Is Chinese Medicinal Herbs natural or synthetic?

A fantasy or concept note, not a single material.

Chinese Medicinal Herbs

AccordGREENS, HERBS & FOUGERESgreen · earthy · rich

HeartPyramid

—Strength

—Tenacity

1Origins

Editorial noteWe own no rights to this material, its name or its trademark. This entry is independent editorial journalism, published under freedom of expression.

Specimen

Chinese Medicinal Herbs perfume ingredient — Heart

N/A — diverse category (incl. Astragalus, Angelica sinensis, Glycyrrhiza, Bupleurum, etc.)

Fantasy/Concept

Definition

Chinese medicinal herbs are the substances of traditional Chinese medicine, with roughly 13,000 medicinals used in China. Plant elements and extracts are by far the most common of them.

WOODY FLORAL GREEN EARTHY SWEET HERBAL WARM FRESH

Traditional Chinese herbs

Type: Accord
Olfactive family: Aromatic
Subfamily: Herbal aromatics
Cluster: Green-herbal notes
Source: Mostly plant materials, with some animal, fungal and mineral products

Instruments

Pyramid

TTop

HHeart

BBase

Producing countries

China

Scent

Borneol has a pungent, camphor-like odour. Laevo-borneol has a balsamic odour type with pine, woody and camphoraceous facets. Chuanxiong, Japanese chuanxiong, Fuxiong and Jinxiong have a similar aromatic odor.

In PREMIEREPEAU

DISCOVERY SET7 × 2 ml →EXTRAIT DE PARFUMThe seven extraits →

The Full Story

Over 300 herbs are in common use. Some of the most commonly used herbs are ginseng, dong quai and astragalus. Animal, fungal and mineral products are also used in TCM. Over 100,000 medicinal recipes are recorded in the ancient literature. Some TCM ingredients are known to be toxic and cause disease, including cancer.

Angelica sinensis, commonly known as dong quai, is a herb belonging to the family Apiaceae, indigenous to China. The dried root of Angelica sinensis, called Chinese angelica, is used in Chinese traditional medicine in the belief that it benefits women's health, cardiovascular conditions and other complaints. Phytochemicals contained in Angelica sinensis include phytosterols, polysaccharides, ligustilide, butylphthalide, cnidilide and isocnidilide. Ligustilide is a volatile compound, found in the essential oil of various herb roots.

Astragalus mongholicus is used in traditional Chinese medicine. Chemical constituents of the roots include polysaccharides and triterpenoids such as astragalosides, as well as isoflavones. Chuanxiong and Japanese chuanxiong are officially used in traditional medicine and recorded in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia or Japanese Pharmacopeia.

Liquorice root is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it has the name gancao. In Chinese medicine it is used to harmonize other herbs and to reduce the harsh effects of other herbs. Glycyrrhiza uralensis contains a glycoside that is 30-50 times sweeter than sucrose, glycyrrhizin. The root of Bupleurum chinense, known as Radix Bupleuri, is used in traditional Chinese medicine. The roots contain polyacetylenes and saponins/triterpenoids. The jujube fruit and its seeds are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Traditional Korean Medicine and Kampo for many purposes. The taste of chenpi is first slightly sweet, but the aftertaste is pungent and bitter. Chenpi is sun-dried mandarin orange peel used as a traditional seasoning in Chinese cooking and traditional medicine. (+)-Borneol from Dipterocarpus species is used in traditional Chinese medicine.

—

Related: Alpha Pinene · Angelica · Angelica Root · Angelica Root Oil · Artemisia · Barrenwort · Beachheather · Behini Tree

Did You Know?

The classic Handbook of Traditional Drugs from 1941 listed 517 drugs, of which only 45 were animal parts and 30 were minerals. Gan means 'sweet', so Gan Cao is 'sweet herb', a name that suits the licorice root.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method

Liquorice root is usually collected in spring and autumn, when it is sliced and sun-dried, then either used unprepared or stir-baked with honey. Chenpi, sun-dried mandarin orange peel, is aged by storing the peels dry. Ligustilide is found in an essential oil that is obtained by distillation or supercritical CO2 extraction of the dried root.

Formula: N/A — category, not a single material
CAS: N/A — category, not a single material
Botanical: N/A — diverse category (incl. Astragalus, Angelica sinensis, Glycyrrhiza, Bupleurum, etc.)
Synonyms: Traditional Chinese herbs

IFRA status

See note

No IFRA Standard for the material itself (51st Amendment)

In Perfumery

Laevo-borneol (-) is used in perfumery. Of the two enantiomers of borneol, the more commercially available one today is l-borneol (-).

Role in the formula

01modifier

02backbone

03signature note

04blender

05volume builder

06freshness

Available as

synthetic accord fantasy note