Oldenlandia diffusa.   白 花 蛇 舌 草 Bái huā shé shé cǎo  Oldenlandia   Family: Rubiaceae      
PART USED: Whole plant- harvested in Summer and Autumn.
Nature: Cool   FLAVOR: Bitter, Sweet, pleasant   CHANNEL: Stomach, Large Intestine, Liver, Small Intestine
FUNCTIONS
GROUP: Clearing Internal Heat- Neutralizing Toxins
1. Clear Heat,[1,2,5] and strongly detoxifies.[1,2,5] Clear Heat and resolves Dampness.[5]
2. Tonifies the blood.[1] Anticoagulant.[2] Scatter stasis.[2]
3. Promotes diuresis.[1] Clear carbuncles.[2]
INDICATIONS
1. Acute appendicitis.[2] Intestinal abscess.[5]
2. Hot painful dysuria and Damp Heat jaundice.[2] Acute nephritis- renal infections:[2] Edema, swelling, proteinuria (urine goes cloudy). Cystitis, uritis.
3. Cancer.[1,2]
4. Sore throat.[1]
5. Boils and abscesses.[1] Traumatic bruise pain.[1] Toxic sores, ulcerations, and swellings.[2]
6. Poisonous snakebites.[1,5]
7. Jaundice.[1]
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Use with caution during pregnancy.[5]
COMBINATIONS
PREPARATIONS: Decoction. Whole plant 30-60 g.[1] 15-30 g.[2] Used both internally and topically.[2]
NOTE: When treating cancer use higher dosage.[2]
    
ORIGIN: Southern China
HABITAT: Grows wild in weed clusters of gardens and fields.
DESCRIPTION: Annual herb. Height 20 to 30 cm. Stem; prostrate, angled. Leaves; opposite, linear, length 1 to 3 cm, width 1 to 3 mm, margins intact. Flowers; in late summer-early autumn, white axillary flowers appearing singly or in pairs, petioles short. Capsule; a flat globoid.
References
Inner Path can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Constituents

Research
Oldenlandia diffusa extract effectively inhibited the growth of all the eight cancer cell lines and induced significant increase of apoptosis (a genetically directed process of cell self-destruction),[3] possibly through burst-mediated caspase activation.[3] The extract exhibited minimum toxic effect on normal pancreatic cells. Furthermore, there was a significant inhibition of lung metastases in the animal model with no noticeable adverse effects. The herb extract could be a potential anticancer agent.[3]
Recently been used in treating stomach, esophageal, and colon cancer.[1]
References
[1] Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica- Dan Bensky and Andrew Gamble- Eastland Press 1986 Seattle Washington ISBN 0-939616-15-7

