What are Matrine and Oxymatrine?
Matrine and oxymatrine are the two major alkaloid components found only in Sophora species so far. These unique tetracyclo-quinolizindine alkaloids were first isolated and identified in 1958, although sophora japonica (kushen) has been used as a Chinese herbal medicine for thousands year. The crude herb and crude hot-water extracts of sophora have been available in the West for more than 25 years. An intensive investigation into the pharmacology and clinical applications of these alkaloids has gone on for the past decade and remains one of the focal points of the Chinese medical research. The main clinical applications are treatment of people with cancer, viral hepatitis, gastroenteritis, cardiac diseases (such as viral myocarditis), and skin problems (psoriasis and eczema etc.).
