Gastrodin Explained

Gastrodin is a chemical compound which is the glucoside of gastrodigenin. It has been isolated from the orchid Gastrodia elata and from the rhizome of Galeola faberi.^[1] It can also be produced by biotransformation of 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde by Datura tatula cell cultures.^[2]

G. elata is a herb used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat headache, and it is standardized in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia by gastrodin and gastrodigenin content.^[3] In line with this traditional use, gastrodin and its acetyl derivative are used in China as an over-the-counter drug to treat neurasthenia, headache, and migraine.^[4] It is available as a dietary supplement in other countries.

A Chinese literature review considers it useful for a range of central nervous system disorders, with the evidence coming from mostly Chinese researches.^[5]

Notes and References

1. 8009989. 1993. Li. Y. M.. Studies on the phenolic derivatives from Galeola faberi Rolfe. Yao Xue Xue Bao = Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica. 28. 10. 766–71. Zhou. Z. L.. Hong. Y. F..
2. Gong . J. . Ma . W. . Pu . J. . Xu . S. . Zheng . S. . Xiao . C. . 10.1016/S1872-2075(06)60056-3 . Production of Gastrodin Through Biotransformation of p-hydroxybenzaldehyde Using Cell Suspension Cultures of Datura tatula L . Chinese Journal of Biotechnology . 22 . 5 . 800–804 . 2006 . 17037205.
3. Book: 中国药典 . 1 . 2015 . zh . 978-7-5067-7337-9 . 58 . 天麻 / GASTRODIAE RHIZOMA. 国家药典委员会 .
4. Web site: Gastrodin Tablets (天麻素片) Monograph . drugs.dxy.cn.
5. Liu . Y . Gao . J . Peng . M . Meng . H . Ma . H . Cai . P . Xu . Y . Zhao . Q . Si . G . A Review on Central Nervous System Effects of Gastrodin. . Frontiers in Pharmacology . 2018 . 9 . 24 . 10.3389/fphar.2018.00024 . 29456504 . 5801292. free .