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. 2016:2016:8469024.
doi: 10.1155/2016/8469024. Epub 2016 Jul 11.

Spectral Analysis of Chinese Medicinal Herbs Based on Delayed Luminescence

Jingxiang Pang  1 , Xiaoyan Zhu  2 , Yanli Liu  3 , Jialei Fu  4 , Xiaolei Zhao  1 , Meina Yang  1 , Eduard van Wijk  5 , Mei Wang  5 , Xiaoyan Nie  1 , Jinxiang Han  1
Affiliations

Spectral Analysis of Chinese Medicinal Herbs Based on Delayed Luminescence

Jingxiang Pang et al. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2016.

Abstract

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) plays a critical role in healthcare; however, it lacks scientific evidence to support the multidimensional therapeutic effects. These effects are based on experience, and, to date, there is no advanced tool to evaluate these experience based effects. In the current study, Chinese herbal materials classified with different cold and heat therapeutic properties, based on Chinese medicine principles, were investigated using spectral distribution, as well as the decay probability distribution based on delayed luminescence (DL). A detection system based on ultraweak biophoton emission was developed to determine the DL decay kinetics of the cold and heat properties of Chinese herbal materials. We constructed a mathematical model to fit the experimental data and characterize the properties of Chinese medicinal herbs with different parameters. The results demonstrated that this method has good reproducibility. Moreover, there is a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the spectral distribution and the decay probability distribution of Chinese herbal materials with cold and heat properties. This approach takes advantage of the comprehensive nature of DL compared with more reductionist approaches and is more consistent with TCM principles, in which the core comprises holistic views.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Hardware setup of spectral photon-counting system.
Figure 2
Figure 2
DL decay curve of Radix Sophorae Flavescentis (cold) and Radix et Rhizome Ginseng Rubra (heat) with no filter. Each sample was prepared in triplicate and analysis repeated three times. The noise of the empty dish is far lower than the signal.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a) The decay probability distribution in heat (red) and cold (black) herbs. (b) Comparison of the average of γ max (23 cold herbs versus 14 heat herbs), the cold herbs average of γ max is 3.28 ± 0.70, and the heat herbs average of γ max is 2.54 ± 0.25; ∗ p < 0.05. (c) Comparison of the average of P max⁡ (23 cold versus 14 heat herbs), the average of P max⁡ is 0.18 ± 0.03 of the cold herbs, and the average of P max⁡ is 0.25 ± 0.06; ∗ p value < 0.05.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Spectral distribution of DL emission of 37 peaks found in the herbs normalized to their sum.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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