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Pueraria mirifica
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Introduction The aging process does not discriminate nor is it forgiving it shall eventually affect all women. Though it is not possible to stop the aging process it is now possible to slow down the process and lessen its unwelcome effects with Pueraria mirifica (scientifically known as Pueraria mirifica Airy Shaw et Suvatabandhu). Women in the rural communities in Thailand where this herb grows have used the tuberous roots of Pueraria mirifica effectively as rejuvenating folk medicine for well over a hundred years before it becomes well known and has received much attention from Thai and foreign scientists and mainstream alike not so many years ago. According to Thai traditional medicine for well over a hundred years before it becomes well known and has received much attention from Thai and foreign scientists and mainstream alike not so many years ago. According to Thai traditional medicine this rejuvenating herb is recommended for both aged men and women for its efficacy to grow hair strengthen and darken existing ones help improve complexion and remove wrinkles improve eyesight increase energy and vigor leading to more reflexive body movements. What is Pueraria mirifica Pueraria mirifica Airy Shaw & Suvatabandhu is an indigenous herb of Thailand known in Thai as Kwao Kreu or Kwao Kreu Kao (White Kwao Kreu) if belongs to the Family Leguminosae subfamily Papilionoideae or the soy bean pea subfamily . The plants are commonly found in abundant in the forests in the north the west and the northeast of Thailand at the altitude of 300-800 meters above sea level Active principles in this plant are found the tuberous root which looks like a chain of round-shaped bulbs of various sizes connected to the next one via small root throughout the entire length of the root the shape and size of the tuberous root are diverse depending on the environment in which it exists. There are nine species of plants in the genus Pueraria in Thailand that look alike however the authenticity of Pueraria mirifica can be clearly verified from the distinct characteristics of the stamen of the flower and hairy pod. The studies of ecology distribution and cultivation of Pueraria mirifica have been conducted by a group of Chulalongkorn University Bangkok. Thailand since 1991 in addition the researchers in the Department of biology Faculty of science tissue culture of this plant has been studied. At the present time Thailand natural product industry is able to establish organic farming of this plant for the continuous supply of the raw material. Ethnobotanic Use Local communities in Thailand have used Pueraria mirifica for well over one hundred years specifically for its rejuvenating qualities. The belief in the rejuvenating properties of Pueraria mirifica has been passing down from one generation to another and more recently through the publication by Luange Anusan Suntara. In May 1931 Luang Anusan Suntara published a pamphlet on the subject of Kwao Krue describing different ways of preparing folk medicine using Pueraria mirifica and the claims of its rejuvenating power. lt is stated in the pamphlet that Pueraria mirifica can In 1932 Dr. A.F.G. Kerr the Director of the botanical section of the journal of the Siam society directed the attention of the scientific community to the fact that the tuberous roots of a Thai plant called Kwao Kreu mistakenly identified then as Butea superba were considered to be of value as a rejuvenating drug .Dr Kerr was the first to create international awareness of the rejuvenating qualities of this plant which subsequently led to the isolation of a potent phytoestrogen that is unique to this plant only and to the identification of plant as Pueraria mirifica in 1952. Chemical composition The compounds that make Pueraria mirifica different from any other phytoestrogen containing plant in the family Leguminosae are Miroestrol and Deoxymiroestrol which possess highest estrogenic activity among the know phytoestrogen due to structural similarity to estradiol. Miroestrol was actually the first compound isolated from Thai plant by a group of German chemists in 1940 but the plant had been mistakenly reported then as Butea superba. Lt. was later on classified as a new plant called Pueraria mirifica airy Shaw ET Suvatabhandu. The isolation and identification of Deoxymiroestrol from the root of Pueraria mirifica has just been reported in the Febru ray 2000 issue of the journal of Natural products. The authors proposed that since Deoxymiroestrol is easily oxidized to Miroestrol Deoxymiroestrol not the previously reported Miroestrol is more likely to be the actual chemical constituent of Pueraria mirifica. However it is very likely that the two phytoestrogen coexist in the root of this plant. As show below the chemical structures of the two compounds are very similay to that of estradiol the main human estrogens. In addition to miroestrol and Deoxymiroestrol Pueraria
mirifica also contains other chemicals that belong to isoflavone and
coumestran group of phytoestrogen e.g. Genistein Daidzein, Daidzin Genistin
and Coumestrol that are usually found in soybeans (table 1). |
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Table 1 Chromene isoflavonoid and coumestran derivatives in Pueraria mirifica |
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Toxicity Study Toxicity study of Pueraria mirifica has recently been
conducted in male and female Wistar rats by the medicinal plant Research
institute Department of medical sciences ministry of public health and by
the department of biology faculty of public health and by the Department of
biology faculty of science. Chulalongkorn University. The animals were given
the suspension of root powder in water orally at the dose From the animal toxicity study no estrogenic effect was observed at the doses of 10 mg/kg/day. The histopathological studies and biochemical data at different dose levels in rat of both sexes suggest that the maximum tolerated dose in rats would be around 100 mg/kg/day. When consider the uncertainty factor for the difference in the safe dosage of Pueraria mirifica as a dietary supplement for human should be about 1-2 mg /kg/day or about 50-100 mg/day. Aging Problems-How Pueraria mirifica can solve it. Most women are very concerned about aging particularly the effects brought about by the aging particularly the effects brought by the aging process. For the average women menstruation cycles end at 48-50 years of age when the reproductive system stops or slows down function. The body experiences dramatic changes due to lower estrogen levels the body systems and its functions begin to decelerate and the immune system weakens accordingly menopausal women will usually experience both psychological and physiological changes. Psychological and physiological changes. Psychological changes range from anxiety tension and nervousness to chronic depression whereas the physiological changes include hot flushes fatigue and insomnia to more severe conditions as bone loss balding and degeneration of the reproductive area. Consequently women at the age of 45-50 and postmenopausal women need something to replace the loss of natural estrogen. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been extensively used to alleviate both the psychological and physiological changes. However this estrogen substitute can be quite expensive and must be conducted under a physician, s close supervision. An effective alternative approach would be to delay those aging problems by using natural phytoestrogen present in Pueraria mirifica as a dietary supplement. Health benefit of phytoestrogens is at least two folds.
Firstly as stated earlier Pueraria mirifica contains various kinds of
phytoestrogen Applications Pueraria mirifica has long been traditionally prepared in the from of pills for oral intakes. Currently the dried roots are finely ground sometimes mixed with other medicinal herbs packed in capsules and marketed as a dietary supplement however for some distributors the capsules are prepared from the root extract .The formulation that ingredient list and content of each ingredient varies from one supplier to another. Pueraria mirifica in the form of extract has been introduced just recently with modern extraction technology the extract from dried roots is standardized and prepared in the form of powder and solution. When Pueraria mirifica is as a dietary supplement its phytoestrogen constituents will naturally alleviate symptoms occurring as a result of the aging process and a deficiency in estrogen levels e.g. sagging breasts wrinkled skin bone loss gray hair etc. These aging signs and symptoms will to a certain be reversed. When applied topically to the skin Pueraria mirifica will be beneficial to that respective part of the body. Topical uses of Pueraria mirifica have been know to include. Various forms and preparations of Pueraria mirifica should provide an effective and inexpensive alternative to women who wish to take charge of their own health and to for many cosmetic purposes. With regard to the safety and efficacy of dermal preparations of Pueraria mirifica extract standard dermal toxicity tests were performed in various animal species as well as in humans and no toxicity was observed. More over the efficacy of breast cream was recently evaluated in a large group of human volunteers. Warning Pueraria mirifica products should not be used in |
