Corydalis yanhusuo plant: promising lead in pain relief for arthritis and fibromyalgia

The Corydalis yanhusuo plant is under scrutiny as a possible treatment for acute inflammation and nerve pain, says research published in Current Biology.

Derived from the roots of the plant that grows in Siberia, China and Japan, dehydrocorybulbine (DHCB) is said to be non-addictive and does not generate the tolerance seen with continued use of other  pain relievers, such as morphine.

When tested on mice, DHCB lowered levels of both inflammatory pain and neuropathic pain.

The discovery was part of a wider screening of 10 traditional Chinese medicines commonly used for pain relief. Only DHCB in corydalis induced a reproducible effect.

“Our study casts DHCB as a different type of analgesic compound and as a promising lead in pain management,” says the research team.

People traditionally use Corydalis to alleviate menstrual cramps, chest pain and abdominal pain. The current research is the first time DHCB has been isolated, extracted and tested.

Before being developed as a drug, however, DHCB needs to be evaluated to make sure it isn’t toxic.

To read the original research visit http://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822%2813%2901494-2.