Earticle

From the Sakuya Konohana Kan in Japan, tropical and subtropical medicinal plants were studied. 251 species in 75 families of plants were investigated by taking photos. Among this botanical garden, the most dominant family was Cactaceae with 19 species, followed by Malvaceae with 18 species, Asparagaceae with 16 species, Leguminosae with 11 species, and Acanthaceae 10 species. And there are others as well in the following order; Bromeliaceae, Ericaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Asphodelaceae, Didiereaceae, Moraceae, Orchidaceae, Primulaceae, Rubiaceae, Zingiberaceae, Compositae, Nepenthaceae.

Cicadidae Periostracum, the exuviae of Cryptotympana atrata (Fabricius, 1775), is well-known traditional medicine in Korea. The present study aims to describe in detail by using stereoscope and scanning electron microscope for discriminating authentic of Cicadidae Periostracum in the markets. Moreover, we present here the morphological differences in the sexual morph of exuviae in Cryptotympana atrata. Our results showed that significant exuvium size differences were not found between the sexual morphs. In addition, there were no differences in morphological and micromorphological characteristics between females and males except the presence of gonapophysis in female only. By the results, a full description, including synonym of Cryptotympana atrata as a Cicadidae Periostracum is provided. The results are present useful characteristics for exuviae identification and authentication of morphologically related species and sexual dimorphic study of Cicadidae in the future.

From the Medicinal Herb Garden, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University in Korea, medicinal plants were studied. 365 species in 89 families of plants were investigated by taking photos. Among this botanical garden, the most dominant family was Compositae with 42 species, followed by Rosaceae with 29 species, Apiaceae with 27 species, Lamiaceae with 18 species, and Ranunculaceae 16 species. And there are others as well in the following order; Asparagaceae, Polygonaceae, Leguminosae, Caprifoliaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Papaveraceae, Rutaceae.

Korean Herbal Medicine (KHM) has clinical advantages that can overcome the limitations of Western Medicine. However, the strength of KHM cannot be fully exercised without standardization. In fact, many aspects of KHM including the processing of the herbal medicines are being standardized these days. Twenty-eight methods of herbal medicine processing that were previously described in the Korean Pharmacopoeia have since been deleted. The herbal medicines processing methods significantly affect their pharmacological properties, and hence this forms an essential part of KHM. In this research, therefore, the history of processing KHM and the steps involved have been summarized and analyzed. Furthermore, the changes in the efficacy of 165 herbal medicines in the Korean Pharmacopoeia after processing were summarized. In addition, the traditional processing methods in various textbooks and the processing methods in Korean Pharmacopoeia were compared to enhance the current level of standardization. This study, therefore, suggests a new “3K formula” as the first step for standardization of herbal medicines processing. With this formula, it is possible to name the processed herbal medicines in a unified way. With the ever-increasing global demand for herbal medicines, there is a clear necessity for further future studies on the standardization of the herbal medicines processing methods.

To understand the current status of medicinal plants planted in the Medicinal plants Garden of Hongneung Arboretum, we studied field and literature surveys. In the garden, there were 257 taxa in 86 families. Most common orders of those plants were Asterales, Rosales, Ranunculales, etc. And we listed up the Korean names, scientific names, Chinese names, herbal medicinal names, medicinal parts, and indications of the plants. The 158 taxa were included in the pharmacopeias of east-Asian countries, and 72 taxa were contained in herbal medicine textbooks, but the medicinal records of 27 taxa were not found. In the future, these plants shall be correctly identified, and appropriate names shall be written on the labels. And it will be more useful if the medicinal information of those plants is provided on the labels.