Pingying: Jiaogulan
English:Fiveleaf Gynostemma
Latin: Gynostemma pentapyllum (Thunb.) Makino

Sources:The rhizome or whole plant of Gynostemma pentapyllum (Thunb.) Makino Family Culurbitaceae.

Constituents: Containing gypenoside (more than 80 kinds) and saccharide, vitamin C, rutin, ombum and flavanoid.

Actions:In votro test showed gypenoside has a cytocidal effect against S180 cells, the cytocidal rates were 54% to 87.5% in 0.38% to 0.755 concentration of gypenoside . The decoction of the herb overground part and the homogenate of fresh callus of the herb has inhibiting growth rate fo 30.3% and 28.7% against EAC solid tumor. The total gypenoside prodduc- ed by Japanese has remarkable inhibitory action against hepatocarcinom- a, cervial, lung cancer and melanoma cell lines. Gypenoside was able to prolong the life span from 15 to 23 days on ascitic tumor bearing mice. Gypenoside was taken 50mg/kg once daily for 3 days to prolong surviarl time on the Yaoshida sarcoma bearing rats, for 7 days to onhibit the growth of the sarcoma, for 10 days to prolong survival time on the ascitic cancer bearing mice. Gypenoside was no harm on normal cells. Glycoside XX1 of the herb was able to inhibit growth of hepatocarcinoma cells remarkably in vitro. The total glycoside of the herb has directly cytocidal effct against sarcoma of intraabdominal transplantation.

Indications: It was used for treatment of esophageal, lung and cervical carcinoma, etc.

The total gypensoside taken 50mg 3 times daily to treat one case of the metastatic ascitic cancer of stomach for one month, the clinical result showed that ascites reduced and WBC and RBC increased. For 5 months , the ascites disappeared, the primary tumor shrunk and WBC and RBC increased continuously. The total gypenoside was taken 100mg, 2 times daily to treat 1 case of esophageal cancer and 1 cases of hepatocarcinoma for 6 months, the two cases cured.ctively.