Table 6.
Chinese single herb (generic name) | Major constituent | Pharmacologic activity |
---|---|---|
Z. spinosa | Spinosin and jujubosides | Increases the hexobarbital-sleeping time and decreases the locomotor activity [22] |
Jujuboside A | Inhibits the glutamate-mediated excitatory signal pathway in the hippocampus [23] | |
Saponins | Decreases monoaminergic system activity [24] | |
Sanjoinine A | Regulates GABA-ergic systems and further increases the sleeping time and decreases the sleep latency induced by pentobarbital [25] | |
Polygala tenuifolia | 3,4,5-Trimethoxycinnamic acid | Suppresses norepinephrine in the locus coeruleus of rats [26] |
Salvia miltiorrhiza | Miltirone | Central benzodiazepine receptor partial agonist [27] |
Stephania tetrandria | Tetrandrine | Effect on serotonergic system [28] |
Poria cocos | Ergosterone | Enhances the secretion of the cytokines, interleukin-1β and TNF-α, which enhances non-rapid eye movement sleep [29, 30] |