Herba Asari and Asiasari Radix (AR) have a centuries-old history as a folk medicine in China, Korea
and Japan. AR has long been used in combination with other herbs to treat cough, toothache,
headache, neuralgia, aphthous stomatitis, gingivitis, chronic bronchitis, asthma and allergies. AR from
three species of the genus Asarum:
A. heterotropoides
Fr. Schmidt var. mandshuricum (Maxim.) Kitag.,
A. sieboldii
Miq. var. seoulense Nakai and
A. sieboldii Miq are recognized as original “Asiasari Radix et
Rhizoma”. These species do not contain aristolochic acids (nephrotoxins present in the Asarum
species) and therefore the roots of AR are recommended for use. Asiasari Radix is rich in volatile oils,
phenylpropanoids, terpenoids, flavonoids, glycosides and lignins. The reported toxicological and
pharmacological activities of AR, including antifungal, antimicrobial, antilisterial, antiallergic, acarcidal,
larvicidal, anti-caries, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, cytotoxic and anticancer
activities suggest its therapeutic potentials in drug discovery.
