Herbal pairs are unique combinations of two relatively fixed herbs that are used in clinical practice. This is the most fundamental and straightforward form of multiple herbal treatment that aims to attain specific efficacy through unique methods. Coptidis Rhizoma (“Huanglian” in Chinese) and Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex (“Houpo” in Chinese) which are commonly used in combination and could also be used as important components of other prescriptions to treat damp-heat dysentery, splenic and stomach disorders, and qi stagnation in clinical practice. However, there is currently no summary on the compatibility of Huanglian and Houpo about traditional use, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activity. It was found the combination or separate extraction of the two drugs may affect the main active components, and new components may be produced after the combined extraction. At the same time, Huanglian and Houpo herb pair exhibited antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and other pharmacological effects. At present, research mainly focuses on the indicator components of Huanglian and Houpo, such as berberine, magnolol, and magnolol. The models used for pharmacological validation are limited, mainly including ulcerative colitis, pneumonia, bacterial infections, etc. In order to verify the pharmacological activity of the combination of Huanglian and Houpo, it is necessary to try more in vitro and in vivo models. It’s still need to study the compatibility mechanism of the Huanglian and Houpo drug pair, including but not limited to the interactions between different components and the impact of compatibility on efficacy, bioequivalence studies, and the impact of different dosage forms on pharmacokinetics in the future. It’s believed that the systematic review provided comprehensive information for the study of Huanglian-Houpo drug pair, which will help highlight the importance of the Huanglian-Houpo herb pair and provide some clues for future research on this herb pair.

Background: To systematically evaluate the therapeutic effect of BaitouWeng Decoction in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), evaluate its safety and effectiveness, and provide a reference for clinical medication. Methods: The research literature on the treatment of UC with BaitouWeng Decoction was searched in databases such as China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, VIP database for Chinese Technical Periodicals, Chinese BioMedical Literature Database, and PubMed. The literature was screened by setting inclusion and exclusion criteria, strictly following the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and following the search strategy for literature screening, data extraction, and methodological quality evaluation. According to the Cochrane System Evaluation Manual, methodological quality evaluation was conducted on the included studies using the bias risk assessment tool for randomized controlled trials. For meta-analysis, Review Manager software was used. Results: A total of 24 articles were included, including 2131 patients. Meta-analysis showed that compared with conventional Western medicine, BaitouWeng Decoction can significantly improve the effective rate (odds ratio = 5.10, 95% confidence interval [CI] [3.74–6.96], P < .00001), reduce the traditional Chinese medicine syndrome score (mean difference [MD] = −4.23, 95% CI [−5.17–−3.30], P < .00001), Baron endoscopic score (MD = −0.68, 95% CI [−0.78–−0.58], P < .00001), and intestinal lesion activity score (MD = −2.29, 95% CI [−1.15–−1.03], P < .00001); improve serum factors and reduce serum tumor necrosis factor α levels (MD = −16.84, 95% CI [−19.92–−13.76], P < .00001), serum interleukin-8 levels (MD = −10.41, 95% CI [−10.87–−9.95], P < .00001), and increased serum interleukin-10 levels (MD = 4.96, 95% CI [2.76–7.16], P < .00001). Conclusion: BaitouWeng Decoction has good efficacy and safety in treating UC. BaitouWeng Decoction improved the symptoms of colitis injury and inhibited inflammatory response. However, more rigorously designed randomized controlled trials with blinding, concealment, and placebo controls should be conducted on Baitouweng decoction to generate higher quality evidence and longer-term studies on sustained benefits are needed.

Background: Studies have confirmed that high dose borneol has perinatal toxicity and has a certain effect on embryonic development. However, there is little about the effect of borneol on the development of zebrafish embryos. Therefore, we compared the effects of D-borneol, L-borneol and synthetic borneol on the growth and development of zebrafish embryos, and predicted the possible mechanism of perinatal toxicity. Methods: The embryonic mortality rate, hatching rate, and heart rate of each group were recorded at 48 hpf to compare the effects of borneols on the development of zebrafish embryos. Network pharmacology and molecular docking technology were used to predict the possible mechanism of perinatal toxicity. Results: We found that borneols increased the mortality at 24 and 48 hpf, inhibited the autonomous movement behavior at 24 hpf, and affected the hatching rate and heart rate at 48 hpf. Network pharmacology analysis showed that borneols had the same toxic targets in the perinatal period and were involved in regulating perinatal toxicity by regulating pathways in cancer, chemical carcinogenesis-receptor activation, PI3K-Akt and others. Molecular docking showed that the binding activity of the active ingredients and the core target was at a medium level, and the binding activity of the borneols active ingredients and the core target was not much different. Conclusion: Three kinds of borneol on the development of zebrafish embryos were different. The toxicity of L-borneol was the lowest. The mechanisms of perinatal toxicity were related to inflammation, apoptosis, cell cycle and growth, differentiation and reproduction.