Chemical Composition and Major Pharmacological Activities of the Herbal Plant Amomum Villosum

Amomum villosum, first recorded in the "Herbal Supplements", is one of the four major southern medicinal herbs and an important species included in China's Pharmacopoeia. It belongs to the perennial herb of the genus Amomum in the Zingiberaceae family and has a medicinal and edible history of over 1,300 years. Amomum villosum is a traditional bulk and commonly used medicinal material in China, with an annual market demand exceeding 2,200 tons. Currently, the Amomum villosum available in the market can be classified into domestically produced and imported varieties. The domestically produced varieties mainly include Amomum villosum Lour., Amomum tsaoko Crevost & Lemarie, and Amomum longiligulare T.L.Wu & S.J.Chen. The imported Amomum villosum primarily refers to the dried mature fruits of Amomum xanthios T.L.Wu & S.J.Chen, which are mainly produced in countries like Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia, etc.

Guangdong Province is the genuine producing area of Amomum villosum Lour., with the main distribution in Chunyang City, Xinyi City, Gaozhou County, Guangning County, and other regions. Among them, the Amomum villosum Lour. produced in Chunyang City is the most famous, known as the authentic southern medicinal Amomum villosum. Yunnan's Xishuangbanna Prefecture boasts the best quality of introduced Amomum villosum Lour., with an annual output accounting for more than 60% of the national total, making it the largest cultivation base for Amomum villosum Lour. in China. Amomum tsaoko Crevost & Lemarie is a genuine product of Yunnan, but most of the Amomum tsaoko Crevost & Lemarie available in the market now comes from Southeast Asia, such as Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, with Vietnam being the best producer. Amomum longiligulare T.L.Wu & S.J.Chen is widely distributed in Hainan Province, both in the wild and cultivated, and can also be found in Guangdong and Yunnan provinces.

There is a wide variety of Amomum villosum and its common confusing species, and currently, 37 species belonging to 2 genera and 6 subgenera of the Zingiberaceae family are widely used in commercial, local, and folk medicines. These include 21 species of the Amomum genus and 16 species of the Alpinia genus in the Zingiberaceae family. According to the Pharmacopoeia, the official plant sources of Amomum villosum are limited to three species: Amomum villosum Lour., Amomum tsaoko Crevost & Lemarie, and Amomum longiligulare T.L.Wu & S.J.Chen. The remaining species of Amomum villosum are documented as substitutes or confusing (fake) products.

Amomum villosum is warm in nature and pungent in taste, and it is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine for treating gastrointestinal diseases due to its effects of removing dampness, stimulating appetite, warming the spleen to stop diarrhea, regulating qi to stabilize the fetus, and so on. Modern pharmacological research has shown that the main active components of Amomum villosum include volatile substances such as bornyl acetate, camphor, limonene, and borneol, which have clinical effects such as protecting the gastric mucosa, improving gastrointestinal function, relieving pain, stopping diarrhea, and promoting the secretion of digestive juices. The primary constituents of Amomum villosum are volatile components, followed by non-volatile components. As Amomum villosum originates from different plant species, there is a phenomenon of "same substance with different names," and their main chemical compositions also vary.

Scholars who conducted research on the volatile components of Amomum villosum Lour., Amomum tsaoko Crevost & Lemarie, and Amomum xanthios T.L.Wu & S.J.Chen found that the eight volatile components with relatively high content in Amomum villosum Lour. accounted for 98.77% of the total volatile components. Among them, bornyl acetate had the highest content, followed by camphor. The chemical compositions of the volatile oils from the intact fruits and seed clusters of Amomum villosum Lour. were similar, but the chemical compositions of the volatile oils from the pericarps differed significantly from the former two. The mass fraction of bornyl acetate in the pericarps was only 3.87%, while the main component of the volatile oils in the fruits and seed clusters was bornyl acetate, accounting for 46.97% and 52.39% of the total volatile oil content, respectively. Unlike Amomum villosum Lour., the highest volatile component in both Amomum tsaoko Crevost & Lemarie and Amomum xanthios T.L.Wu & S.J.Chen was camphor, with the content of bornyl acetate being lower than that of camphor. The eight volatile components with relatively high content in Amomum tsaoko Crevost & Lemarie accounted for 96.69% of the total volatile components, while those in Amomum xanthios T.L.Wu & S.J.Chen accounted for 96.70% of the total.

