Danggui Buxue Tang (Astragali Radix and Angelicae Sinensis Radix) for menopausal symptoms: A review.
BACKGROUND
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has contributed greatly to human health in past several thousand years. Today, the development of TCM is facing two obstacles: (i) quality control of herbal extract; and (ii) action mechanisms not known.


OBJECTIVE
Among thousands of complex TCM formulations, Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT) is the simplest one. DBT is used to treat ailments in women and contains only two herbs, Astragali Radix (Huangqi; AR) and Angelicae Sinensis Radix (Danggui; ASR). The weight ratio of AR to ASR in DBT must be 5:1, as stipulated in AD 1247. By using DBT as a model formula, we develop a strategy to reveal the complexity of a traditional TCM formula.


RESULTS
There are 3 levels of research directions: (i) the preparation of DBT and its rationale behind; (ii) the traditional theory of DBT is elucidated by chemical and biological determinations; and (iii) the action mechanisms of DBT are revealed.


CONCLUSIONS
Through the chemical, biological, genomic and proteomic studies, a possible direction in resolving the preparation mythologies, pharmacological and mechanistic analyses of a TCM decoction is being proposed here.
Division of Life Science and Center for Chinese Medicine, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China.
Huang Q
HQ
Lin
Division of Life Science and Center for Chinese Medicine, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China.
Amy G W
AG
Gong
Division of Life Science and Center for Chinese Medicine, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China; HKUST Shenzhen Research Institute, Hi-Tech Park, Nanshan, Shenzhen 518000, Guangdong, China.
Huai Y
HY
Wang
Division of Life Science and Center for Chinese Medicine, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China.
Ran
R
Duan
Division of Life Science and Center for Chinese Medicine, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China.
Tina T X
TT
Dong
Beijing Friendship Hospital, Affiliate of Capital University of Medical Sciences, 95 Yong An Road, Beijing 100050, China.
Kui J
KJ
Zhao
Division of Life Science and Center for Chinese Medicine, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China; HKUST Shenzhen Research Institute, Hi-Tech Park, Nanshan, Shenzhen 518000, Guangdong, China. Electronic address: botsim@ust.hk.
Karl W K
KW
Tsim
D029971:Angelica sinensis; D000818:Animals; D027883:Astragalus Plant; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional / Q000379:methods; D008593:Menopause / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D018517:Plant Roots
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C477279:danggui buxue decoction
Angelicae Sinensis Radix; Astragali Radix; Danggui Buxue Tang; Traditional chinese medicine