gastrodia elata

Gastrodia elata is a perennial herb in the Orchidaceae family widely used in traditional Chinese medicine. The dried rhizome (rhizoma gastrodiae) is the main medicinal part and has been employed for centuries to treat neurological disorders such as headache, dizziness, epilepsy, neuralgia, hypertension, and cognitive impairment. Its primary bioactive constituents include phenolic glycosides like gastrodin and parishin C. Mechanistically, Gastrodia elata exhibits neuroprotective effects by reducing amyloid-beta and tau accumulation in models of Alzheimer's disease; it increases choline acetyltransferase expression while inhibiting acetylcholinesterase activity. It also exerts antidepressant effects through modulation of neurotransmitters (serotonin/5-HT, dopamine/DA, norepinephrine/NE), upregulation of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), anti-inflammatory actions via cytokine regulation and inhibition of apoptosis-related pathways. Additional pharmacological activities include sedative-hypnotic effects; anti-epileptic; anxiolytic; analgesic; memory-improving properties; blood pressure lowering; antioxidative actions; and circulatory system modulation[2][3][5][6][9]. Gastrodin is considered the major active compound responsible for many CNS-related benefits.

Brand names

Quantianma Jiaonang

Other names

tian-marhizoma gastrodiae