Andrographis paniculata

a member of the family Acanthaceae

with functions of clearing heat and detoxifying

cooling blood and eliminating swelling in traditional Chinese medicine

is commonly used for the treatment of fever

cold

throat sores

aphtha of the mouth and tongue

whooping cough

dysentery

diarrhea

pyretic stranguria pain

welling-abscess swellings and sores

snake bites and so on. Modern research shows that A. paniculata contains diterpenoids

flavonoids

phenylpropanoids

iridoids and alkaloids; the preliminary pharmacological research has shown that it has anti-inflammatory

antimicrobial

anti-tumor

antiviral

protecting cardiovascular

hypoglycemic

inhibiting platelet aggregation

protecting liver and other activities. A. paniculata is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. It was introduced from southeast Asia to China in the 1950s and cultivated in Guangxi

Guangdong

Sichuan

Anhui and Fujian provinces. It has been included in many compound formulae due to its low price and significant pharmacological activities. In recent years

more and more researches are on the quality control of A. paniculata. The quality ingredients are changed from two components(andrographolide and dehydroandrographolide) to multiple components.The quality control methods also extend from thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to more accurate

rapid and reliable detection methods. In this review

the latest studies both at home and abroad about the herbal textual research

resource distribution

chemical constituents

pharmacological effects and quality analysis of A. paniculata would be reviewed and discussed in order to offer some reference for further studies and development.