Anemarrhenae Extract

Anemarrhena asphodeloides, commonly known as Zhi Mu in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Asparagaceae family, native to China and Korea, with its dried rhizomes used medicinally for over two millennia. The plant features long, narrow leaves and white or pale yellow flowers, growing in dry, rocky soils, and is harvested in spring or autumn, with rhizomes cleaned, dried, and sliced for clinical use. Its primary bioactive constituents include steroidal saponins such as timosaponin AIII, BII, and E1–E2, along with the xanthone glycoside mangiferin and polysaccharides, which collectively underpin its pharmacological profile. These compounds demonstrate potent anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting NF-κB and COX-2 pathways, antidiabetic activity through AMPK activation and improved insulin sensitivity in adipocytes, and neuroprotective properties by reducing oxidative stress and amyloid-beta aggregation in models of Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, timosaponin AIII exhibits antiangiogenic and antitumor effects by suppressing VEGF-induced endothelial cell proliferation and migration, as validated in vitro and in zebrafish models. In TCM, Anemarrhena asphodeloides is classified as cold in nature and bitter-sweet in taste, entering the Lung, Stomach, and Kidney meridians, where it clears heat, drains fire, generates body fluids, and moistens dryness, making it indispensable in formulas like Bai Hu Tang for high fever and thirst, and Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan for yin deficiency with night sweats and tidal fever. Modern clinical studies support its use in managing type 2 diabetes, chronic cough with dry throat, and menopausal symptoms, with typical daily dosage ranging from 6 to 15 grams in decoction, though standardized extracts are increasingly used in commercial formulations.