Ampelopsin


Ampelopsin, also known as dihydromyricetin and DHM, when used as an herbal medicine, is a flavanonol, a type of flavonoid. It is extracted from the Japanese raisin tree and found in Ampelopsis species japonica, megalophylla, and grossedentata; Cercidiphyllum japonicum; Hovenia dulcis; Rhododendron cinnabarinum; some Pinus species; and some Cedrus species, as well as in Salix sachalinensis.
Hovenia dulcis has been used in traditional Japanese, Chinese, and Korean medicines to treat fever, parasitic infection, as a laxative, and a treatment of liver diseases, and as a hangover treatment. Methods have been developed to extract ampelopsin on a larger scale, and laboratory research has been conducted with the compound to see if it might be useful as a drug in any of the conditions for which the parent plant has been traditionally used.

Research

Research suggests that ampelopsin protects against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation via stimulation of the SIRT1 pathway. In a study of 60 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, ampelopsin improved glucose and lipid metabolism and yielded potentially beneficial anti-inflammatory effects. A study of rats demonstrated pharmacological properties of ampelopsin which suggest it would be a therapeutic candidate to treat alcohol use disorders.
Additional research is required before claims of human efficacy and application, necessary dosage, and solutions to poor bioavailability, are met with scientific validation.

Purported benefits

Ampelopsin has been claimed to possess various health, wellness, and cosmetic benefits, including:
  • Anti-alcohol intoxication: ampelopsin is widely used in hangover remedies due to its claimed ability to accelerate alcohol breakdown in the liver and mitigate alcohol-induced damage. However, a pharmacokinetic study found no effect of DHM on alcohol metabolism.
  • Cosmetic applications: ampelopsin is used in skincare products for its purported ability to protect skin from UV-induced damage and aging.