth. alleviates neuroinflammation and cognitive impairments in Abeta oligomer-treated mice.
–Bisindole alkaloids with neural anti-inflammatory activity from Gelsemium elegans.
ANXIOLYTIC:
–The active alkaloids of Gelsemium elegans Benth. are potent anxiolytics.

NEUROPROTECTIVE:
–Anti-allodynic and neuroprotective effects of koumine, a Benth alkaloid, in a rat model of diabetic neuropathy.

NEPHROPROTECTIVE:
–Nephroprotective effect of gelsemine against cisplatin-induced toxicity is mediated via attenuation of oxidative stress.

IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE:
–Gelsemium alkaloids, immunosuppressive agents from Gelsemium elegans.

FATTY LIVER DISEASE:
–Immunoregulatory Effect of Koumine on Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Rats

CANCER:
–Gelsedine-type oxindole alkaloids from Gelsemium elegans and the evaluation of their cytotoxic activity.
–Cytotoxic gelsedine-type indole alkaloids from Gelsemium elegans
BREAST CANCER:
–Apoptotic Effect of Koumine on Human Breast Cancer Cells and the Mechanism Involved.
COLORECTAL:
–A network pharmacology-based investigation on the bioactive ingredients and molecular mechanisms of Gelsemium elegans Benth against colorectal cancer
LIVER:
–Study on anti-proliferation activity and the mechanisms of alkaloid monomers from Gelsemium elegans on HepG2 cell in vitro.