Evidence for Oldenlandia diffusa-evoked cancer cell apoptosis through superoxide burst and caspase activation.
Yadav SK, Lee SC. Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597.
Abstract
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE:
Oldenlandia diffusa (Bai Hua She She Cao) is one of the herbs most commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine for treating cancer. Various studies using the herb alone or in combination with other therapy plans have evidenced the effectiveness of the herb in the management of cancers of different tissue origin. However, the mechanisms underlying its anti-cancer activity are unknown. In the present study, we attempted to investigate the apoptotic activity of crude extracts of the herb as well as the possible molecular pathways.
METHODS:
We incubated human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL60 cells with ethanol or aqueous extracts of the herb, and determined the levels of intracellular superoxide at 2 and 4 hours as well as caspase activity at 3, 6 and 8 hours using photospectrometry. Cancer cell survival and apoptosis were quantified at 24 hours by using MTT and flow cytometry analyses respectively.
RESULTS:
We found that it dose-dependently inhibited the cancer cell growth in MTT assay. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that it elicited significant production of sub-G(1) population of the cells, indicating the extract-evoked cell apoptotic death. The LD(50) of the ethanol extract was estimated to be approximately 320 microg/ml. Moreover, treatment of the cancer cells with the ethanol component markedly increased the production of superoxide within few hours. Significant elevation in the protease activities of caspases-2 and -3 were detected at as early as 3 and 6 hours respectively.
CONCLUSION:
Our results show that the ethanol extract of the herb effectively evokes cancer cell apoptosis, possibly through burst-mediated caspase activation.
PMID: 16965742  Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Xue Bao. 2006 Sep;4(5):485-9. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Anticancer activities of Oldenlandia diffusa.
Gupta S, Zhang D, Yi J, Shao J.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES:
To investigate the anticancer activities of a Chinese herb, Oldenlandia diffusa (Bai Hua She She Cao).
METHODS:
The water extract of the raw herb Oldenlandia diffusa was used in this study. The in vitro anti-proliferative activities of the extract were tested against eight cancer cell lines and one normal cell line. Microscopic examination and DNA ladder analysis were carried out to determine the pro-apoptotic effect of the extract. In vivo studies were carried out to examine the anticancer activities of the extract using C57BL/6j mice bearing B16-F10 lung metastasis. Oldenlandia diffusa extract was given at the dose level of 5 g raw material/kg on Days 3-12 by oral gavage and the extent of lung metastases were examined on Day 14.
RESULTS:
The extract exhibited a strong antiproliferative activity against all cancer cell lines tested. The concentrations of growth inhibition at 50% (IC(50)) ranged from 7 to 25 mg raw material/ml after 48-hour treatment. The extract had a very limited cytotoxicity (10% inhibition) on the normal pancreatic cells even at the concentration of 50 mg/mL. Apoptosis in B16-F10 cells after treatment with the extract was observed by microscopic examination and DNA ladder assays. Oral administration of the herbal extract effectively reduced B16-F10 cell growth in the lungs of C57Bl/j mice with a 70% reduction in lung metastases (p < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS:
Oldenlandia diffusa extract effectively inhibited the growth of all the eight cancer cell lines and induced significant increase of apoptosis. The extract exhibited minimum toxic effect on normal pancreatic cells. Furthermore, there was a significant inhibition of lung metastases in the animal model with no noticeable adverse effects. The herb extract could be a potential anticancer agent.
PMID: 15273074  J Herb Pharmacother. 2004;4(1):21-33. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Oldenlandia diffusa extracts exert antiproliferative and apoptotic effects on human breast cancer cells through ERα/Sp1-mediated p53 activation
Guowei Gu,Ines Barone,Luca Gelsomino,Cinzia Giordano,Daniela Bonofiglio,Giancarlo Statti,Francesco Menichini,Stefania Catalano,Sebastiano Andò
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most frequent tumor and a major cause of death among women. Estrogens play a crucial role in breast tumor growth, which is the rationale for the use of hormonal antiestrogen therapies. Unfortunately, not all therapeutic modalities are efficacious and it is imperative to develop new effective antitumoral drugs. Oldenlandia diffusa (OD) is a well-known medicinal plant used to prevent and treat many disorders, especially cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of OD extracts on breast cancer cell proliferation. We observed that OD extracts strongly inhibited anchorage-dependent and -independent cell growth and induced apoptosis in estrogen receptor alpha (ERα)-positive breast cancer cells, whereas proliferation and apoptotic responses of MCF-10A normal breast epithelial cells were unaffected. Mechanistically, OD extracts enhance the tumor suppressor p53 expression as a result of an increased binding of ERα/Sp1 complex to the p53 promoter region. Finally, we isolated ursolic and oleanolic acids as the bioactive compounds able to upregulate p53 expression and inhibit breast cancer cell growth. These acids were greatly effective in reducing tamoxifen-resistant growth of a derivative MCF-7 breast cancer cell line resistant to the antiestrogen treatment. Our results evidence how OD, and its bioactive compounds, exert antiproliferative and apoptotic effects selectively in ERα-positive breast cancer cells, highlighting the potential use of these herbal extracts as breast cancer preventive and/or therapeutic agents. J. Cell. Physiol. 227: 3363–3372, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Journal of Cellular Physiology
Volume 227, Issue 10 October 2012 Pages 3363–3372 Original Research Article First published: 21 June 2012 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.24035 onlinelibrary.wiley.com