Lithospermum erythrorhizon
| Lithospermum erythrorhizon | |
|---|---|
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| Leaves | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | (unplaced) |
| Family: | Boraginaceae |
| Subfamily: | Boraginoideae |
| Genus: | Lithospermum |
| Species: | L. erythrorhizon |
| Binomial name | |
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Lithospermum erythrorhizon Siebold & Zucc. 1846 |
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Lithospermum erythrorhizon, the purple gromwell, red-root gromwell, 紫草 zicao (Pinyin: zǐcǎo), 紫草 murasaki･sō (Japanese) is a plant species in the genus Lithospermum.
The dried root of Lithospermum erythrorhizon (lithospermum root or Lithospermi Radix, Kanji: 紫根, Katakana: シコン, Pinyin: zǐ gēn, Traditional Chinese: 紫根, Simplified Chinese: 紫根) is a Chinese herbal medicine with various antiviral and biological activities, including inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1).
The enzyme 4-hydroxybenzoate geranyltransferase utilizes geranyl diphosphate and 4-hydroxybenzoate to produce 3-geranyl-4-hydroxybenzoate and diphosphate. Biosynthetically, alkannin is produced in plants from the intermediates 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and geranyl pyrophosphate. This enzyme is involved in shikonin biosynthesis.
The enzyme geranylhydroquinone 3''-hydroxylase uses geranylhydroquinone, NADPH, H+ and O2 to produce 3-hydroxygeranylhydroquinone, NADP+ and H2O.
It has been cultivated in Japan since the Nara period for its root, which can be used for herbal medicine and to make dyes.
One Japanese word for the plant, murasaki (紫), inspired the pen name "Lady Murasaki" for the author of The Tale of Genji and is also the source of the general Japanese term for the color purple, murasaki iro (紫色).
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