Global climate change has a main impact on the distribution of plants. Aralia chinensis L. is economically valuable, making it necessary to predict the impact of climate change on its distribution. It is important for researching the effects of climate change on A. chinensis distribution to achieve sustainable utilization. Based on 340 occurrence records of A. chinensis covering all known provinces and 58 environmental factor data, we used MaxEnt to simulate the potential distribution of A. chinensis under current and different future climate scenarios, analyzing the key environmental variables affecting its distribution. The results were as follows: (1) Suitable A. chinensis habitats under current and different future climate scenarios were mainly distributed in the southern region of China, east of the Hu Huanyong line. (2) Annual precipitation, minimum temperature during the coldest month, precipitation during the driest month, and slope were the key environmental variables affecting its potential distribution, and annual precipitation was more important. (3) Suitable habitat areas were projected to increase under different future climate scenarios and expand westward and northward while shrinking in the central regions, such as Hubei and Hunan. The results provide a theoretical reference for the conservation and cultivation of A. chinensis.

To investigate how sweating–drying processing affects the components, antioxidant activity, and hepatoprotective mechanisms of Eucommia ulmoides (EUB) against acute liver injury (ALI), this study constructed a “processing–active components–ALI targets” network. Eight processed EUB samples were analyzed using HPLC fingerprinting, multi-assay antioxidant tests (DPPH/ABTS·+/pyrogallol), network pharmacology, and molecular docking. Sweating–drying significantly altered EUB’s chemical profile, with HPLC fingerprint similarities ranging from 0.715 to 1.000, the lowest being for FG4 (40 °C dried after sweating) and FD (freeze-dried after sweating). Key components (chlorogenic acid (CA), pinoresinol diglucoside (PDG), aucubin (AU), geniposidic acid (GPA)) varied: XS (sun-dried) had the highest CA/PDG, while FG4 showed increased AU/GPA. FY (shade-dried after sweating) exhibited the strongest free radical scavenging (DPPH/ABTS·+/pyrogallol IC₅₀ = 0.828, 0.134, 14.200 mg/mL), which correlated with CA/PDG/liriodendrin (PD) synergy. Network pharmacology identified 205 EUB-ALI intersection targets (core: TNF, PTGS2, GAPDH) and the AGE-RAGE pathway; molecular docking confirmed strong CA/PDG binding to GAPDH/PTGS2. This study clarifies how processing regulates EUB’s components and their links to antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects, providing scientific support for EUB’s clinical application against ALI.

Gerbera piloselloides (L.)Cass. is an important ethnomedicinal plant. Wild populations are steadily declining, however, posing a risk of failure to meet future market demand. Investigating suitable habitats for this plant and key influencing factors is crucial for its artificial cultivation. In this study, we implemented an optimized MaxEnt to project suitable habitats for the target species in five different periods and explored the impact of different environmental variables on its distribution. Our study findings provide confirmation of the following: (1) The current and future potential distributions of Gerbera piloselloides are primarily located in the areas south of the Qinling–Huaihe boundary in China, with future expansions expected to shift northward and westward. (2) Notably, there was a contraction in the junction regions of the provinces of Jiangxi, Anhui, Hunan, and Hubei. (3) The number of highly suitable habitats in Fujian, Guangdong, Yunnan, and Guangxi is expanding; in comparison, the number in Guizhou, Sichuan, and Hainan is declining. (4) The primary environmental determinants shaping its range, together with the threshold values for highly suitable habitats, are the minimum temperature of the coldest month (bio6, 0.88–22.58 °C) and the temperature seasonality (bio4, 461.54–763.9). The findings presented in this work provide support for the artificial cultivation and conservation of this plant.

Barbatic acid (BA), a phenolic compound isolated from Pyrrosia petiolosa (Christ) Ching, was investigated for its diuretic effects and underlying mechanisms following oral administration in rats using UPLC-MS/MS-based metabolomics and pharmacokinetics. In a water-loaded rat model, BA (28 and 56 mg/kg) significantly increased 6 h urine output (1.5-fold vs. model, p < 0.01) and promoted urinary excretion of Na⁺, K⁺, and Cl⁻ (1.1–1.4-fold, p < 0.05–0.01). Metabolomic analysis revealed that BA modulates amino acid metabolism pathways, including cysteine and methionine metabolism (impact score 0.16), tyrosine metabolism (impact score 0.10), histidine metabolism (impact score 0.12), taurine hypotaurine metabolismand (impact score 0.43), and phenylalanine metabolism (impact score 0.14). Pharmacokinetic evaluation showed dose-dependent half-lives of 5.88, 5.23, and 2.61 h at 28, 56, and 112 mg/kg, respectively, with Cmax and AUC increasing proportionally with dose (r² > 0.99). These findings provide the first integrated evidence supporting BA as a potential novel diuretic agent with a mechanism involving amino acid metabolism regulation.