Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) treated with TCM sophora flavescens

What is sophora flavescens(Ku Shen)?
Medicinally it mainly refers to the dried root of Sophora flavescens Ait., which is a plant in the family Leguminosae. And it has a few other names, including sophora flavescens radix, lightyellow sophora root, Flavescent Sophora Root, Root of Light Yellow Sophora, Sophora Flavescens Root, and more. It is produced all over China and harvested during spring and autumn. After the digging, for better medicinal quality it should remove the head and small fibrous root, wash clean, and dry immediately or dry after slicing when it is still fresh. And it is usually used raw. And now it is consumed in various forms, like sophora flavescens supplement, extract, tea, capsules, powder, etc.

This plant is a dwarf-shrub, 50 to 120cm high. Root is cylindrical and yellow in appearance. Stems are herbaceous, green, and with yellow hair when young and irregular longitudinal groove. Pinnately compound leaves are odd, alternate, and with linear stipules underneath; blade is from 20 to 25cm long and with pubescent axis; leaflets are 5 to 21, with a short handle, ovate-elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, rounded or blunt-tipped apex, rounded or wedge-shaped base, and entire margin. Racemes are acrogenous, short-haired, 10 to 20cm long; bracts are linear; Flowers are yellowish white; calyx is bell-shaped and slightly oblique; corolla looks like butterfly. Pods are linear; apex is with a long beak. Seeds usually are 3 to 7, black, nearly spherical, and with constriction between seeds. It flowers from May to July and fruits from July to September. Habitats are places exposed to the sun, including grassy hillside, plains, roadsides, sandy soil and red soil.

Sophora flavescens benefits
Xiao Feng San, also known as Eliminate Wind Powder, is one famous formula for treating skin diseases. Many veteran doctors of TCM love to use it for mild skin diseases, or even complex chronic psoriasis. Many medical cases from them prove that this is one of effective herbal formula, in which sophora root is that ingredient plays an important role. But keep in mind it won’t work unless in large dosage. In addition to skin diseases, clinically it also treats Insomnia, Diarrhea, high fever, irregular heartbeat, hot hands and feet, urinary tract infection, hair loss, Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) etc. Facts have justified that this is an herb with tons of health benefits.

Modern sophora root pharmacology
1. It has obvious inhibition on heart, which can slow the heart rate, weaken the myocardial contractility, and reduce cardiac output;
2. This herb itself, matrine, and kurarinone have anti-arrhythmia effects;
3. It injection has rapid and long-lasting effect on aconitine-induced arrhythmias. And it also has antihypertensive effect;
4. Its decoction has inhibition on Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Shigella, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and a variety of skin fungus;
5. Its decoction can induce diuresis, reduce inflammation, prevent allergies, make people calm down, relieve asthma, eliminate phlegm, elevate white blood cell count, and fight cancer.