What are the functions and effects of Cimicifuga?

Cimicifuga is a very common Chinese herbal medicine. It has high medicinal value and can prevent many cardiovascular diseases. It can also be antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, heat-clearing and temperature-reducing. It must be used under the guidance of a doctor to achieve good efficacy.

⒈Effect on the cardiovascular system: Injection of Cimicifuga foetida water extract into animals has the effects of lowering blood pressure, inhibiting the myocardium, and slowing down the heart rate. Xing'an Cimicifuga can lower blood pressure and increase heart rate without affecting its rhythm.

⒉ Antibacterial effect: Cimicifuga can inhibit the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in test tube. The water extract (1:4) of its variant Cimicifuga foetida L. var. simplex Huth. has different degrees of inhibitory effect on skin fungi such as Trichophyton tinctorius, Trichophyton audouinensis, Trichophyton ferrugoides, and Epidermophyton rubrum in vitro. Reports indicate that Cimicifuga has a strong inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus anthracis; it also has varying degrees of inhibitory effect on Group B Streptococcus, Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Shigella dysenteriae.

⒊ Sedative and anticonvulsant effects. The water extract of Cimicifuga has a sedative effect. In experiments on mice, it can counteract convulsions caused by camphor or strychnine. Xing'an Cimicifuga also has a sedative effect on the central nervous system of animals. The isoferulic acid it contains can slow down the movement of animals and make them calm, and its toxicity is also relatively weak.

⒋ Antipyretic and temperature-reducing effect: Xing'an Cimicifuga extract or isoferulic acid can reduce the normal body temperature of rats, and has a significant antipyretic effect on fever caused by typhoid and paratyphoid mixed vaccines in rats. Cimicifuga extract and cimicifuga glycosides also have a cooling effect on experimental animals.

⒌ Effect on smooth muscle: The water extract of Cimicifuga heracleifolia can inhibit the isolated intestinal tract and pregnant uterus, and has a stimulating effect on the bladder and non-pregnant uterus. Cimicifuga heracleifolia can relax the smooth muscle of the small intestine; it can also enhance the glandular secretion of the bronchus and digestive tract; and it has a contraction effect on the uterus. There are also reports that furanchromone derivatives, such as Khellin, have a significant antispasmodic effect on smooth muscles (bladder, uterus, etc.), and furanchromones are the main active ingredients in the rhizomes of Cimicifuga.