Identification of magnolol and honokiol as anxiolytic agents in extracts of saiboku-to, an oriental herbal medicine.
Maruyama Y, Kuribara H, Morita M, Yuzurihara M, Weintraub ST.
Department of Neuropsychopharmacology, Gunma University School of Medicine, Japan. yuji@news.sb.gunma-u.ac.jp
The principal active anxiolytic components in Saiboku-to, an Oriental herbal medicine, have been isolated and identified as magnolol (5,5'-di-2-propenyl-1,1'-biphenyl-2,2'-diol) and honokiol (3',5-di-2-propenyl-1,1'-biphenyl-2,4'-diol). Evaluation by means of an elevated plus-maze test showed that honokiol was at least 5000 times more potent than Saiboku-to when mice were treated orally for 7 days.
PMID: 9461663 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]