Objective
Gastrodia elata Blume (G. elata), commonly called Tianma in Chinese, is an important and notable traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which has been used in China as an anticonvulsant, analgesic, sedative, anti-asthma, anti-immune drug since ancient times. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the abundant efforts of scientists in developing analytical techniques and performing pharmacokinetic studies of G. elata and its constituents, including sample pretreatment methods, analytical techniques, absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion (ADME) and influence factors to its pharmacokinetics.
Conclusions
Although G. elata has been used for thousands of years in China, the lack of standardization and safety and efficacy studies vastly restricts its utilization worldwide. Since ancient times, GAS and HBA have been widely considered to be the major bioactive constituents or metabolites of G. elata in vivo. With phytochemical studies, more constituents, such as parishins and hydroxybenzyl nucleosides, have been reported to exert a greater potential effect. However, there are still multiple complications that needs to be considered such as chemical properties and utilizing for the public before further application can occur.
