A Pharmacophylogenetic Study Of Salvia L. (Lamiaceae) In China

Salvia L. (family Lamiaceae) is a large genus of over 1,000 species widely dist ributed in tropical and temperate regions of the world, with 84 species native to China. The group is an extremely abundant medicinal plant source.Many species o f the genus have been used as medicinal plants for a long time. For example, Da nshen, the root and rhizome of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, was one of the earliestand also the most commonly used herbal drug in practice of TCM.To investigate the resources and utilization of medicinal plants in Salvia from China, during the period of 2006-2007, we conducted six field surveys in 13 prov inces (Beijing, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hubei, Shanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, Guangxi and Yunnan province). In concert with the local herbalis ts, we collected 40 species and 57 samples and recorded the detailed information of these medicinal plants including the local name, collecting location, growing en vironment, distribution and therapeutic effects. The Survey showed that 43 Salvia plants have been used as folk medicine for multiple therapeutic remedies in differ ent region of China, and 23 plants in the genus have been used as Danshen. Andwe found that all the investigated Danshen species belonged to sect. Euryspace S tib. or sect. Drymophace Benth.. Molecular systematic study also supported the re asonableness of using species from sect. Drymophace as substitute drug resources of Danshen. The distribution characteristic of Danshen species in the two groups was different. Danshen species from sect. Euryspace were mainly distributed in th e plateau area of 2500-4000 m above sea level in south-western China, and S. pr zewalskii in this group was widely used and has been commercially available in t he local herbal markets in south-western and north-western China. The geographic al distribution and resources of other Danshen species in sect.Euryspace were limi ted. And their folk applications were limited to remote mountain areas and minori ty region of south-western China. Most Danshen species in sect. Drymophace wer e distributed in the plain and hills of North China, East China and Central China, with only a few species extending to south-western and north-western China.Ethnopharmacologically, the medicinal plants in Sect.Drymosphace and Euryspha ce have been mainly used as medicines for promoting blood circulation to regulat e menstruation, activating meridian and collateral, and the medicinal plants in Sub g.Allagospadonopsis have been mainly used as medicines for clearing heat from b lood, which indicates that these plants may be a source for new medicines posses sing antibacterial activity , antiviral activity and antitumor activity.HPLC hyphenated with DAD detection was used for studying the distribution of tanshinones and polyphenolics in some Chinese Salvia species which we collected.According to the data, we found the distributions of tanshinones had some regula r pattern in the subgenus levels: tanshinones occurred frequently in the species of s ubg. Salvia and subg. Sclarea(Moench) Benth., while they were absent from the sp ecies in subg. Jungia (Moench) Brig. and Subg. Allagospadonopsis Briq.. We also f ound the species from Sect. Eurysphace Stib. were abundant in tanshinones, and the tanshinones almost occurred in all the investigated species of the group.As a result of this study, our data support the circumscription of the sect. Drymosphare as pro posed by Bentham. The distribution of tanshinones, therefore, provides a valuable c hemotaxonomic tool for determining infra-generic differences within the genus Salvi a. Polyphenolics, are also abundant in the Salvia, especially in Sect.Drymosphace a nd Sect.Eurysphace.However, the polyphenolics in samples were not the same entirel y; the contents of mutual polyphenolics varied greatly between the samples, and thi s may be due to both genetic and environmental influences. Additionly, our study a lso showed tanshinones and phenolic acids were abundant in different Danshen spec ies and provided an empirical base for their use in TCM.There were many problems in the systematic classification, variety identification a nd resources utilization of Chinese Salvia species. The plants in the group should b e paid much more attention. Further comprehensive studies (Phytochemistry, Pharma cophylogeny, Molecular Phylogeny) on these species are needed for their better med ical utilization.