Psoralea corylifolia

Psoralea corylifolia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Genus:	Psoralea
Species:	P. corylifolia
Binomial name
Psoralea corylifolia L.

Psoralea corylifolia (Babchi) is an important plant in the Indian Ayurveda and Tamil Siddha systems of medicine, and also Chinese medicine. The seeds of this plant contain a variety of coumarins including psoralen. The seeds have a variety of medicinal uses, but the specific role (if any) of psoralen in these uses is unknown. Psoralen itself has a number of commercial uses. An extract of the plant's fruit Fructus psoraleæ has been shown to act as a norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor.^[1]

P. corylifolia extract contains a number of bioactive compounds that are the molecular basis of its action, including flavonoids (neobavaisoflavone, isobavachalcone, bavachalcone, bavachinin, bavachin, corylin, corylifol, corylifolin and 6-prenylnaringenin), coumarins (psoralidin, psoralen, isopsoralen and angelicin) and meroterpenes (bakuchiol and 3-hydroxybakuchiol).^[2]

One study in rats suggested that bakuchiol and ethanol extracts of P. corylifolia could protect against bone loss.^[3] Bakuchiol isolated from the Chinese medicinal plant, Psoralea corylifolia (Fabaceae), has shown activity against numerous Grampositive and Gram-negative oral pathogens. It was able to inhibit the growth of Streptococcus mutans under a range of sucrose concentrations, pH values and in the presence of organic acids in a temperature-dependent manner and also inhibited the growth of cells adhered to a glass surface.^[4] It may be of assistance in treating prostate cancer.^[5]

Very high concentrations of the anticancer chemical, genistein, have been found in the leaves of Psoralea corylifolia^[6]

Psoralea Corylifolia has been shown to inhibit mitochondrial complex I and may therefore increase susceptibility to oxidative stress.^[7]

References

1. ^ Zhao G, Li S, Qin GW, Fei J, Guo LH (2007). "Inhibitive effects of Fructus Psoraleae extract on dopamine transporter and noradrenaline transporter.". J Ethnopharmacol 112 (3): 498–506. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2007.04.013. PMID 17555897. 
2. ^ Zhao LH, Huang CY, Shan Z, Xiang BG, Mei LH: Fingerprint analysis of Psoralea corylifolia by HLPC and LC-MS. J Chromatogr B, 2005, 821, 67–74
3. ^ Lim SH, Ha TY, Kim SR, Ahn J, Park HJ, Kim S.,"Ethanol extract of Psoralea corylifolia L. and its main constituent, bakuchiol, reduce bone loss in ovariectomised Sprague-Dawley rats." Br J Nutr. 2009 Apr;101(7):1031-9
4. ^ B.Parimala Devi et al. / Journal of Pharmacy Research 2009, 2(11),1669-1675 http://jpronline.info/article/view/906/708
5. ^ Szliszka E, Czuba ZP, Sędek L, Paradysz A, Król W.,"Enhanced TRAIL-mediated apoptosis in prostate cancer cells by the bioactive compounds neobavaisoflavone and psoralidin isolated from Psoralea corylifolia." Pharmacol Rep. 2011 Jan-Feb;63(1):139-48
6. ^ Peter B. Kaufman, James A. Duke, Harry Brielmann, John Boik, James E. Hoyt"A Comparative Survey of Leguminous Plants as Sources of the Isoflavones, Genistein and Daidzein: Implications for Human Nutrition and Health", The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Spring 1997: 7-12.
7. ^ . PMID 17460213.