In addition to containing a large amount of volatile components, Amomum villosum also includes various non-volatile components such as flavonoids, polysaccharides, and inorganic substances. Scholars have isolated and identified 14 compounds from Amomum villosum Lour., including quercetin, quercitrin, isoquercitrin, vanillic acid, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, β-sitosterol, daucosterol, stigmasterol, ergosterol, 3β,5α,6β-trihydroxyergosterol, stearic acid, palmitic acid, typhonium glycoside B, and polydatin. The monosaccharide components of Amomum villosum have been identified as arabinose, mannose, glucose, and galactose, among which the pentose arabinose has the highest content among the four monosaccharides.

Gastrointestinal Protective Effects

The protective effects of Amomum villosum on the gastrointestinal system are mainly manifested in its anti-ulcer properties, impact on gastrointestinal motility, and influence on the bioelectricity of gastrointestinal cells. Amomum villosum is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases and has proven medical value. The volatile oil of Amomum villosum can significantly down-regulate the secretion of gastric juice, gastric acid, gastrin, and the activity of pepsin, increase the secretion of prostaglandin E2 and the expression of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), prolong the time of gastric emptying and the time for rats to excrete loose stools induced by senna leaves, and reduce the frequency of loose stools.

Gastric ulcer is a common and frequently occurring clinical disease, and its pathogenesis is mainly due to the imbalance between the aggressive factors and the defensive factors of the gastric mucosa. The excessive secretion of gastric acid and pepsin by the body is closely related to the development of gastric ulcer. Amomum villosum exhibits good activity in both weakening the aggressive factors and enhancing the mucosal defensive factors, thereby achieving protection of the gastric mucosa. The volatile oil components of Amomum villosum can produce gastrointestinal protective effects by counteracting the aggressive factors of the gastrointestinal mucosa.

Amomum villosum can also protect the gastrointestinal tract by promoting gastric emptying, reducing gastric residue, and alleviating gastric distension caused by gastric retention. Furthermore, it can enhance gastrointestinal protection by stimulating gastrointestinal motility. In the treatment of functional dyspepsia, Amomum villosum can rapidly alleviate clinical symptoms, promote the secretion and release of substance P and motilin (MTL), improve gastrointestinal motility, and facilitate digestion.

Antibacterial and Microbiota Regulation Effects

The volatile oil of Amomum villosum exhibits certain inhibitory effects against some fungi and bacteria, such as Staphylococcus, Trichophyton rubrum, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Microsporum gypseum, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Studies have shown that the aqueous extract of Amomum villosum has a significant restorative effect on antibiotic-induced intestinal dysbiosis.

Effects on the Immune System

Some scholars have discovered that the aqueous extract of Amomum villosum can slow down IgE-mediated skin allergic reactions, reduce histamine release, and decrease the activity of P38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, thereby inhibiting mast cell-mediated allergic reactions. Animal models were created using immunological methods to observe the effects of traditional Chinese medicine formulas on immune indicators in experimental ulcerative colitis. The results showed that Amomum villosum can effectively inhibit abnormally elevated humoral immunity (IgG) while enhancing cellular immunity with low function, correcting the imbalanced CD4/CD8 ratio, and demonstrating a significantly better therapeutic effect than sulfasalazine.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a valuable asset of the Chinese nation, and "Southern Medicines" are an important component of China's traditional medicinal resources. In recent years, provinces and regions such as Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Hainan, and Fujian have been actively seeking to develop the "Southern Medicines" resource industry, hoping to enhance their competitive advantages in the TCM industry through the "Southern Medicines" brand. As a superior product for both food and medicine, Amomum villosum is well-known among Chinese people, and its comprehensive utilization holds significant economic and social benefits.

References:

[1] Lu Shanhong, Zhao Ronghua, Yao Chen, Chen Xiaoshun, Han Mingnuan, Yu Jie. Research Progress on the Chemistry and Pharmacology of Amomum villosum [J]. Pharmacology and Clinics of Chinese Materia Medica, 2016, 32(01): 227-230.

[2] Li Lili, Tian Wencang, Liu Yin, Li Yongjie, Cao Xiaoxia, Zhang Wei. Research Progress on the Chemical Constituents and Pharmacological Effects of Amomum villosum [J]. Progress in Modern Biomedicine, 2018, 18(22): 4390-4396.

About the Author

Xiaonisha, a food technology professional holding a Master's degree in Food Science, is currently employed at a prominent domestic pharmaceutical research and development company. Her primary focus lies in the development and research of nutritional foods, where she contributes her expertise and passion to create innovative products.