Table 2.
Medicinal Plants with Known Beneficial Effects in Human Clinical Trials.
| Common/Botanical Name | Plant part and delivery dose | Renal effect | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rheum officinale; Radix pseudostellariae; Coptis chinensis; Carthamus tinctorius; Salvia miltiorrhiza with Bidentate achyranthes. | Polyherbal; Shen shuaining capsule (1.4 g-2.1 g) |
Reduced SCr, BUN; increased Hb; improved signs and symptoms in patients with CKD. | 36 |
| Rheum species | Whole rhubarb plant; Capsule (350 mg) |
Reduced blood glucose, blood urea, SCr, urine protein; increased Hb, urine volume and GFR. | 75 |
| Rheum palmatum | Unknown; Baoshen pill |
Improved serum albumin, lipoprotein and apolipoproteins. | 76 |
| Rheum officinale | Unknown; Powder plus ACEi |
Decreased SCr, BUN and CKD. | 77 |
| Panax ginseng, Astragalus membranaceus, Cassia cinnamomi, Glycyrrhiza uralensis with Rheum palmatum. | Polyherbal; Dahuang decoction |
Reduced BUN, Cr and improved quality of CKD patients. | 78 |
| Astragalus membranaceus | Roots; Tablet (15 g) |
Decrease Pr/Cr; increased serum albumin and complete remission of proteinuria. | 79 |
| Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TwHF) with Irbesartan | Triptolide (1-2 mg); with Irbesartan (150-300 mg) | Significantly reduced excretion of proteins and podocytes; decreased CTGF and TGF-β1. | 80 |
| Grape (Vitis viniferae) | Seeds powder (350 mg) | Increase GFR; decreased proteinuria, depressed triglyceride and prevent anemia. | 81 |
| Cordyceps sinensis | Fruiting body; Capsule (2 g) |
Ameliorate glomerulosclerosis, renal interstitial fibrosis; decrease triglycerides, lipoproteins, TCH, possess renoprotective and curative effect on CKD. | 82 |
|
Glycyrrhiza glabra
|
Glycyrrhetinic acid food supplement (500 mg) | Decreased serum potassium concentration and frequency of severe hyperkalaemia. | 83 |
| Silybum marianum | Silibinin (350 mg) | Restored imbalance of thiols in patients with end stage diabetic nephropathy. | 84 |
| Lespedeza capitate | Unknown; Tincture |
Potential benefit for patients with acute and chronic renal failure. | 85 |
| Beta vulgaris | Roots (300 mg); Concentrated juice |
Reduced peripheral systolic, diastolic, mean arterial pressure and also reduced renal resistive index significantly. | 86 |
| Coptis species | Berbarine (0.1 g) | Significantly reduced inflammation, OS, renal damage biochemical markers (UACR, urinary osteopontin KIM-1); improved renal hemodynamics. | 87 |
| Parietaria judaica | Leaves; Tonic/tea |
Completely safe and effective for the treatment of CKD. | 85 |
| Curcuma longa | Curcumin capsule (600 mg – 1500 mg) | Reduced OS of diabetic or nondiabetic proteinuric CKD patients. | 88 |
| Curcuma longa with Boswellia serrata | Unknown; Extract (824 and 516 mg) |
Decreased PGE2 and ameliorated inflammation in patients with CKD. | 89 |
| Bupleurum root; Pinellia tuber;Alisma rhizome; Scutellaria root; Ginseng; Poria sclerotium; Polypoms sclerotium; Astractylodes lancea rhizome; Jujube; Glycyrrhiza; Cinnamon bark with Ginger. | Roots/bark; Sairei-to polyherbal |
Significantly reduced urinary protein excretion, hematuria and normalized proteinuria. | 90 |
Abbreviations: BUN, blood urea nitrogen; CKD, chronic kidney disease; CTGF, connective tissue growth factor; Cr, creatinine; Hb, hemoglobin; KIM-1, kidney injury molecule 1; OS, oxidative stress; PGE2, prostaglandin E2; SCr, serum creatinine; TGF-β1, transforming growth factor-β1; TCH, total cholesterol; UACR, urine albumin/creatinine ratio.