Coptis chinensis

Chinese goldthread
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Ranunculaceae
Genus: Coptis
Species:
C. chinensis
Binomial name
Coptis chinensis

Coptis chinensis, the Chinese goldthread, is a species of goldthread flowering plant native to China.

Etymology

Chemical constituents

The rhizomes of Coptis chinensis contain the isoquinoline alkaloids berberine, palmatine, and coptisine among others.

Traditional uses

Coptis chinensis is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it is called duǎn è huánglián (Chinese: 短萼黄连). It has been proved to have anti‐cancer, anti‐inflammatory, and anti‐bacterial properties and to help to improve cardiovascular conditions.

Other uses

Because of the strong coloring quality of berberine, it has been traditionally used as a dye, especially for wool and other fibers.

References

  1. ↑ "Coptis chinensis". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  2. 1 2 Coptis chinensis in BoDD – Botanical Dermatology Database
  3. ↑ Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases
  4. ↑ Wu, Jiasi; Luo, Yu; Deng, Donghang; Su, Siyu; Li, Sheng; Xiang, Li; Hu, Yingfan; Wang, Ping; Meng, Xianli (December 2019). "Coptisine from Coptis chinensis exerts diverse beneficial properties: A concise review". Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine. 23 (12): 7946–7960. doi:10.1111/jcmm.14725. ISSN 1582-1838. PMC 6850926. PMID 31622015.
  5. ↑ Gibbs, Peter J.; Seddon, Kenneth R. (1998). Berberine and Huangbo: Ancient Colorants and Dyes. London: British Library. ISBN 978-0-7123-0649-2.[page needed]