[Anticholinergic action of Paeony root and its active constituents]

Anticholinergic action of Paeony root was examined in in vivo experiments with rat in order to substantiate the presence of analgesic, antispasmic and antidiarrheal properties. The 50% methanol extract of Paeony root was found to be effective. Fractionation of 50% methanol extract through column chromatography revealed that paeoniflorin was one of the active constituents in anticholinergic action in vivo, but in vitro, paeoniflorin had no effect on contractile responses of isolated rat proximal colon to the carbachol and KCl.