Dokudami benefits

How Dokudami benefits were found?

Dokudami is a local name of Houttuynia cordata Thunb. (HCT) belongs to the Saururaceae family. The plant is a flowering perennial herb widely found in moist and shady forest locations of Asian countries like China, Japan, and India. In both folk medicine as well as pharmaceutical industries use Dokudami due to its immunostimulant, antiviral, antibacterial, and other anti-inflammatory effects. [1] Different traditional herbal formulation includes Dokudami for both internal and external applications. [2] The following are some traditional uses of these herbs.

A Japanese traditional herbal tea is prepared with Dokudami for health-promoting effect. [3]

Indian North-Eastern region, raw Dokudami is used in medicinal salad preparation for blood sugar lowering effect. The local people named this herb as Jamyrdoh. [4] The Dokudami leaf extract is used to control dysentery, the rhizome of this plant is recommended for stomach ulcers and rhizome extract collected after boiling is suggested to intake for muscular pain occurs due to overstrain. [5]

In Indian traditional medicine, this herb is widely used. The juice of the Dokudami leaf juice is recommended for anemia, dysentery, cholera, and blood purification. A decoction of this Dokudami plant is recommended for oral ingestion to treat coughs, fever, enteritis, dysentery, and cancer. During the time of harvesting, the stem and leaves are used to prepare fresh decoctions. The topical application of Dokudami plant is recommended for skin disorders and snake bites. The leaf juice has astringent and antidote properties.

South-Eastern Asian countries are also traditionally used the whole plant or plant parts like root, shoot, leaves to cure a variety of diseases.

Indo-Chinese people have considered that the whole Dokudami plant has a cooling, emmenagogue, and resolvent properties region. In this region, Dokudami leaves are is used for dysentery, gonorrhea, and measles treatment purposes. This herb is also recommended for eye troubles treatment, and remedy for pus drainage, hemorrhoids, fever, toxin accumulation, swelling reduction, skin diseases lessen, urine flow enhancement, and some female-centric diseases. [4]

What are the phytochemicals present in Dokudami?

The rich bioactive phytochemicals composition of Dokudami includes volatile oils like aldehyde, α-pinene, decanoyl acetaldehyde, lauric d-limonene, methyl nonyl ketone, and myrcene. Aspartic acid, linoleic acid, and palmitic acid are three different organic acids that are also present in this herb. Dokudami contains flavonoids like afzelin, hyperin, isoquercitrin, quercetin, reyoutrin, and rutin. Other phytochemicals like cordarine, kalium sulfuricum, water-soluble polysaccharides are also present in Dokudami. [6]

What is the Mode of action of Dokudami health benefits?

Dokudami activates anti-dinitrophenyl IgE antibodies to prevent an allergic reaction.
A higher concentration of polyphenol in the Dokudami herb has an anti-mutagenic effect.
Dokudami has a potent anti-inflammatory effect by following multiple mechanisms. This herb can inhibit both TNF-α-nitric oxide (NO) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)-prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) pathways. TNF-α-NO and COX-2- PGE2 pathways are inflammatory mediators that induce an inflammatory reaction.
Dokudami contains quercetin 7-rhamnoside, Quercetin 3-rhamnoside, and norcepharadione B which have elicited anti-viral activities. The higher dose of Dokudami induces viral cell death.
Dokudami significantly inhibits the plasma triglyceride and non-esterified fatty acids levels and provides an anti-obesity effect.
Houttuynin, a phytochemical present in Dokudami has anti-bacterial property as it interferes with pathogenic replication. [4]
Dokudami induces apoptotic cell death in cancer cells through a mitochondria-dependent signaling pathway. Aristolactam B, piperolactam A, aristolactam A, norcepharadione B, cepharadione B, and splendidine are six bioactive alkaloids present in the aerial part of Dokudami that exhibit moderate cytotoxic effect against the human cancer cell. [4]
Dokudami can restore the alteration of blood insulin, glucose, adiponectin, and connective tissue growth factor levels in diabetic subjects, which provides an Antidiabetic effect.
Dokudami has potent antioxidant properties as it can scavenge free radicals.

What are the different forms of Dokudami?

Dokudami powder, Dokudami extract, and Japanese Dokudami herbal tea are different dosage forms are available in the local herbal market.

Dokudami uses

Reduce the risk of anaphylactic shock

Researchers expected from various research studies that Dokudami may be beneficial for treating mast cell-mediated anaphylactic responses due to its allergic preventive effect. An animal research study reported 100 mg oral ingestion of Dokudami helps to inhibit the local allergic reaction, skin allergic conditions related to cutaneous anaphylaxis by activating an anti-dinitrophenyl IgE antibody. [4]

Genetic disease prevention

Mutagens like chemical and radiation which alter the genetic mutation lead to genetic diseases and cancer development. Blood plasma containing polyphenols gives protection against mutagens. A preclinical trial reported that the intake of Dokudami aqueous extract improves the polyphenol content in plasma. [4]

Inflammatory disease reduction

Dokudami is effective to treat any type of inflammatory disease, because of the inhibitory effect on TNF-α-NO and COX-2- PGE2 pathways. Several investigational researchers have also supported the benefit of Dokudami against inflammation. [4] The anti-inflammatory effect of Dokudami helps to alleviate rheumatic arthritis. [1]

Anti-viral infection

The antiviral property of Dokudami is effective to treat diarrhea, influenza, and herpes type 1 viral infection. Quercetin or isoquercitrin composition of Dokudami exerts antiviral property. The treatment with this herbal ingredient inhibits viral replications of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, influenza A/WS/33, HSV-1 viruses.[4]

Bodyweight management

Obesity becomes a common health issue and one of the major causes of metabolic disorders. Dokudami leaves are an effective treatment against obesity and help in weight management. This herb even effective to control high-fat-diet-induced obesity. [4]

Typhoid treatment

A preclinical trial reported the antibacterial property of Dokudami has an effective effect against murine salmonellosis in mice and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium in the rats. These bacterial strains are quite common as S. enterica serovar Typhi, which causes typhoid infection in humans. Therefore, researchers expected that Dokudami may give protection against typhoid infection. [4]

Anticancer

The anticancer effect of Dokudami is effective to prevent colorectal cancer. [4]

Allergy treatment

Dokudami has a significant anti-allergic effect against skin allergy by acting on T helper 2-mediated allergy. It also stabilizes mast cells and inhibits cytokines. [4]

Anti-diabetic

An animal trail result reported that 8 weeks of treatment with Dokudami water extract to the diabetic subject can improve resistance conditions. Moreover, its potent antioxidant property can decrease diabetes-associated oxidative stress by controlling lipid peroxidation. [4]

Nutritional benefits

Dokudami has good nutritional properties due to the presence of amino acids, vitamins and trace elements such as potassium, zinc, iron, copper, and manganese. [6] Intake of Dokudami powder increases growth performance, white blood cell concentration, protein digestibility, muscle growth. A recent animal research support this finding. [4]

Dokudami Side effects

There is very limited side effect details are available for Dokudami. However, a review research report conducted by Chinese scientists stated that Dokudami injection can cause respiratory system disorder, along with the adverse effect on the skin, digestive system circulatory system, and nervous system. [7] However, no research study evaluated the safety of oral dose intake of Dokudami in humans.

When should I avoid Dokudami?

It is suggested not to take any Dokudami containing herbal products during pregnancy and lactation due to a lack of evidential safety data.