Dichroa Root

Scientific Name(s): Dichroa febrifuga Lour
Common Name(s): Basak, Big golden sword, British Indian, Ch'ang shan, Chi-fen ts'ao, Chi-ku ch'ang-shan, Chi-ku feng, Chicken-bone alum root, Chicken-droppings grass, Chinese quinine, Dichroa root, Huang ch'ang-shan, Native alum root, Pai ch'ang-shan, T'u ch'ang-shan, Ta chin-tao, Thuong son, White alum root, Yellow alum root

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Feb 21, 2022.

Clinical Overview

Use

Dichroa root has been used to treat malaria for centuries in China; however, there are no recent clinical trials to support this use.

Dosing

There are no recent clinical studies of dichroa root to provide dosing recommendations.

Contraindications

Contraindications have not yet been identified.

Pregnancy/Lactation

Avoid use. Information regarding safety and efficacy in pregnancy and lactation is lacking.

Interactions

None well documented.

Adverse Reactions

Possible adverse effects include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Hepatotoxicity is also a concern.

Toxicology

Limited information concerning toxicity of dichroa root is available.

Scientific Family

• Saxifragaceae

Botany

Dichroa root comes from a deciduous shrub that prefers damp areas such as wooded valleys or stream edges. The roots and leaves are used medicinally. The plant bears light-blue flowers and blue-colored berries.Doctor's Manual 1977

History

rIn China, dichroa root has been used to treat malaria for many centuries.Hocking 1977, Takaya 1999 One of the earliest records of plants used as medicine includes dichroa root.Taylor 1981 In his book Flora Cochinchinensis (published in 1790), Portuguese Jesuit João de Loureiro described the febrifugal (ie, mitigating fever) and emetic properties of ch’ang shan and provided the scientific name Dichroa febrifuga.Burns 2008 Chinese scholar/emperor Shen Nung (circa 2735 BC) recorded the plant's effectiveness in treating fever caused by malaria parasites.Burger 1999

Chemistry

Alkaloid febrifugine and its isomer isofebrifugine were isolated during World War II in order to study their effects against malaria.Hocking 1977, Takaya 1999 Febrifugine is the main alkaloidal constituent present.Murata 1999 Halofuginone and haloguinol are synthetic derivatives of dichroa root. Halofuginone, along with other febrifugine analogues, was developed in the 1960s for antimalarial evaluation.McLaughlin 2014

Uses and Pharmacology

Antimalarial activity

With drug resistance from medications such as chloroquine and quinine becoming prevalent, researchers have sought other antimalarial sources. Isolates of D. febrifuga, febrifugine and isofebrifugine, were found to be the active components against malaria; however, chemists could not separate adverse effects (eg, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea) from their beneficial actions.Burger 1999, Zeng 1982, Zhao 1986, Zhu 2012 Febrifugine exerts its antimalarial effects by impairing the haemazoin formation needed for parasite maturation at the trophozoite stage. Various analogues have been synthesized in an effort to minimize adverse effects and enhance bioavailability; some of these compounds have therapeutic indices greater than 10 times that of chloroquine.McLaughlin 2014,