Effect of Radix Dioscoreae Oppositae and Water Extract of It Stir-baked with Bran on Gastrointestinal Function of Mice with Spleen Deficiency

OBJECTIVE To compare between the effect of crude Radix Dioscoreae Oppositae and the water extract of the drug stir-baked with bran at different polarities on the gastrointestinal function of mice with spleen deficiency.METHOD Gastric emptying method and intestinal propelling method were used in the comparison.RESULT The water extract of stir-baked Radix Dioscoreae Oppositae at the location of dichlormethane had better effect in inhibiting mice gastric emptying and intestinal propelling than the crude drug.CONCLUSION The result of the study indicates that the effective component of stir-baked Radix Dioscoreae Oppositae might exist at the low polarity part of its water extract.This study has laid the theoretical foundation for further investigation on the mechanism of the preparation of stir-baked Radix Dioscoreae Oppositae.