Bupleurum marginatum Wall.: A comprehensive review of the traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and quality...

Bupleurum marginatum Wall. (B. marginatum) has a long history of use as a traditional medicine among Chinese ethnic minorities. It is characterized by a pungent and bitter taste, slightly cold in nature, and is associated with the liver, gallbladder, and lung meridians. Its functions include releasing the exterior and harmonizing the interior, soothing the liver and relieving depression, as well as uplifting middle qi.

This review comprehensively reviews the traditional applications, chemical constituents, pharmacological effects, and quality control of Bamboo-leaf Bupleurum, and provides an outlook on future research directions.

The literature for this review was compiled from two main sources: authoritative texts in traditional medicine (Diannan Bencao, Bencao Gangmu, Dictionary of Chinese Ethnic Medicine) and major scientific databases (PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI). Using keywords including "Bupleurum marginatum" and "Dian Chaihu" elevant pharmacological, clinical, and ethnomedical studies were identified and subsequently subjected to critical analysis.

B. marginatum is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb with a bitter and pungent taste, slightly cold in nature, and is associated with the liver and gallbladder meridians. Its functions include harmonizing the exterior and interior, soothing the liver and relieving depression, as well as lifting yang qi. Modern research has confirmed that its core active components include saikosaponins, flavonoids, volatile oils, and polysaccharides, which exhibit well-defined pharmacological effects such as antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, liver-protecting, cholagogue, and immunomodulatory actions. As an important locally customary medicinal material, the practical experience of using the whole herb for medicinal purposes is supported by scientific evidence (the aerial parts are rich in flavonoids). Current quality control focuses on key indicators such as total saikosaponins, total flavonoids, and specific saikosaponins a and d, utilizing techniques like fingerprint chromatograms. Future research should center on the therapeutic evaluation of B. marginatum in specific diseases such as cholecystitis and pharyngitis, elucidate the mechanisms of its bioactive saikosaponins and flavonoids, and integrate organoid models with AI-driven platforms to establish a precision screening system. Furthermore, developing a quality marker system rooted in traditional efficacy will facilitate the precision-oriented research and clinical translation of this medicinal herb.

The current research bottlenecks for Bamboo-leaf Bupleurum are primarily reflected in: the lack of a distinctive material basis (high similarity to Bupleurum chinense, absence of exclusive markers), unified quality standards (market confusion, lack of an independent evaluation system), bottlenecks in germplasm resources and cultivation (seed characteristics hindering large-scale cultivation), and insufficient clinical evidence (traditional efficacy lacking support from modern pharmacology and evidence-based medicine). These pain points are interconnected, collectively impeding its transformation from a "locally customary medicinal material" to standardized and precise clinical application. Future research must focus on addressing these core deficiencies. Future research on B. marginatum can deeply integrate technologies such as AI, multi-omics, and knowledge graphs to construct a new data-driven research paradigm. Through AI-enabled intelligent mining of the complex relationships between components and activities, and leveraging multi-omics and knowledge graphs to systematically analyze the "component-target-pathway" interaction network, its traditional efficacy can be scientifically elucidated. Ultimately, the systematic integration of these technologies will drive the transformation of research toward intelligence and precision, providing core momentum for clarifying its unique value and achieving precise clinical application.