What is the medical use of bidens pilosa?
commonly known as the Spanish needle or Beggar ticks, bidens pilosa is a common weed plant and wastelands widespread on each continent except Antarctica. Easy to recognize with sharp, aggravating seed pods that are inserted into hair and clothing are used in both traditional Chinese medicine and western herbalism and folk medical traditions around the world. Each of these traditions uses a herb for a number of different applications, including the treatment of common colds, flu, bacterial infections, inflammatory conditions, hepatitis and urinary tract infections. Although the object of substantial phytochemical research, the use of bidens pilosa for the prevention or treatment of any disease has not been evaluated by the United States and Drug Society since 2011.
While Western herbalists generally see herb in terms of its detoxification, anti -inflammatory, hepatoprotective, antipatogenica urogenital tonification properties, traditional Chinese doctors CHands herb differently. bidens pilosa is considered useful in cleaning of surface heat, distraction of stagnation, blood lighting, removal of damp wind, cleaning wet heat from the lower triple burner and cleaning the elementary fire from the body. These conditions correlate with specific health conditions, but neatly do not match Western ideas of health and illness.
Most of the research of possible medical applications bidens pilosa focused on pharmacological activity of only a few of its chemical components. bidens pilosa is rich in the class of anti-pathogenic chemicals known as polyacetylene. Among them is the phenylheptatriyne, which in some studies found to inhibit cytomegalovirus and gram -positive bacteria in general. Alipbylo found that hatch acetylenes inhibit the growth plasmodium falciparum , microbe responsible for malaria infections. Although they are phenyheptatrianE and other polyacethylens were considered photographed, it was not found that they cause damage to genetic material, such as photo -activated toxins of furanocoumarin.
flavonoids present in bidens pilos also showed some promise as anti -inflammatory agents. This activity is considered to be mediated by their interference with prostaglandin-synthesis, probably through the inhibition of cyclooxygenase enzymes (COX). Friedelin and Friedelan-3 Beta-Ol are the most effective anti-inflammatory flavonoids of the plant, while phenylheptatriyne is the most effective of its polyacetyl.
It was also found that whole plant extracts from bidens pilosa show strong antioxidant and hepatic properties. The same extract has been found to reduce blood pressure in rats, potentially through Jehovahodilation activity. A similar animal study also found that rats administered bidens pilosa had lower levels of platelet agretation and reduced risk of thrombosis.